Speech and Hearing Center: Cochlear Implant Services

2011

COCHLEAR IMPLANT PROGRAM The Speech and Hearing Center at WIHD initiated the Cochlear Implant Program in 1999 in collaboration with the Department of Otolaryngology at the Westchester Medical Center. We provide services to individuals from seven counties and are the only implant center in the lower Hudson Valley. Candidacy is determined through medical, audiological, speech-language pathology, psychological and educational evaluations. To date, over fifty individuals have received cochlear implants. The effects of severe to profound hearing loss have been well documented in the literature. Children who are born with significant hearing loss or who acquire hearing loss in the pre-lingual stage have a very difficult time developing normal speech and language skills and are more likely to experience academic and social difficulties than their hearing peers. Even in the older pediatric and adult population the onset of severe to profound hearing loss will have a tremendous impact on auditory communication skills and can lead to educational, vocational and social difficulties. Hearing aids are typically of limited value in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss due to the significant loss of sensory (hair) cells in the inner ear (cochlear). Cochlear implants, which are surgically implanted devices, bypass the ear. They provide better hearing by directly stimulating the nerve of hearing. The efficacy of cochlear implants has been well established. Children with early onset hearing loss typically receive cochlear implants by twelve months of age. Older children and adults with recent onset hearing loss can also benefit. With proper (re)habilitation services, these individuals typically achieve auditory skills commensurate with their hearing peers. As a comprehensive Speech and Hearing Center, we are able to provide the therapeutic, counseling and referral services that allow cochlear implant users to learn to properly use their new devices and to apply meaning to their newly acquired sensory input. We work closely with families, caregivers and educational and medical professionals to assure that these skills are maintained in the natural environment. Accessibility to this state-of-the-art technology improves the overall communication skills of those individuals with severe to profound hearing loss.

Sensory-neural hearing loss, deafness, hearing aid, chchlear implant,

Health-Related Activities

Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public

Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English

Mulit-County, State

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