I have been doing a lot of internet searching on hearing impairment and related issues.Since things here are different , there is a lot of motivation to learn and am not scared to ask questions unlike in India.Last 2 months have given me loads to work upon, think, ponder over and it is good to get inputs from the net, bloggers,doctors, surgeons,audiologists and of course hearing device users.It is not important what technology you follow, whether CI or hearing aids. There are pros and cons to both. You can get plenty of these points of view on the web. Fundamentally, I have learnt that through good AVT and a focused and dedicated approach, I am able to develop normal speech in my child. I have nothing agianst any particular technology but then after seeing some good resulty with my daughter's speech and meeting some of my audiologists older students (5 year old to 45 year old) leading perfectly normal lives, I do not feel that any intrusive application is yet necessary. This is a decision, that we can take anytime. Last but not the least, if deafdude1.blogspot.com is anything to go by, then I see definitely an alternative to CI in the near future. Lets wait and watch.
I also came across this blog which confirms my belief in AVT. The site is very interesting and some very important aspect of AVT is there.Also for my reference, I have kept the advantages and disadvantages page on my blog, from her point of view, which I found interesting.
http://www.auditoryverbaltraining.com/ha-ci.htm
Lets see what future holds for the hearing impaired.
That is an interesting article! Thanks for posting it. I did notice some of the information was a little old (it claims that as of 2001, most implants plan to have a BTE processor, so it is an older article). Nolan probably won't ever be a CI candidate, and sometimes I am glad that we won't have to ever make that decision and deal with the extra technology. Then again, if he ever needed it, we would do it for him!
ReplyDeleteYes Leah, I found this info good, specially about AVT.It applies even today.The body worn processor is still worn in India and I thought it would interest people who are going in for CI.In India The info on CI is given after the operation and it is still not very patient oriented.As parents we do the best we think for the child.And as years go by, technology is going to give us loads of options.We wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know that there IS a way to know if she is getting enough input to develop spoken language through listening. They actually have developed a test to determine if the child's brain is processing sound well enough to support spken language through hearing aids alone.
ReplyDeleteAll they do is put electrodes on her head and play a sound (buh, buh, buh) and measure how long it takes for her auditory cortex to process that sound. If it is with in the "appropriate range", you are in the clear. If it is outside the range, than you are better armed to know she needs a CI.
Thanks for your information. I appreciate it. As in India it was not possible to do, we did get the test done here, and fortunately she is fine.I also met up with a speech therapist recently who is from US, and she is happy with her progress and we need to work on Prisha's articulation now as she is well auditorily trained.
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