EARLY SOUND DEPRIVATION AND LONG-TERM HEARING

The long-term effects of hearing loss in early life were analyzed by t ests of central auditory function. A majority of individuals failed th e Compressed Speech identification with statistically significant resu lts. There was an impact on a minority of individuals evaluated by Dic hotic Sentences; little impairment was noted through Speech Reception in Noise. Delayed maturation of the central auditory complex may impro ve these findings, although during the period of investigation a negat ive impact was measured. Other issues of diagnosis, remediation, and t he consequences of short- and long-term deafness are discussed.