After switch-on
George was implanted bilaterally with cochlear implants in January 2023, after he was born profoundly hearing-impaired in March. As when this article was written, the date is five months after the switch, and our lives have been a blur!
There haven’t been many lovely, but there have been happy moments too… the first few months were extremely stressful. I felt like I was playing it by ear and was praying and hoping that we made the right choices for George.
In the course of cochlear implant surgery, we’ve been advised that it’s not just a matter of turning his ears, and then he is able to hear! There are numerous hearing tests and mapping appointments for speech and therapy for language as well as cochlear implant rehab sessions with his teacher of the Deaf, and of course, we speak about, talk, and with him. We were actually tasked with the task of teaching our son to listen and speak, something he’s not done before.
Every two weeks, we went to the local audiology clinic for hearing tests as well as mapping of his processing. The frequency of these appointments gradually decreased, and as George has access to every sound in a speech that, we do not need to visit as frequently.
Since the beginning of George’s diagnosis, We were assigned a fantastic teacher of the Deaf whom we see each week. She’s taught me strategies and techniques for communicating with George; however, she’s also been a calming presence throughout the process when I’ve been doubtful about something.
We meet biweekly with George’s cochlear implant keyworker, where we talk about how well he’s getting on and practice using the Ling Sounds in a fun manner. We were advised that it’s recommended to perform the “Ling Six Sound Test daily to identify any changes in George’s hearing. It’s an element we’ve integrated into our daily routines as we get ready.
In addition, we’ve tried to learn British Sign Language (BSL). Unfortunately, there isn’t any funding for us to take an accredited BSL course. However, we’ve discovered several great, free tools to help us. Our teacher of people who are deaf or hard of hearing handed us a book called “Baby Sigk by Cath Smith that we have utilized for a while since George was born to help us learn the basics of baby sign language. We are using our Bright BSL app, which we consider to be a great resource for newbies to understand their busy schedules.
We’ve also just completed the six-week Family Sign Language online course by the National Deaf Children’s Society, and I cannot highly recommend this course enough. It’s entertaining. We especially enjoyed being taught a nursery rhyme during each session so that we could communicate these to George before bedtime after he’s taken out his implants.
Life has been very busy… It’s not to mention the numerous haircuts. Luckily, George’s grandmother is a certified hairdresser, which means she’s always available to give a quick trim whenever George’s hair magnets begin to feel loose from his hair’s growth!
Overall, it’s been a great experience. Five months later, from now I’m not unhappy regarding getting George implanted. He’s exceeding our expectations. He loves music and has an evening of dancing! He also enjoys the sound of the hoover and dryer and will cry when we shut off the sound. He is able to pinpoint where sounds are coming from and can recognize certain voices. We’re hearing all sorts of amazing sounds coming from him right now, including the sound.
It’s not easy to teach your child to talk, let alone listen; however, we’re extremely fortunate to have an amazing community of support behind us. Will strive to help George in this crazy adventure.
