OBJECTIVE: To report the case of a 6-year-old patient with a bilateral cochlear implant (CI) and a language disorder, who had a history of cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy. CASE REPORT: Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of congenital infections in humans and can lead to hearing and language alterations. In this case, the mother presented with cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy, and her infant experienced neuropsychomotor, auditory, and language development delays. At 9 months of age, bilateral hearing aids were fitted but without any observed benefit. Two CI surgeries were performed, at ages 2 and 4. The patient has undergone speech therapy since 2 years of age in order to develop auditory and language skills through the aurioral approach. The expressive and receptive language of the patient was assessed, and a delay in expressive language development was observed. This was unexpected since the stimulation conditions were favorable. CONCLUSION: Cytomegalovirus infection causes changes in hearing and language that can arise in isolation rather than as a result of each other, and therefore, a differential diagnosis will direct the professional on the optimal therapeutic approach, which in this case, should prioritize direct language stimulation. The present findings do not affirm the concept that language development is a result of auditory stimulation only. With this knowledge, professionals will be able to focus on therapeutic approaches in rehabilitation based on the needs of each patient.