Sound Localization and Early Binaural Experience in the Deaf

The sound localisation ability of four groups of severely deaf children is reported. It was found that those children who had some early experience of binaurally presented sound were likely to retain the ability to localise sounds, although if such experience was via binaural hearing aids, it was not certain to lead to retention of the ability. Children with early experience of sound which lacked interaural cues were likely to have lost the ability to localise, whether the experience was due to a severe asymmetric deafness or early single aid provision. The parallel with the loss of stereopsis in children with an uncorrected strabismus is drawn.