Early auditory deprivation occurs when auditory stimuli during early childhood are not sufficient for adequate development of the auditory system. Variations in quantity, quality, or timing of exposure can lead to atypical development. In general, the more severe or complete and early the deprivation, the more detrimental the effects. The implications of such deprivation are great in that early deprivation can have a long-term impact on an individual’s ability to hear, produce, and understand speech sounds. In most cases, the auditory system is fully mature by age 10, so auditory deprivation that occurs before then is likely to have a greater detrimental effect. Premature infants are believed to be at exceptional risk for the detrimental effects of auditory deprivation because their auditory system is less developed at birth. A common source of early auditory deprivation is otitis media.