Cochlear Implant

[havingaprincess]

Dear Everyone,

I have heard about cochlear implant and I was thinking this would be the best remedy for my deaf son. They said that a deaf child could hear 100% sure if cochlear implant is performed. I would like to know if this is really true. I would greatly appreciate if you could give me answer to this.

Thanks,

havingaprincess

[ljmarsden]

Hi havingaprincess,

I have worked for some years with children who were hearing impaired and went on to have one/two cochlear implants fitted.

Some of the success stories are amazing but I am afraid it is not as simple as every child having the same success with them. A good source of guidance regarding cochlear implants is this NICE document. The Ear Foundation also has some excellent, reliable information.

A multidisciplinary team of professionals, including audiologists, should review your son and help to decide if he is a suitable cochlear implant candidate. Factors which determine this suitability include:

-his current main means of communication
-how successful hearing aids are for him
-his level and type of hearing loss
-language and listening skills
-any additional impairments your son has
-the views and support of the family

As I say, the benefits can be excellent but it does often take some time for children to learn how to interpret the new input which is reported by some to sound quite metallic. It is a decision for both the medical professionals and you and your family to decide together so that the best treatment can be established for your son.

With best wishes,

LJ

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Does your son have total deafness, or does he hear some sounds? One of our forum members, Laura-Jane, is a qualified Audiologist, so I'm hoping that she will have some good information for you.

Warm regards,

Kate

[havingaprincess]

Dear Ms. Kathryn,

My son can only hear vibrations like when there is a construction works in the streets being repaired and I noticed he can also hear sounds of fireworks.

havingaprincess