Helping Extended Family Members Understand Hearing Loss
Parents of children with hearing loss face the challenge of explaining their child’s deafness to extended family members all year long, but the holiday season, with its endless get-togethers and celebrations, often brings these conflicts to a head. Even the most well-meaning family members can cause stress when they ask questions like, “Isn’t he talking yet?” “Does he still need those hearing aids?” “Didn’t the cochlear implant fix all of this?” or make other uninformed comments. What’s a parent to do?
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Genetic Testing for Hearing Loss
When parents find out that their child has hearing loss, one of the first questions they ask is often, “Why?”
Some causes of hearing loss are easy to determine: the child has outer or middle ear malformations that are apparent in a visual examination, the mother had an illness known to cause hearing loss during pregnancy, or the child suffered some trauma at birth related to hearing loss (for example, many premature babies are given ototoxic drugs that keep them alive at the cost of damaging their hearing). But other cases are not so clear-cut.
Help for Holiday Hearing
The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! Are you ready to hear your best in the whirl of party chatter, festive sounds, and seasonal noise? Here are some tips to help you hear your best and enjoy this wonderful season.
Great Expectations: Progress with a Cochlear Implant
Like any big decision, getting a cochlear implant involves just a little bit of a leap of faith. No matter how much you research, there is no way to know 100% what will happen with the surgery, activation, or rehabilitation. By and large, results are fantastic, but how can you know what to expect for your/your child’s speech, language, and listening progress? Regardless of the individual candidate’s circumstances, a few rules apply across all situations: It’s All About the Brain, It’s All About Time, and It’s All About the Therapy.
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Borderline Cochlear Implant Candidates
For many who receive a CI, the choice is clear-cut: hearing aids simply do not provide sufficient benefit for language and listening to people with profound hearing loss when compared to the performance of a cochlear implant. But what about hearing aid users who are doing “well enough” with their current technology, but are on the fence about whether or not a cochlear implant is the right option for them?
Insurance Coverage for CI Surgery and Upgrades
One great thing about having multiple cochlear implant manufacturers is that they are constantly innovating and producing new technology! A new processor launch is thrilling, and the first question on everybody’s mind is, “When can I get my hands on it?!?” Unfortunately, the second question is often, “Will my insurance cover it?!?” Here are some tips for how to make the case for a CI processor upgrade:
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Insurance Coverage for Auditory Verbal Therapy
In the United States, there are significant differences in insurance coverages from state to state, and even between plans from different insurance carriers. This information is intended to be a general overview with tips that may help in your particular insurance situation.
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What to Expect In the First Weeks After a Child’s Cochlear Implant Activation
WHAT TO EXPECT
In the first weeks after your child’s cochlear implant is activated
The big day has finally arrived! Your child’s cochlear implant(s) are finally going to be turned on. After months of appointments and waiting, you may feel as if you’ve made it to the finish line, but you are really at the beginning of the incredible journey of teaching you child to hear.
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Review of 101 FAQs About Auditory Verbal Practice
As a big fan of the earlier edition (50 FAQs About Auditory Verbal Therapy), I was excited to read the latest update: 101 FAQs about Auditory Verbal Practice, edited by Warren Estabrooks M.Ed., Dip. Ed. Deaf, LSLS Cert. AVT® .
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Elizabeth A. Rosenzweig 