Cochlear Implants

[malibuconlee]

Anyone have or know anyone with the implants? My SIL is researching them for her son who is 6. He's worn hearing aids since 10 months old, but recently had another hearing screening and was diagnosed as deaf in one ear and profoundly deaf in the other.

Thanks for any help.

 

[AshleyW]

Anyone have or know anyone with the implants? My SIL is researching them for her son who is 6. He's worn hearing aids since 10 months old, but recently had another hearing screening and was diagnosed as deaf in one ear and profoundly deaf in the other.

Thanks for any help.

I do quality assurance & training for a relay call center - we make phone calls for deaf/hard of hearing folks, and several of the supervisors here are deaf and have cochlear implants, so I know quite a bit about them. Is there anything specific you're wanting to know about?

 

[mjkacmom]

My friend's ds got them very young, and they're extremely glad they had it done. My gf's an audiologist, and has nothing but positive things to say about them.

 

[malibuconlee]

I do quality assurance & training for a relay call center - we make phone calls for deaf/hard of hearing folks, and several of the supervisors here are deaf and have cochlear implants, so I know quite a bit about them. Is there anything specific you're wanting to know about?

That would be great!! I left my SIL a voice mail asking her the specific questions she has. I'll reply or send you a PM when she gets back to me. I had just seen where she posted the question on her Facebook and though I'd come here.

SIL is actually hearing impaired, but aids help her. She's currently in school for to be a sign language interpreter herself.

Nephew is 6 and as I said has worn aids since 10 months. Has had home visits since around that time and been doing pre-school at his elementary school since he was 3. They are starting him in Kindergarten this year with a full time interpreter and while he's out of class working separately they are going to give short sign language instruction to the class as a whole so they will hopefully be able to communicate a little with him.

Thank you so much, you are EXACTLY the person I could hope to find!!

 

[monkey68]

My baby cousin was born with a disorder that made him deaf, and he will eventually lose his vision as well. He had cochlear implants at around age 2, since otherwise, he would be without hearing or sight, and as difficult as it is to get by without one of those senses, getting by without both is even more difficult. He had some problems initially, he'd been deaf since birth, so all of a sudden, to start hearing sounds, he got scared. He still goes for intensive therapy, but they're hoping that since he had them so young, eventually, he will get used to them and be able to make sense of what he's hearing.

 

[malibuconlee]

My friend's ds got them very young, and they're extremely glad they had it done. My gf's an audiologist, and has nothing but positive things to say about them.

That's great to hear. In the past my SIL has been reluctant to even discuss since they believed he had some residual hearing and she didn't want to destroy that. Some literature I found suggested they be done between ages of 2 and 6 because of language development at that age.

I don't know much about them, just my favorite story was I saw the former Miss America that was deaf (I don't remember her name) on a tv show once. It was after she had gotten her implants. She said she and her husband were driving down the road and she couldn't figure out a noise she kept hearing. She asked her husband and it was her son in the back seat sniffing his nose!!

 

[AshleyW]

That would be great!! I left my SIL a voice mail asking her the specific questions she has. I'll reply or send you a PM when she gets back to me. I had just seen where she posted the question on her Facebook and though I'd come here.

SIL is actually hearing impaired, but aids help her. She's currently in school for to be a sign language interpreter herself.

Nephew is 6 and as I said has worn aids since 10 months. Has had home visits since around that time and been doing pre-school at his elementary school since he was 3. They are starting him in Kindergarten this year with a full time interpreter and while he's out of class working separately they are going to give short sign language instruction to the class as a whole so they will hopefully be able to communicate a little with him.

Thank you so much, you are EXACTLY the person I could hope to find!!

No problem! That's great that she's going to school for interpreting - all the interpreters here LOVE their job and get paid VERY well for it. Has she considered letting him go to a deaf school? I know a few kids who are at Iowa School for the Deaf right now, and it's a lot easier for them than trying to do public school with an interpreter. One of my friend's daughter is mainstream right now, but she wants to go to ISD next year, it would be her freshman year in high school, so the transition wouldn't be as difficult.

Anyway, if you come up with any questions, I'll be glad to help out with what I know, and I can ask around to some of the supervisors here that have them to get their opinion, too.

 

[Val]

My DD11 also wears hearing aids....at some point she may be a candidate for an implant, but we aren't there yet. BUT, let me point you and your sister to a great website and listserve for parents of kids with hearing loss: http://www.listen-up.org/. I have found it to be a warm, comforting and highly informational place. There are lots of moms with kids with implants, hearing aids, and everything inbetween. It has been my solace as we have navigated the hearing loss issues with DD....she has multiple issues- auditory neuropathy, otosclerosis, a cochlear fistula and mixed hearing loss....and last night she blew another ear drum out (back to ENT tomorrow- pixie dust that it will repair on its own- it's already been rebuilt 3 times!).

