Early language outcomes of children with cochlear implants: interim findings of the NAL study on longitudinal outcomes of children with hearing impairment.

This paper reports interim findings of a prospective study that examines longitudinal outcomes of early- and later-identified children with hearing impairment in Australia. Eighty-seven children with cochlear implants were assessed using the Preschool Language Scale at one or more intervals. Results demonstrated that children who received a cochlear implant before 12 months of age developed normal language skills and at a rate that is comparable to normal-hearing children. Children who received later implantation performed at two standard deviations below the normative mean. These results are preliminary, as there are currently insufficient data to examine the effect of multiple factors on language outcomes and the rate of language development.