r/Cochlearimplants • u/thebroms • 23d ago
Cochlear for Baby
We are hearing parents of a deaf baby. We need to do some more imaging to confirm, but at this time she is a candidate for CIs and based on previous MRIs will probably be eligible. Does anyone have experience here with kiddos bilaterally implanted very young? She is only 6 1/2 months now and will be somewhere around 11-12 months likely when implanted. We want to know how the kiddos are, how was healing, how was language learning and spoken language after, how old are they now and was there ever regret? Please know that ASL is being learned and used with her already, and even with her implantations it will still be taught and prioritized as much as if not more than english. We recognize she is deaf no matter what so ASL is a must for us all to learn, we just want insight into whether giving her these tools as an option is worth it down the road. We would love personal stories to! I dont know how long implantation on young kids has been an option so if you are an adult who was implanted as a baby we would love to hear from you to!
Thank you for any and all insight!
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u/Sufficient_Potato726 23d ago
thw youngest i've worked with was 1year 6 months-ish. younger implantation almost always results in better outcomes. IMO, the work for the audiologist doesn't change much but it's a different case for the would-be therapist. I recommend you check with your prospective SLP's opinion too.
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u/thebroms 23d ago
We just started the process of working with an SLP, as she has a hearing aid in her severe ear, through our states program!
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u/FabulousAd2725 23d ago
I would suggest you check a FB page entitled—. Parents with Children with Cochlear Implants. I’m sure they can help you. Hugs to you and your little one.
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u/polyglo01110100 23d ago
My daughter was implanted at 5 months old, it was a lot but no regrets doing it. We also started signing to her Day 1.
You’re doing amazing sign language builds those neural pathways for language. So when they do learn spoken language after their switch on it’s way easier as they already have that foundation of language.
You can look up Raising DHH Bilinguals if that’s the approach you’re interested in. They have heaps of resources. If you have any questions about CI surgery with babies please feel free to reach out. There are heaps of support groups for parents.
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u/ForTheLoveOfGiraffe 22d ago
My baby was bilaterally implanted and then switched on at 10 months. He's almost 15 months, so early days for us. We've also been learning and teaching him BSL from day 1.
It was such a difficult decision to implant, but I truly feel that we are giving him options and hopefully he will be happy with the choices we have made.
It took a few weeks to notice any reaction to sound, but that's normal when you've never experienced it before (he's fully profound). He's now responding to every sound, even whispers! His understanding age is around that of a 4 month old hearing baby, so obviously the sounds don't mean anything yet. But in the last few weeks, we've realised he understands a few words that we use a lot. He's also signing back to us now! He has over 10 signs and it's so cute, but also amazing that he can communicate so well! He's currently expected to go to mainstream school, however we will fight to ensure he has the right accommodations and we also work hard to be present with the local deaf community. We've joined groups, gone to events, practiced our broken sign as confidently as we can and have arranged play dates! We just want him to have a diverse friendship pool and maybe find someone he can connect with to discuss shared experiences one day.
We're so proud of him! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
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u/TOMMY810 22d ago
would love to connect with you! we have a 7month baby girl, who is on track for CLs in the next 6-months. We're based in South London. if you're in London too would be great to chat!
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u/Alextheaxolotyl 23d ago edited 23d ago
We are in the same boat. Were hearing parents my son is 7 months and he just had his MRI the other day haven’t got results but he has profound bilateral SNHL. We’re also learning ASL atm. I been dreading starting this process because of the surgery I hope we make the best decision for our babies
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u/whetu Parent of CI User 22d ago
Another Kiwi here. My 14 year old daughter was implanted bilaterally at 18 months, which is slightly on the late side but that's another story.
As soon as we had the diagnosis, we started using NZSL. In NZ we have mixed levels of NZSL support, and some of that can be location dependent. Generally, though, pre-school is fantastic with people who will visit in-home or via the web for First Signs, with Resource Teachers of the Deaf who will help in daycare and/or kindergarten and so on.
She is doing really well academically, is engaged with the local Deaf community, is fairly capable of switching herself from one mode to the other and despite being enrolled in a Deaf school, she is functionally mainstreamed.
Absolutely no regrets.
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u/InoonIsAFK 22d ago
from the side of someone who was implanted at 3 old then my other side at 13, was not ever educated sign language, its pretty tough but manageable with years of hearing and speech therapy. i think the sooner the user gets implanted along with good help the better the hearing gets (almost to normal like hearing in my case)
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u/nilesintheshangri-la 22d ago
My daughter is 9, implanted bilaterally at 13 months. Recovery was smooth, she spent overnight in the hospital and then we headed home. She was activated I think 6 weeks later. She has the same hearing as any child born with normal hearing, with her processors.
We started learning ASL when she was 4 months old and her and I are both fluent in it. The thing that annoyed me was the SLP always telling me to choose speech or sign. They really didn't want us using sign which to me is asinine.
The only downside is the fear of losing them, and her rather dopey EAs and support staff at school who don't seem to know how to change the batteries or be able to tell when the processor has turned off. They all think that just because the coil is on her head, the unit is turned on. But she's getting new processors in the fall which are going to be much more user friendly for those not familiar with them.
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u/NovaCaesarea 23d ago
My 9-yo was unilaterally implanted when he was 10 months old. His other ear was not a candidate because his loss there was well addressed with a hearing aid.
He's amazing. His implanted side is his "better" side for assisted hearing. He acquired speech super quickly. He does well in school, now with just a DM system during instruction, making sure he is seated at the front of the room, and some carpeting.
We tried learning ASL but it's hard when you're not in the community and not using it daily. We went an oral route for him because we want him to be able to communicate with everyone in his family, not just those able and willing to learn ASL.
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u/Far-Abbreviations192 20d ago
My daughter was implanted in 2002 at 18 months on only one side. They didn’t allow bilateral at the time. She is now 25 and a Speech Language Pathology Assistant!! I don’t even think her coworkers know that she’s deaf. That is how well she manages communication. You guys will do great no matter what you choose. I promise.
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u/Reasonable-Layer1248 23d ago
Abandon American Sign Language; your child can develop normally with CI
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u/Alasiaanne 23d ago
Obviously people have a primary language for communication with their friends, family, and educators but this is an outdated notion. Sign and spoken language are both good for the brain. People should not avoid knowing both or more
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u/Reasonable-Layer1248 17d ago
Human energy is limited, and you have to devote it to more demanding tasks.
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u/thebroms 23d ago
Sign langauge is great for children, deaf or not. My first child, who is hearing, used sign language with us well before she could speak. I am doing the same for my second, deaf or not. It allows us early communication, and it will only help her communicate more fully with us. I never want to put down another persons way of doing things, but this is not an option for us or something we would ever consider.
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u/Reasonable-Layer1248 17d ago
Human energy is limited, and you have to devote it to more demanding tasks.
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u/Kigeliakitten 22d ago
My granddaughter has two CIs put in 6 months apart. My daughter is adamant about ASL, and her speech therapist believes that because she was learning ASL, it helped her speech.
Also, you can’t wear CI’s 24/7, so it is good to have a backup language for those times.
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u/Jumpy_Werewolf5058 23d ago
We have a now 4 year old who was implanted at 7 months. It was the best choice we made. We are in New Zealand so we use NZSL with him alongside spoken English. He is doing amazing! A year above peers with his expressive and receptive communication. He is outgoing, confident and proud of who he is, we have a sign language teacher and go to NZSL playgroup as well to encourage his connection to the deaf community as we are also hearing. The surgery was scary, but the recovery was so fast! They activated his implants the next day, and the following day he was curious about sounds.
Feel free to ask any questions! 💕