The candidacy for implantation is considered separately for adults and children. As outlined in the 1995 National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus statement on cochlear implantation, adult candidacy is noted as being successful in post-lingually deaf adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss with no speech perception benefit from hearing aids. Prelingually deafened adults must be counseled in regard to realistic expectations, as language and open-set speech discrimination outcomes are less predictable. Children are considered candidates for implantation at age 12 months, and, because of meningitis-related deafness with progressive cochlear ossification, occasional earlier implantation is necessary.