Cochlear implants are now generally accepted as a means of treatment of post-lingual profound deafness is adults and children. There is more controversy surrounding the use of these devices in children who were born without hearing or who lost hearing prior to acquisition of speech. We are proposing the fifth in a series of biennial conferences on cochlear implants in children in which the emphasis will be on congenitally and prelinguistically deaf children. We will examine: the genetics of hearing loss; the development and plasticity of the auditory system; cochlear implant design and speech processing; the evaluation of the very young deaf child; surgical techniques and problems in this age- group; results of implantation in terms of hearing, speech production and reading skills; the educational consequences of implantation; (re)habilitation techniques; and an assessment of the future of the field. The faculty consists of experts in the basic sciences and clinicians chosen from the fields of otolaryngology, hearing and speech sciences and education. The audience will be similarly exchange of ideas and dissemination of the most recent knowledge in the field through lectures, panels, of experts, and open discussion. In addition to the speakers and panelists, all of whom have been invited because of their expertise, there will be a poster session for others with data to present.
