Program Emphasis The goal of this symposium will be to provide an environment to discuss current research on the complex issues specific to cochlear implants in the pediatric population in order to provide direction for future research, education, clinical care, and technological development. Invited lectures followed by panel discussions will emphasize the following key areas: Cochlear implants in the very young child. With the age of implantation being challenged to allow intervention in children younger than when behavioral hearing testing is reliable, identifying testing methods to determine accurate hearing thresholds and to determine candidacy remains difficult. Information focusing on the application of neurophysiologic and behavioral techniques to determine of hearing levels in infants, longitudinal data on the impact of early identification of hearing loss on outcome with implantation, the potential impact of early restoration of sound on auditory plasticity, and methods for device fitting in young children will be addressed in this area of emphasis. Bilateral implantation in children. The optimal timing of sequential cochlear implantation and the application of simultaneous cochlear implantation in children are currently being debated. Concerns related to the preservation of one cochlea for future technology or for neural regeneration are weighted against the benefits bilateral devices provide during critical periods of binaural hearing development. This area of emphasis will stimulate discussion on the timing and appropriateness of bilateral cochlear implants in children. Residual hearing/neural preservation after cochlear implants in children. Increased hearing performance and sound quality has been demonstrated in adult cochlear implant users when low frequency hearing has been preserved. The applications of modified cochlear implant arrays in children are now under study in the United States and in Europe. Surgical techniques have been developed to minimize trauma to the basilar membrane and modiolus. The use of tissue engineering and pharmacologic therapies has been studied to preserve neural function. This area of emphasis will bring together leaders in basic and clinical science and to discuss the current state of research in neural preservation, which may impact children with cochlear implants. Speaker Presentations Each morning session will be devoted to one of the three areas of emphasis. The morning sessions will consist of invited talks and to a moderated panel discussion. The remaining morning sessions will be devoted to submitted talks including specific presentations. Question/discussion time will be allotted for each talk. Depending on the number of high quality abstracts, one panel discussion will be added per afternoon session on a focused topic. The panels will be comprised of selected speakers and other experts. As with the invited and submitted talks, question/discussion time will be allotted during the panel session to enable participation by the audience. Afternoon oral sessions will be composed of parallel sessions consisting of 10-minute submitted talks. The afternoon oral sessions will be from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Poster Presentations Posters (4’x4’) will be presented from 12:30-2:00 pm on Thursday and Friday. Each poster author will be asked be present at his or her poster for one session with each poster grouping being featured at each session time. Commercial companies are encouraged to submit scientific presentations for the poster sessions of the symposium.