If you take under consideration how human language is developing after birth, it's rather logical the sooner the better.
The only thing that your reference to langauge development, and again, you are actually referring to acquisition, not development, indicates is that a child should be in a language rich environment from birth forward. Language, again, is not simply oral/auditory modes, but manual language as well. Early exposure to sign and speech has a much more profound effect on the language development and the cognitive development of the deaf child than does infant implantation.
There is a reason why professionals encourage parents to talk to their unborn baby, it's not only for "bonding", it's mental stimulation too. Audio stimulation is even more important after birth, of course.
Visual stimulation is eqaully important after birth for cognitive development. Even hearing infants need visual stimulation following birth for neural pathways to develop appropriately. Why do you think all infant toys are brightly colored and designed to capture an infant's attention visually? Why do you think parent's hang mobiles over an infant's crib? The neural pathways necessary for the processing and comprehension of language are not dependent upon sound, but can readily be developed visually as well. Auditory stimulation is necessary only in developing pathways necessary for spoken langauge. This has been supported for years through the data that deaf children of deaf parents develop language at the same rates as hearing children of hearing parents, and that they later fuinction academically at the same comparable rates.
The more stimulation happened in the early stages of life, the more connections were made in these centres in the brain that are later responsible for many brain functions, among them speech and hearing.
(Likewise, newborns have these fancy mobile toys hanged over their beds not only to provide entertainment but mainly to stimulate their vision).
That is why I personally believe time does make a significant difference, and because little babies develop in really milestones in a short time comparing to adults -yes I also daresay the six months can be a considerable difference.
Time is of the essence, and the essence we are discussing is language exposure. If you want to discuss optimal development, you can not reduce it to exposure through only one source. That in no way provides the environment for optimal development.
If you compare a day old baby to a six month one, you can see for yourself at what speed these tiny tykes are developing. what a huge changes happened during just six months time.
Exactly. And a six moth old baby that has been exposed to sign from birth can communicate through the use of single approximated signs, whether hearing or deaf. They cannot, however, communicate at that point through the use of oral approximations of spoken langauge. A CI will not change that.
That does not mean I am not aware of the fact that very early hearing testing might not be as reliable as one would wish for it to be. yes there is this problem, and it makes even me uneasy.
still, I think if there is no doubt as to child's deafness, sooner is better.
(btw with HAs it might be a little different because they only amplify sound, they will not stimulate and develop response to the sounds that can not be heard thru them but could be thru CI, and also, let's keep in mind that what was thought appropriate years ago is not neccessarily considered such nowadays).
The schedules of development that a child goes through have not changed. The only thing that has changed is technology, and our understanding of the way a child acquires language and adapts to environment and personal circumstance. And that really hasn't changed much in recent times, it has simply been expanded upon.
Oh, and once again, I am not saying having close to normal or at least a very good hearing and speech is a straight way to Harvard, of course for this is more than just ability to hear and speak required. We are discussing just the time factor in implanting.
A child who has been exposed to sign at the earliest possible point in development will be able to transfer their innate understanding of language and its funtions to the understanding and interpretation of language in an oral/auditory mode. The crucial thing is to provide the atmosphere that permits that early acquisition that allows for the understanding of language and its use, and that is best accomplished through use of the child's stronger sensory perception. In the case of a child that is deaf, it would be their visual sense. Even with implantation, a deaf child's visual perception is stronger than their auditory perception.
