Hearing For The First Time

Being apart of the developmental group, I decided to focus on children that were born deaf and with Cochlear implants were able to hear for the first time. Imagine being born into a completely silent world. The fact is that about 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. Hearing loss can take place in any part of the ear.

            Birth defects in of the outer or middle ear can be because of buildup of fluid behind the eardrum, birth defects that cause changes in the structure of the ear canal or middle ear, injury to or rupture of the eardrum, or objects becoming stuck in the ear canal.

            Birth defects of the inner ear can damage the tiny nerve endings can be due to exposure to certain toxic chemicals or medicines while in the womb or after birth, genetic disorders, infections passed from the mother in the womb, problems with the structure of the inner ear, or tumors.

            As far as treating deafness in infants there are a couple options you can choose from. The first being surgery to correct structural problems of the ear. The second being Cochlear implant which is surgically implanted and bypasses the damaged inner part of the ear to stimulate the hearing nerve directly. The implant converts sound waves to electrical impulses in a way that mimics your natural hearing.