Twins: Children with Cochlear Implants

Produced and directed by Josh Aronson, Twins follows two sets of one-year-old twins (each with one hearing child and one profoundly deaf sibling) over a three-year period. In both families (including one featured in Aronson's Oscar-nominated Sound and Fury [VL-5/01]), the deaf child receives a cochlear implant--creating "electronic hearing" as one doctor puts it--before his or her first birthday, with the idea being that (all other things being equal between the twins) the positive impact of the implant (the subject of much controversy) on language development should be clear and measurable. In both cases examined in this heartening work, the effect turns out to be remarkable as the newly empowered "deaf" children face less of an obstacle in assimilating into mainstream life. A powerful profile, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)