Cochlear Implant Management
Some individuals with hearing impairment are candidates for a relatively new surgical technique known as cochlear implantation. Many people with severe or profound hearing loss do not benefit from even the most powerful hearing aids or auditory trainers. Their cochlea is not able to generate nerve impulses that allow them to hear. New technological and surgical advances have resulted in a surgically implanted device known as a cochlear implant. The cochlear implant stimulates the residual auditory nerve fibers in such a way as to provide the perception of sound. While the person may still be hearing impaired, this new technology provides an avenue that we did not have widely available even a decade ago. It should be noted that persons with a cochlear implant will require some form of aural rehabilitation or speech/language therapy to develop their communication abilities.
The Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic provides assessment and treatment services to patients with cochlear implants through the East Alabama ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat) Clinic in Opelika. The program is primarily housed at the ENT Clinic because insurance companies require that a physician be on site when clients are served. Many of the clients were surgically implanted locally at East Alabama Medical Center, but clients receiving implants from other areas throughout the southeast are seen. The client population at the ENT Clinic ranges in age from 18 months to 80 years old, and drives from varying distances up to three hours away. A certified Auditory Verbal Therapist is in charge of the habilitation program at East Alabama ENT Clinic and works closely with physicians in the appropriate selection of candidates for implantation and subsequent therapy. The clients usually have to commit to a treatment program of at least one year. A certified speech-language pathologist from our clinic works cooperatively with the East Alabama ENT Clinic to provide services to these clients.