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Comments
from a parent of a child with a cochlear implant
My son Bradley, was born profoundly deaf in 1993.
Hearing aids were unable to provide him with any
useable sound. For a while it appeared that the
world in which my son would grow up in would be
a silent one - never to hear the sound of birds,
playground noises or the sound of his parents
voices telling him that they loved him. It seemed
like Bradley would be forced to learn sign language
to communicate. Our concerns were for his future
and how he would participate in a hearing world.
However,
all of this changed at the age of 20 months when
Bradley received an Australian designed cochlear
implant. At the time of his operation, Bradley
was the sixth youngest in the world to be fitted
with this technology. This device is nothing short
of a miracle. From the moment he was turned on
- about a month after the operation - he began
to hear for the first time in his life. But his
speech didn't come automatically. Bradley had
to be taught to listen and be taught what the
sound he was now receiving meant. This has been
a long slow process but significant gains are
continuing to be made.
Bradley
is now seven and can talk, structure sentences,
communicate with classroom friends, teachers and
family members. His speech is not yet perfect
but it is continuing to improve all the time.
While he is wearing his microphone and processor
he can hear. We feel that over time Bradley's
speech will be as clear as a hearing person. However,
he is still a profoundly deaf child and will always
be profoundly deaf. The cochlear implant has given
him the chance to lead a normal life, it has given
him a chance to attend his local school and participate
in all forms of learning activities. It has given
us a chance to let our son hear us tell him how
much we love him.
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