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A toddler with a new cochlear implant hears mom say “I love you” for the first time.
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What to expect at your child’s appointments
Evaluation
To determine if a cochlear implant is right for your child, our team uses a multidisciplinary approach to consider the whole child, including auditory, linguistic, social and emotional aspects of their development.
During your child’s initial appointment, we will take a detailed history, complete a full hearing evaluation with and without hearing aids, and discuss your family’s expectations based on several factors that can affect the success of a cochlear implant. These factors include:
- Age of the child and length of auditory deprivation.
- Consistent use of amplification.
- Participation in auditory based therapy and carryover of goals at home.
- Any additional medical or developmental concerns.
If your child is not currently a patient with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s audiology or speech-language departments, please send current records such as an audiogram and therapy records. Records may be faxed to 727-767-8998.
Please also fill out a case history form for your child and bring it with you to your child's appointment. You can find the form online here, or contact us to receive one by calling 727-767-8989.
After your child’s evaluation, we will discuss:
- What to expect on the day of surgery and the hospital stay. Additional information to help you prepare for your child’s stay is available in our Inpatient Stay Guide.
- All available device options specific to your child’s needs.
- Any questions or concerns of the family. Please feel free to bring anyone who has an interest in the child’s care.
- Packet of information provided for each manufacturer, if further review of material is desired.
- A list of recommendations if candidacy criteria for a cochlear implant is not met.
Each family will establish with one of our cochlear implant surgeons in the pediatric otolaryngology program, if they are not already followed. Surgeons with the private practice Pediatric Earn, Nose & Throat Specialists provide cochlear implant surgery services at Johns Hopkins All Children's.
Meet our cochlear implant team.
Cochlear implant stimulation
Three to four weeks after surgery, your child’s cochlear implant external equipment is programmed. What to expect from this visit is as variable as the children themselves. Typical responses include laughing, ignoring, and crying upon first hearing with the implant processor.
We request that you only bring two adults into the room for this appointment, but additional family members are welcome to wait in the waiting room to see you right after activation. We encourage you to take a walk around the building to explore sounds and ensure the child’s comfort before leaving. We will also explain the equipment and give you a backpack full of accessories and instructions, including an extra processor that can be used as a backup.
The first mapping is typically followed by three appointments over a month to gradually increase the amount of current your child needs to get the most from his or her implant. This may be adjusted based on how quickly your child adapts to his or her new way of hearing.
Mapping visits
Once your child has passed the initial stimulation and immediate follow-up, routine mapping is required. These visits are typically scheduled three to six months apart, depending on the age of the child, stability and reliability of responses, and support needs of the family.
When children are young, this visit is similar to a hearing test. We will hook the implant equipment up to a computer, check the internal device, and play a game with your child to obtain information about how soft the sound that can be detected on each channel of the implant. Depending on the child’s age and ability, we will measure how he or she responds to speech in each ear.
Contact us
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 727-767-8989.
Medical records may be faxed to 727-767-8998.