To do or not to do?

January 3, 2011

Hello All,

My baby girl Phoenix is 16 months now. It has been scheduled that she will have

the CI surgery for both ears on January 31st. But I am now kind of struggling.

Does she really need the CI?

Phoenix has been wearing hearing aids since she was 5 months old. In the

beginning we could not tell if the hearing aids help her effectively or

not. But as she is growing up, especially the recent coulpe months, she seems

doing very well with the hearing aids. She can catch up new words every day.

Some words from her mouth are clear, some are not clear. She can not speak a

sentence yet. How do the hearing kids do with language at this age? I am not

sure....

With the hearing aids, her hearing is about 45-55db. Without hearing aids, the

test (done when she was 4 month old) showed that her hearing was about 80-90db.

Maybe I can ask the doctor to have one more test for her without hearing aids?

I am glad to hear from you guys.....

Thank you very much!

Mimi

January 4, 2011

Hi Mimi,

The audiologist should be able to tell you how Phoenix is performing

compared to her peers of the same age. This is a PRIME time for her to

learn language. And to learn it correctly. There is a limited " window

of opportunity " to acquire clear and understandable speech, and once that

is over, it becomes much harder to learn to speak.

I think 45-55 dB is still considered deaf, or profoundly hard of

hearing. And she needs to be hearing and understanding ALL speech at

this age, not just a word a day. But by all means, have another

audiological exam and ask the questions of a professional.

It's normal to be worried about surgery, especially for your little

girl. LOVE her name, by the way.

Hello All,

My baby girl Phoenix is 16 months now. It has been scheduled that she

will have

the CI surgery for both ears on January 31st. But I am now kind of

struggling.

Does she really need the CI?

Phoenix has been wearing hearing aids since she was 5 months old. In the

beginning we could not tell if the hearing aids help her effectively or

not. But as she is growing up, especially the recent coulpe months, she

seems

doing very well with the hearing aids. She can catch up new words every

day.

Some words from her mouth are clear, some are not clear. She can not

speak a

sentence yet. How do the hearing kids do with language at this age? I am

not

sure....

With the hearing aids, her hearing is about 45-55db. Without hearing

aids, the

test (done when she was 4 month old) showed that her hearing was about

80-90db.

Maybe I can ask the doctor to have one more test for her without hearing

aids?

I am glad to hear from you guys.....

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January 4, 2011

Mimi, everyone has a different take on it, based on their own experiences, so I

would ask a million questions til I felt like I covered it all; you're off to a

good start asking us, as we are one part of the picture. I would investigate

all parts: teachers who teach children at that age - ask them what's typical,

what's poor performance. Ask them what to look for. Ask more than one

audiologist. Ask more than one doctor. Ask other parents of children who are HH

with a CI, or borderline. Look on the internet, google your questions and you

will get a lot of possibilities.

My mother was deaf in one ear, as a result of a car accident; she never

had anything done to that ear, and all her life she did well and spoke well.

Watch closely and observe your child, see how easily she picks up info and

notice when she struggles. What is the outcome when she struggles; it will show

you how easily she navigates despite her loss, some kids are very resourceful

and perceptive despite their limitations.

If she is basically a happy child, then she is doing well. If she is confused

or puzzled often, let that be your clue, too. Does she get easily upset, or

avoid socializing with other children; then she is struggling. How does she

handle it when she doesn't understand others? What is her usual response when

that happens. Are there siblings who help, and act like a role model?

Personally, because there are so many, many changes and improvements in CI, I

would do one ear. See how that goes, she is still so young. I know some people

will disagree with me, but as I said, everyone has a different take on it. To

me, you leave a second ear open for possible help in technology of the future.

It's not an easy decision to make, you want to do the best for your daughter,

but the decision becomes easier the more you research it because then you will

have covered all areas til you are satisfied you are doing the right thing,

what's best for your own child.

Your own values will become more clear to you. Your daughter will be letting

you know via her behavior how well she is coping, and how much help she needs,

or not.