Hearing is a complex process where thousands of tiny hair cells, located in the cochlea of the ear, convert vibrations of sound waves into electrical nerve pulses. These pulses are understood by the brain to be what a person hears as sound. Hearing loss can occur throughout any part of the ear, and in varying degrees of severity. As hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills, it is important to identify any signs and symptoms early in the child’s life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), some of these signs or symptoms can include not turning his or her head toward the source of sound (around six months of age), not saying any single words such as “dada” or “mama”
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(2012), stated “80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices” (p. 1). A concern is that not all of these children using cochlear devices are receiving the implants early enough to develop speech. There is a small window of time for language acquisition in a child’s development. By age five to seven, the brain’s plasticity begins to decrease, which also decreases the chance of language acquisition. In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of cochlear implants in children above two years of age (Conceição Peixoto, Spratley, Oliveira, Martins, Bastos, & Ribeiro, 2013). This approval has now been reduced to include children as young as one year of age (Rubin & Papsin, 2010). In a study conducted by Waltzman and Roland (2005), children younger than 12 months received cochlear implants with little complications, but were determined to still be considered very cautiously due to an “increased surgical risk, skull size, and scalp thickness” (p. 487). As children this young have less scalp and skull thickness, the anatomical structure of the infant creates more risk in pre- and post- surgery. Families should seek out surgeons and audiologists who have experience with a pediatric population, and can provide the extra care needed toward this …show more content…
Cost includes the pre-evaluations, the implant device itself, the surgery and post-surgical fitting, and additional follow-up visits or surgeries. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2015), one cochlear implant device can range from $40,000 to $100,000, and “many individuals are now being fitted with two devices”. “Cochlear implantation consistently ranks among the most cost-effective medical procedures ever reported” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2015). Although families may be able to obtain some financial assistance for their child, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to obtain complete
(2012), stated “80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices” (p. 1). A concern is that not all of these children using cochlear devices are receiving the implants early enough to develop speech. There is a small window of time for language acquisition in a child’s development. By age five to seven, the brain’s plasticity begins to decrease, which also decreases the chance of language acquisition. In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of cochlear implants in children above two years of age (Conceição Peixoto, Spratley, Oliveira, Martins, Bastos, & Ribeiro, 2013). This approval has now been reduced to include children as young as one year of age (Rubin & Papsin, 2010). In a study conducted by Waltzman and Roland (2005), children younger than 12 months received cochlear implants with little complications, but were determined to still be considered very cautiously due to an “increased surgical risk, skull size, and scalp thickness” (p. 487). As children this young have less scalp and skull thickness, the anatomical structure of the infant creates more risk in pre- and post- surgery. Families should seek out surgeons and audiologists who have experience with a pediatric population, and can provide the extra care needed toward this …show more content…
Cost includes the pre-evaluations, the implant device itself, the surgery and post-surgical fitting, and additional follow-up visits or surgeries. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2015), one cochlear implant device can range from $40,000 to $100,000, and “many individuals are now being fitted with two devices”. “Cochlear implantation consistently ranks among the most cost-effective medical procedures ever reported” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2015). Although families may be able to obtain some financial assistance for their child, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to obtain complete