This morning I went to a really interesting meeting with a representative from Cochlear. She was visiting Christian's school, and did a presentation on the accessories that come in the HUGE box that your implant center sends home with you.I have to be honest, other than the listening microphone, we haven't really used anything.
While being informative, it also was a reality check, reminding me that while my little boy has his amazing bionic ear which alows him to listen and speak, he is also Deaf. He will always have to work harder and rely on technology to do things that we do without even thinking. Talking on the phone will be a challenge for him. He'll rely on special MAPS on his processor. He'll use
special cables that will boost the signal on the phone he is talking on(we just learned about these today). Talking with other parents with older kids today, I learned that talking on the phone is hard for these amazing children. They get tired and fatigued, because they have to work extra hard to listen.
I always hesitate to focus on the limitations of Christian's Cochlear Implant. It truly is a gift, and will allow Christian to communicate and be a part of the hearing world around him. Because of his amazing progress, even I have moments during the day where I forget that he has a severe-profound hearing loss. He talks, acts, and behaves like any other typical hearing child. Without his CI, I would have never heard him say "I love you", or watch him dance to music, or sing his songs. For now, I'm going to focus on what his CI has given us, and save the worries for when he asks me for a iPod in a few short years.
While being informative, it also was a reality check, reminding me that while my little boy has his amazing bionic ear which alows him to listen and speak, he is also Deaf. He will always have to work harder and rely on technology to do things that we do without even thinking. Talking on the phone will be a challenge for him. He'll rely on special MAPS on his processor. He'll use special cables that will boost the signal on the phone he is talking on(we just learned about these today). Talking with other parents with older kids today, I learned that talking on the phone is hard for these amazing children. They get tired and fatigued, because they have to work extra hard to listen.
I always hesitate to focus on the limitations of Christian's Cochlear Implant. It truly is a gift, and will allow Christian to communicate and be a part of the hearing world around him. Because of his amazing progress, even I have moments during the day where I forget that he has a severe-profound hearing loss. He talks, acts, and behaves like any other typical hearing child. Without his CI, I would have never heard him say "I love you", or watch him dance to music, or sing his songs. For now, I'm going to focus on what his CI has given us, and save the worries for when he asks me for a iPod in a few short years.