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cochlear implants

nicholsynicholsy
in Special Needs

My daughter was recently diagnosed with profound hearing loss. She will be starting a trial period with hearing aids next week and will be for the next few months. Everyone we've been talking to (ENT, audiologist, therapist) seem to think that she will be a great candidate for cochlear implants.  From my understanding, a cochlear implant will provide a larger range of sound for her than a hearing aid will.  However, I'm very nervous about the surgery, possible risks, etc. How did you decide that cochlear implants would be the best for your baby? What questions did you ask your ENT/audiologist? How has your LO progressed with them?

 Thank you! 

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Re: cochlear implants

  • SoapstoneSoapstone member
    My daughter was diagnosed at birth with profound hearing loss. Hearing aids did nothing for her. She got her CIs at 10 months. At 2 years 7 months her listening and spoken language skills test above her age level. She is indistinguishable from her hearing peers. CIs have changed her life.

    I think the risks associated with the surgery are minimal. Ask which devices they implant and if they do bilateral or sequential surgery.

    Good luck! It's a tough but highly rewarding journey.
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  • jadweddjadwedd member
    My newphew had this surgery done at the age of 2 and he is now 10.  It just took them that long to realize he was deaf because he can read lips like a champ.  He had no problems at all with the surgery and he is doing great now.  He needed some help with his speech at the beginning, but now he is the star of the show.  The hearing aides would have done nothing for him.  I know that they only did the one ear in case there was better technology down the road for him.  The surgery was scarey for all of us but he was fine with it.
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  • April KeyApril Key

    Hello,

    My son was also diagnosed with profound hearing loss.  His loss is bilateral, so he had his first cochlear implant at 18mos and second cochlear implant a year later.  He is 4 years old and loves to read now.

    When our son was starting his hearing aid trial, we met and/or corresponded with parents of cochlear implanted children and individuals with cochlear implants. This helped us tremendously with our decision because we saw an array of positive outcomes and the benefits. As the hearing aid trial neared to an end, we also saw how hearing aids did not provide our son with access to everyday sounds.

    For questions, we asked our ENT about what we needed to do to prepare our little one for surgery, surgical time, possible risks (they were minimal), and recovery time.  We were also encouraged to call or email any questions throughout this process.  For our son's audiologist, we asked about cochlear implant brands, possible wearing options for an active toddler, and how often we would need to visit during the first year after activation.  Also, the parents we met along the way were able to show us different wearing configurations and provided lots of handy speech and listening tips too.

    If you have any other questions, I will be happy to help out.

    All the best to you and your little one!

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