A child’s sense of hearing begins to develop from the third week of pregnancy. From birth, children begin to communicate with the outside world. They are constantly listening and are able to recognize familiar sounds at an early age. Children learn to speak by imitating the sounds they hear. As soon as your child is diagnosed with a severe hearing loss, it is important to take immediate action. If the brain has never processed auditory information, it will lose this ability after only a few years. Because children’s brains readily adapt and learn new auditory input, early cochlear implantation is a key factor in providing children with important auditory information. Studies have shown that children with cochlear implants before the age of two can achieve open-set speech perception equal to or faster than children with implants after the age of two. Prelingually deaf children have been shown to have rates of language learning ability comparable to their normal hearing peers. Children implanted in infancy or early childhood begin to receive auditory information when the brain is best suited and begins to acquire language. Their auditory development can be comparable to that of normal hearing children; verbal skills seem to develop almost naturally. The minimum age requirement for cochlear implantation has been lowered in recent years due to improvements in surgical techniques and the good results obtained with younger children. The age for cochlear implantation at Tong Ren Hospital is as young as 8 months. For young children who had a hearing experience but later lost their hearing, a similar rule can be applied: the shorter the duration of deafness, the better the results of cochlear implantation. Age at implantation is the only factor that affects the outcome obtained in children with cochlear implants. A communication-rich environment, effective speech processor programming, will, rehabilitation and appropriate expectations are all important factors in the overall success of a child. It is important to have a conversation with your child, even though he or she may not fully understand what you are saying. Talking to your child is the best way to encourage the development of his or her verbal skills. Facial expressions and body language can emphasize the meaning of words and can help your child understand better.