Over 178 children with hearing impairment to be integrated into mainstream

To date, 641 children have benefitted from this pioneering initiative started by KEM Hospital in 2006

With the help of cochlear implants and therapy from the Big Ears Department (BED) at KEM Hospital this year, as many as 178 children will now be able to lead a normal life. All these children have completed their ‘silence to sound annual graduation programme’ and will be brought back into the mainstream, the doctors said.

178 children have completed their ‘silence to sound annual graduation programme’ and will be brought back into the mainstream, the doctors said. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The BED of KEM conducts the cochlear implant followed by rehabilitation programmes for children diagnosed with hearing impairment. All these children are aged between two to five years and a few children aged above five years and up to 10 years have developed near normal speech and language skills enabling him/ her to become a part of mainstream society. They no longer require continuous assistance from the hospital team. The graduation ceremony will be held on Friday 15 December at KEM Hospital, Pune, said the officials during a media briefing on Wednesday.

To date, 641 children have benefitted from this pioneering initiative started by KEM Hospital in 2006.

Dr Neelam Vaid, HoD of BED, said, the initiative focuses on early detection, diagnosis, and therapy of hearing loss.

“Big Ears Clinic offers all the services needed for the hearing challenged; from a variety of tests that detect hearing loss to hearing aids, speech therapy, counselling, and cochlear implants for the hearing impaired. Post the implant the children undergo a rehabilitation program under the guidance of a team consisting of audiologists, therapists, speech and language pathologists, and surgeons.”

Shirin Wadia, general administrator at KEM Hospital said that the pioneering integrated approach has helped many children from across all sections of society.

Dr Vaid added that screening at birth enables early diagnosis. The minimum age of a cochlear implant depends on pathology but one year is ideal. The time for rehabilitation depends on the child’s progress and parents’ involvement.

As per the officials, 98% of patients come from families that cannot afford this expensive technology.