I've been asked a few times why we're getting Lucas a hearing aid for his unimplanted ear. Today I got the hearing aid evaluation summary from CHOP, with a perfect explanation, so I thought I would share...
His left ear is not currently a candidate for sequential bilateral cochlear implantation due to surgical concerns. While a left ear hearing aid is not expected to match the benefit Lucas receives from his CI, current research demonstrates children with CIs can benefit from amplification in their contralateral ear. Benefits include potential for improved localization abilities, access to natural sound, greater ease of listening, improved performance in background noise, better music appreciation, as well as stimulation of his left auditory pathway.
Wow... SOOO well said. Love it.
When I think of bimodal kiddos, three very successful ones come to mind right away: Christian, Ben and Alexander.
I would still rather Lucas become bilateral instead of bimodal, but if he receives even one of the benefits above, it will be worth it.