Cochlear implants primarily assist individuals with what type of hearing issue?

Cochlear implants are designed to assist individuals with significant hearing loss, typically in cases where conventional hearing aids are insufficient. While they can be beneficial for various types of hearing loss, they are most effective for individuals who have profound sensorineural hearing loss, which can occur both prelingually (before language development) and postlingually (after language development).

Since cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve, they can aid in both prelingual and postlingual cases by providing a means for individuals to perceive sound. They are also used in cases of acquired hearing loss, which may develop after the individual has already gained some level of hearing. Thus, cochlear implants can assist people across a wide spectrum of hearing loss types, making the option that states they assist with "all types of hearing loss" accurate in this context.

This broad applicability is what makes cochlear implants a valuable tool in the field of audiology and special education for enhancing communication abilities in individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf.