Onset of Deafness/Auditory Memory
Hearing loss early in life can greatly affect a child's development. The age at which a child acquires hearing impairment not only affects what a child hears but also the development of oral language and speech skills. Speech and oral language skills develop more easily when a child hears spoken language during the first years of life. Success with the cochlear implant depends greatly on whether the hearing loss occurred prelingually (before), perilingually (during) or postlingually (after) during the development of speech and language. Auditory memory (the ability to remember what sound is like) is an important factor in the successful use of a cochlear implant. Adults and children who have had even limited hearing experience prior to losing their hearing may learn to use the sound provided by the implant more quickly than those who have not been exposed to sound.

Etiology
The etiology or cause of deafness can also play a major role in the successful use of a cochlear implant. Many diseases which cause deafness may also cause other problems such as processing disorders or learning disabilities. Central auditory processing has to do with the brain's perception of sound. It includes skills such as attention to sound, long and short term memory and retrieval for sound, localization of sound, selective listening, discrimination, as well as delays in receptive language development, phonics (associating auditory symbols with visual symbols), and problems with time-altered speech (words or sentences spoken too fast or too slow).