A psychological evaluation of cochlear implants in children.

Psychological evaluation is performed both pre- and postimplant as part of the children's cochlear implant program. The purposes are to select appropriate candidates and to study changes over time that may result from the implant. The children in this sample were of above average intelligence as a group, but demonstrated perceptual motor lags and academic underachievement consistent with previous findings for deaf children. Six-month postimplant results show significant improvements in perceptual motor skills, cognitive performance, and academic achievement. Some of these improvements may be the result of a reduction in distractibility and short attention span that was noted for a number of children after implantation. A hypothesis is presented that may explain how the cochlear implant affects this behavior.