Cochlear Implants: Do Your Child Need It?
If you are suffering from severe hearing loss, then the specialist implants a device in your cochlea surgically. The cochlea is the bone of your inner ear which is spiral-shaped. The cochlear implant is designed such that it can convert the sounds into electrical impulses and the brain interprets them.
Who Can Get Help from an Implant?
The children who are suffering from hearing loss in one or both ears and the children who can get very limited advantages from the hearing aids can get help from the cochlear implants. If you want to know if this implant is helpful or not, then contact the pediatric ENT in Oklahoma as soon as possible.
How Can It Help?
The specialists place a cochlear implant under the skin in the inner ear of your child. This device has two main elements. The first one is a speech processor that is worn behind the ear. The processor has a microphone that picks up sound and the processor converts the sound into electrical signals. There is a transmitter that sends the signals to the receiver. The receiver sends electrical impulses so that the electrodes can stimulate the auditory nerve. After that, the brain receives the message and translates it into recognizable sounds.
Is Your Child Able to Get Benefits From a Cochlear Implant?
You should ask these questions while considering the cochlear implant for your child.
Was the child born with severe hearing loss?
Can your child look at someone who is speaking?
Was the child born with normal hearing and loss of hearing after a stipulated time?
Does your child only react when he or she can hear loud sounds?
Can your child respond to your voice?
Does your child depend on lip-reading most of the time?
Advantages of Cochlear Implant
Hearing Improvement
Cochlear implants help you to improve the speech and hearing access of your child. Keep in mind that after placing a cochlear implant, people use lip-reading and sign language to improve their communication skills.
Safety
The most important advantage of a cochlear implant is that the child can hear alerts including sirens and other important sounds.
Career Opportunities
The children who use the career opportunities provide better performance in the classroom with the help of assistive technology. They can learn various things and as a result, they can grab various career opportunities as they age.
Book an Appointment
If your child cannot hear properly and does not always respond to your voice, then he or she may have hearing problems. You should contact the pediatric ENT of Oklahoma Otolaryngology Associates, LLC. The expert will help you to find the solution in OKC.
**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.