Nucleus Freedom Cochlear Implant System Pediatric Post-approval Study

Inclusion Criteria: * 1 year to 17 years, 11 months of age. * Bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss for those 1 to 2 years of age. Severe hearing loss for those 2 years of age and older. * Limited benefit from bilateral hearing aids. Limited benefit is defined as a lack of progress in the development of simple auditory skills in conjunction with appropriate amplification and intensive aural rehabilitation over a 3 to 6 month period. * For younger children, unable to take speech perception tests due to age-related cognitive and linguistic limitations, limited benefit will be quantified using the Infant Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS)1 or Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS)1. * For older children, capable of speech perception tasks, limited benefit is defined as £ 30% on the recorded open-set Multisyllabic Lexical Neighborhood Test (MLNT)2 or Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT) 2, depending on the child's cognitive and linguistic skills. * English spoken as a primary language. * Willingness to participate in and to comply with all requirements of the protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Ossification or any other cochlear anomaly that might prevent complete insertion of the electrode array, as confirmed by medical examination and tests including MRI. * Signs of retrocochlear or central origin to hearing impairment as confirmed by medical examination and tests including MRI. * Medical or psychological conditions that would contraindicate undergoing surgery (e.g., active middle ear infections, tympanic membrane perforation). * Additional handicaps that would prevent or restrict participation in the evaluations. * Unrealistic expectations on the part of the subject or subject's parents/guardians, regarding the possible benefits, risks and limitations that are inherent to the surgical procedure and prosthetic device. * Unwillingness or inability of the candidate or candidate's parents/guardians to comply with all study requirements.