Our son Dylan failed his newborn hearing screening at birth. We were referred to Akron Children’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Center for follow up testing. Our worst fears were confirmed when Dylan was just four weeks old. He was diagnosed as profoundly hearing impaired in both ears.
Since that very difficult moment, our hope for the future has grown stronger each day with the help of our team at Akron Children’s. Our audiologists Tiffany and Shelly helped fit Dylan with hearing aids at 9 weeks old giving him initial access to sound. Dr. Marc Nelson helped us understand the cochlear implant process and how this could be a great option for Dylan. We decided to work toward Dylan being able to speak and hear. We started auditory verbal therapy with The University of Akron on a weekly basis and began taking the necessary steps to ensure Dylan was an appropriate candidate for surgery.
Fast forward to a year later, Dylan has undergone cochlear implant surgery. We are so excited about his bright future and grateful to all of Dylan’s care team! We look forward to continuing our great relationship with the ENT center.
Editor’s note: May is Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM). Learn from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
