cochlear implant for sudden sensorinuero loss

[disneyobessed]

Has anyone had a child have to get these ...? If so pros /cons... my son has suffered sens.neuro hearin loss somtime last year. he has had numerous tests done since sept and thankfully it hasnt gotten any worse. He is a patient at Boston Childrens and they have a "team" of specialists trying to find out the cause. The audiology dept sent us home with some information on cochlear implants.. but im not sure... Id like to hear the pros and cons.. thaks

 

[cmmc]

My nephew got a cochlear implant when he was 3 - he has auditory neuropathy (one of consequences of severe jaundice when he was a baby).
He also has cerebral palsy and autism.

I'm not qualified to talk about the pros and cons in general but for my nephew it has been a good thing. Sign language was never an option due to his CP and autism. He loves to play with sound, he'll grab the harness if you've forgotten to put it on. He's not verbal but he recognizes words, he loves it when his mom sings to him.

On the bad side, my nephew can't have an MRI, you have to be careful of static (we turn it off before he goes down slides), you have to be careful not to get it wet, he has to go in to audiology regularly for "mappings" (reprogramming the implant), you have to replace the batteries and the cords.

This website http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/hesp/Simulations/simulationsmain.htm has audio samples of what you hear with auditory neuropathy and with cochlear implants - quite interesting.

This website http://www.hearingpocket.com/webresources.shtml has a great list of other websites including personal experiences.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

My son is 10 and has had his implant since he was 4. Unfortunately, due to his Autism his sensory integration issues have prevented him from using his implant fully and we need to keep the volume and microphone sensitivity very low. When they did his surgery they were able to test his tolerance to sound and it is extremely low compared to other children (this is very common with Autism). I can tell you that the technology is amazing, but it is a full time commitment. Once the implant is in there needs to be a lot of speech therapy (we had to drive 50 miles 3 days a week to Mayo clinic which is where he had his done), mapping as cmmc stated, and upgrades. There are a few different kinds of implants, such as Advanced Bionics (my son has their Auria processor), and a couple of others, as well as a BAHA implant which uses bone as a conductor and is a bit different. Really research the different types of implants and get the one you think will be best. The technology is amazing but your child needs to be able to have a functioning communication system in place beforehand so the audiologist can be told when it is too loud, not loud enough or sensitivity to frequencies. It does not sound exactly like normal hearing. Also, I have been told it is very uncomfortable when it is first put on in the morning, and my son's reaction to his backs that up. Just do all the research you can, but I can say that cochlear implants are amazing and really do help many children. Even though my son does not use his completely, I do not regret getting him one.