Cochlear Implant & Hearing Aids
We recommend and dispense an array of state-of-the-art hearing technology, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, bone conduction devices, and other assistive listening technology to children who are candidates.
Hearing Aids
For most caregivers and parents of children with hearing loss, having your child fitted with hearing aids can enormously benefit your journey towards healthy hearing. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who treat their hearing loss have been shown to have a higher quality of life and self-esteem than those who do not seek treatment.
Though there are many makes and models of hearing aids, each is feature-packed, offering various options. No matter the model, a hearing aid will contain a microphone to pick up sound, a processor that analyzes sound and filters out unwanted noise, and a receiver to deliver the amplified sound deep inside the ear.
Although the variety of choices in hearing aids may seem overwhelming for you and your child, a House Audiologist will recommend the appropriate make and model to suit individual diagnoses.
Cochlear Implants
The Cochlear Implant Program at the House Children’s Hearing Center represents one of the most historic and prestigious cochlear implant centers in California.
What is a Cochlear Implant?
Developed in large part at the House Institute by William House, MD, a cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. An implant does not restore normal hearing. Instead, it can give a deaf person a useful representation of sounds in the environment and helps him or her to understand speech.
The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. The basic parts of the device include:
- A microphone that picks up sound from the environment.
- A speech processor that selectively filters sound to prioritize audible speech and sends the electrical sound signals through a thin cable to the transmitter.
- A transmitter, which is a coil held in position by a magnet placed behind the external ear; it transmits the processed sound signals to the internal device.
- A receiver and stimulator beneath the skin, which converts the signals into electric impulses and sends them to electrodes.
- An array of up to 22 electrodes wound through the cochlea, which sends the impulses to the nerves through the auditory system.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as of April 2009, approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.
Candidates
The House Children’s Hearing Center determines implant candidacy on an individual basis. We consider a person’s hearing history, cause of hearing loss, amount of residual hearing, speech recognition ability, health status, and family commitment to aural habilitation/rehabilitation.
A prime cochlear implant candidate has:
- severe to profound sensorineural hearing impairment in one or both ears
- functioning auditory nerve(s)
- good speech, language, and communication skills, or, in the case of infants and young children, a family willing to work toward speech and language skills with therapy
Cochlear implantation is a delicate and challenging procedure, and we provide unparalleled service through the experience and knowledge of our medical staff and clinical associates in our cochlear implant division.
Our Team
