1 Developmental Nursery, Lexington School for the Deaf, Queens, New York
Very little is known about the effects of early deafness on later emotional and cognitive development, or about the span of time during which these effects may remain correctable. Adults who have had a profound or severe hearing impairment since infancy show a rather consistent pattern of personality development.1-3 A variety of behavioral deviations have been described in older children with congenital or early hearing impairment.3-5
There are very few observations, however, of the behavior of deaf children during their first two years of life. In this communication, we describe the behavior and some aspects of the development of a hearing-impaired infant during the period of moderate to severe hearing impairment (70 dB hearing loss) followed by resolution of hearing loss.