For a number of years, the sense of hearing has been granted particular attention as an important factor in the perception and conceptualization of time (Rileigh & Odom, 1972). In fact, some have labeled hearing as the “time sense,” suggesting that we learn much about the sequence of events through time as we hear a stream of auditory cues. Furthermore, the ability to perceive changes in frequency and melodic patterns has been typically assigned to the auditory system. Complicating this picture is the belief that sense of time and the ability to perceive complex rhythmic and melodic patterns develop with increasing maturation and exposure to auditory information. If these theories are indeed correct, are persons who have early and severe hearing losses at risk for achieving these very basic perceptual skills? If so, what interventions need to be undertaken? To date, a relatively small body of research exists comparing the rhythmic and melodic perception of hearing-impaired persons with normally hearing individuals. The bulk of studies have been conducted with young children of elementary school age, and the greater number of extant studies examine rhythmic perception. In a study comparing hard-of-hearing children with normally hearing children (Sterritt, Camp, & Lippman, 1966), nine children with hearing losses and nine normally hearing children reproduced temporal patterns created by an above-threshold tone or by a flashing light on a telegraph key. The authors concluded that the hard-of-hearing children’s performance on a rhythmic reproduction task was poorer than that of normally hearing children. This decrement was attributed to early auditory deprivation, which the authors believed influenced perception for not only auditory patterns but also for visual temporal patterns. Davis and Hardick (1981) noted that for children with severe and profound hearing losses, the developmental history for auditory perception is believed to begin at the age the children are aided; children of identical chronological ages may have different length auditory histories. In a later test of rhythmic perception (Rileigh & Odom, 1972), deaf and normally hearing subjects were asked to reproduce visually-produced rhythmic patterns that varied in length and complexity. The outcome suggested that a developmental continuum of skills relating to rhythmic perception existed, with hearing-impaired subjects demonstrating a later mastery of more complex patterns than the normally hearing peers. In other words, rather than being deviant in rhythmic perception, children with hearing losses may develop similar rhythmic skills at a later age. Limited exposure to auditory signals might be one explanation for this delay.