We never tire of repeating the phrase that A cochlear implant changes the life of the wearer, since he hears again and that makes it easier for him to live more intensely and fully, with a soundtrack and a capacity for infinite autonomy and relationship. A good example are children that, in addition, thanks to the implant, improve their school performance. In fact, as different studies show, his academic performance ends up being the same as that of his classmates.
A first study took place in the United Kingdom, where three groups of children aged between 2 and 7 years were analyzed. 25 of them had cochlear implants, another 13 had hearing problems but did not have an implant, and the remaining 18 did not have any hearing problems. The tests provided comprehensive information on the children’s IQconcluding that Those with cochlear implants achieved practically the same average score as children with normal hearing: 112.7 and 114.4, respectively. Non-implanted hearing-impaired children scored an average of 103.3.
In the other study carried out by three North American scientists, the educational achievements of 17 16-year-old children with cochlear implants. Participants took tests on text comprehension, dictation, science and sociology. The average score was 103.88, slightly higher than the average score of 100, obtained by children with normal hearing.
A third study carried out by the University of Melbournein Australia, has also shown that Students with cochlear implants in both ears perform better than those with only one. In any case, the difference between wearing or not wearing a cochlear implant in the classroom implies a difference of almost 50% in learning capacity.
The sooner the better
Another element in which there is consensus about cochlear implants is that the sooner they are placed, the better. In this sense, a study carried out by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) has served to confirm the benefits of placing cochlear implants before the age of two. According to this research, this early placement improves the reading comprehension of boys and girls. What’s more, their level is practically identical to that of children who do not have hearing problems.
