Cochlear Implant "Booth" Testing

We recently had a mapping appointment for Drew's cochlear implants. At nearly five years post implant, we see Drew's audiologist about every six months, just to make sure that he continues to hear well and that his equipment, both internal and external, is working optimally.

I was able to capture this video of Drew in the sound booth. I thought it would give you an idea of what hearing impaired children go through in order to be able to hear. I can not tell you what an awesome job Drew does in the booth. His ability to perform conditioned play during pure tone testing is amazing (although he prefers making baskets to doing a puzzle), and his stamina is unlike any child I know. He can sit in the booth for just about one hour providing us with detailed information on just how well he is hearing. Quite honestly, I attribute a lot of his success with his cochlear implants to his ability to perform in the booth because his audiologist has all of the information she needs to properly program his implants.

This mapping appointment was unique, as we begin to peruse options for Drew's transition to mainstream Kindergarten. During this booth test, we were really looking to get a good idea of how well Drew hears in noisy situations, and his potential need for an FM System. You will be able to see how difficult the noise testing is. On the NU-CHIPS test, without noise, Drew scores nearly 100% every time. In a sound to noise ratio of +10, Drew's score drops to 80%. Now, this is still a really good score, but this testing does not take into account degraded listening situations, for example when noise, distance and reverberation are all present, which occurs in auditoriums, cafeterias and even classrooms.

We determined that we are going to use an FM System with Drew next year, bilaterally. This will provide a clear path for the teachers voice to reach Drew's ears, and will eliminate any possibility of a noisy classroom effecting his learning. There will be many situations where Drew will not be using an FM, at home, during his sporting activities and daily life, so we don't anticipate that his ability to listen in noise will diminish.

School Age Transition

I opened my email last night to find one from my Mother-in-Law. It said, "I always check Turn On My Ears, hoping for an update on Drew. No luck. Should I stop checking?"

Sigh.

It has been a while since my last post. I actually didn't realize just how long it has been. Over four months. The days are turning into weeks, and just flying by. Before long spring will be here, followed by summer. (Oh, how I love summer!) Soon, kids will be another year older, and in a different grade of school. This year, Drew will be heading off to our local elementary school for Kindergarten. Completely mainstream.

Wow.

The details of his transition from preschool to kindergarten are currently being worked out. I had a very refreshing conversation with our school district, much better than our last experience three years ago, and I think our family goals for Drew are going to be perfectly matched with a plan from the school district. We're still ironing what sort of goals and modifications Drew will need, but we are confidant that his needs will be very well met by his school.

This is what happens when Early Intervention works. The child receives all necessary services so early on in life that they enter their elementary years with no delays. The last five years could not have gone any more perfectly for Drew. He is right where he should be as a five year old boy, hearing loss or not. I couldn't have written the script any better myself.

Five Years

Five years ago yesterday we learned of Drew's hearing loss. Yesterday, we didn't even remember. Not a clue that it was the anniversary of his hearing loss. Drew went to the pumpkin patch with his class, told me all about the straw maze he played in and how his teacher gave him a spider ring. It was a pretty cool day.

That's what happens when life is so normal. When early detection and intervention work perfectly.

Click here to read about Drew's diagnosis.

Padawan Drew

We've been busy celebrating Drew's 5th Birthday! It's hard to believe that our little boy is now five years old. We celebrated with a family trip to Disney World - even the Grandparents flew to Florida to celebrate the big event.

One of the highlights of our trip was the Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios:



Seriously, how cool is that? Drew's Dad and I both felt such a sense of happiness watching the little guy on stage. Five years ago, as he was diagnosed with profound hearing loss, we had no idea what these five years would bring for him. A few days ago, Drew was standing on a stage, listening to instructions from from his Jedi Master, just like all of his little Padawan friends, without any help. It's truly amazing.

Drew is now obsessed with Star Wars. He woke this morning asking to go to Target and buy a Storm Trooper helmet. Drew used birthday money this weekend to buy two Star Wars Lego sets. It's actually a bit out of control. But watching him become a boy, who's really into Star Wars, is also totally awesome.

Happy 5th Birthday Drew. We hope it's not one that you'll soon forget!

Alter Ego

Drew really enjoys dressing up as Superheros. He asks nearly every night to watch an episode of Spiderman or Batman "on demand." He uses his imagination to play with his Batcave, and his Spiderman trucks, and just really loves his Superhero friends.

So, it came as no surprise to us, when we were getting ready to go out to dinner one night, that Drew came downstairs dressed as Batman. And instead of fighting with him, and waiting for the twenty minutes it would have taken for him to get dressed, we let him go out to dinner dressed as Batman.

On our drive, we were talking, and Drew's Dad turned to Drew and said, "Hey, Drew, would you like..." But Drew's Dad couldn't finish his sentance. He was interrupted by Drew, who wanted to quickly remind his Dad, "Dad!! I'm not Drew. I'm Batman. Get it right."

O.K. Drew. Our mistake.