Rehabilitation

Children who receive cochlear implants late are unique. This article briefly describes hearing loss diagnosis and treatment guidelines for babies and young children, what is known about why some children are diagnosed or treated later as well as the impacts of unaddressed hearing loss. After that, we provide some rehabilitation recommendations for supporting this unique population of patients with cochlear implants.

Users of hearing aids and cochlear implants benefit from auditory rehabilitation training. However, following the activation of hearing devices, several barriers to receiving auditory rehabilitation care exist for many users. To overcome these barriers, MED-EL has developed the ReDi auditory rehabilitation app that uses AI (artificial intelligence) technology. Clinicians can use ReDi to help provide personalized and level-appropriate auditory and speech training to their patients remotely in over 155 languages—and cochlear implant users can benefit from immediate feedback while training whenever and wherever they wish.

What can be done when a three-year-old child’s listening and speaking skills stop showing signs of improvement? What strategies can rehabilitation specialists use when a young cochlear implant recipient has inconsistent auditory skills and a short attention span? This case study provides insights that may be relevant for speech-language therapists with similar patients.

“When will my child start talking?” is one of the most common questions asked by a parent or caregiver after their child has received a cochlear implant. To answer this question, it is helpful to know the milestones of language skills that build on each other before a child starts talking.

For some people with bilateral hearing loss, a hearing aid may provide enough amplification for one ear, but a cochlear implant may be appropriate for more severe hearing loss in the other ear. Aural rehabilitation can help these users get the most out of both hearing devices.

Play sounds can not only be used capture young children’s listening attention. They can also be a highly effective way to help children learn to process auditory information. By integrating them into your auditory rehabilitation practice, you can help kick-start their listening and language development while having fun.