DD11's friends with implants (some just 1, some 2) do great. She is mainstreamed and so are her HH friends. One of her friends has 2 implants and is a terrific cello player (HE must practice, unlike DD!). Implants can be a miracle....but it is a VERY personal decision.

Try out the website and the listserv.....they are even more friendly (okay, as friendly) as the DIS!

 

[malibuconlee]

No problem! That's great that she's going to school for interpreting - all the interpreters here LOVE their job and get paid VERY well for it. Has she considered letting him go to a deaf school? I know a few kids who are at Iowa School for the Deaf right now, and it's a lot easier for them than trying to do public school with an interpreter. One of my friend's daughter is mainstream right now, but she wants to go to ISD next year, it would be her freshman year in high school, so the transition wouldn't be as difficult.

Anyway, if you come up with any questions, I'll be glad to help out with what I know, and I can ask around to some of the supervisors here that have them to get their opinion, too.

Wow, I totally didn't see that you are in Cedar Rapids...That is where SIL started school at Kirkwood, then she transferred to Quincy University in IL. She lives in Montrose, IA. Small world!! Where is the school for the deaf? I'm guessing it's just so far away she hasn't really considered it. They have a lot of family support and with her going to school I don't think she would want to relocate now.

 

[malibuconlee]

My DD11 also wears hearing aids....at some point she may be a candidate for an implant, but we aren't there yet. BUT, let me point you and your sister to a great website and listserve for parents of kids with hearing loss: http://www.listen-up.org/. I have found it to be a warm, comforting and highly informational place. There are lots of moms with kids with implants, hearing aids, and everything inbetween. It has been my solace as we have navigated the hearing loss issues with DD....she has multiple issues- auditory neuropathy, otosclerosis, a cochlear fistula and mixed hearing loss....and last night she blew another ear drum out (back to ENT tomorrow- pixie dust that it will repair on its own- it's already been rebuilt 3 times!).

DD11's friends with implants (some just 1, some 2) do great. She is mainstreamed and so are her HH friends. One of her friends has 2 implants and is a terrific cello player (HE must practice, unlike DD!). Implants can be a miracle....but it is a VERY personal decision.

Try out the website and the listserv.....they are even more friendly (okay, as friendly) as the DIS!

Thank you so much. I passed on the link to SIL. I'll definitely be passing along all this info to her!!

 

[luvmyfam444]

I have a friend whose dd has them. She got them around 2 & another lady I used to go to church with son got them around 6 - its been about 2 yrs for them.

Haven't heard of any problems - just that when she goes to the beach she has to put ziploc baggies on everything to keep the sand out - but that's all I've heard her say. And her dd when she was younger would take them off herself if she didn't want to hearshe's a little spitfire!

 

[AshleyW]

Wow, I totally didn't see that you are in Cedar Rapids...That is where SIL started school at Kirkwood, then she transferred to Quincy University in IL. She lives in Montrose, IA. Small world!! Where is the school for the deaf? I'm guessing it's just so far away she hasn't really considered it. They have a lot of family support and with her going to school I don't think she would want to relocate now.

Small world, indeed! I'm at Kirkwood right now working on my nursing degree.

If she lives in Montrose, she might not feel comfortable sending him so far away.. ISD is in Council Bluffs, right on the border of Nebraska. I know it's hard on the parents here in Cedar Rapids having their kids be so far away for 8 or 9 months out of the year, and Montrose is quite a bit farther away. I definitely wouldn't blame her for keeping him there with her.

 

[Octoberbride03]

I have a friend whose dd has them. She got them around 2 & another lady I used to go to church with son got them around 6 - its been about 2 yrs for them.

Haven't heard of any problems - just that when she goes to the beach she has to put ziploc baggies on everything to keep the sand out - but that's all I've heard her say. And her dd when she was younger would take them off herself if she didn't want to hearshe's a little spitfire!

Little baggies? What kind does she have? Mine comes with a seep proof box. it'll keep out sand and water and just about anything else.

OP. I'm not much help for little kids as I was an adult when i got mine, but its worked wonders. I've had it about 6.5 yrs now and its great.

 

[LBAK]

My 19 year old cousin has it and she's doing great. She "fired" her interpreter when she entered high school, she plays the violin beautifully, she's driving, she's a manager at a clothing store and she's going to college. She is so excited about life and loving every minute. She is going to school to be an interpreter as she feels she'll understand better then anyone. Can you tell we're proud of her! Sure she could have done these things anyway but she says hearing is just "amazing".

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I taught a student who had them. Even with the implants he could hear very little. For him they were mostly a safety measure (they allowed him to hear very loud noises like a car horn or siren.) I think most people have much better results than that though.