Deaf child hears for the first time

Deaf boy with auditory brain stem implant stunned after hearing dad for first time

A 3-year-old boy is hearing the world for the first time, thanks to an auditory brain stem implant.

"He likes sound," young Grayson's mom Nicole Clamp, said to CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte, N.C. "He enjoys the stimulus, the input. He's curious, and he definitely enjoys it."

Grayson Clamp was born without his cochlear nerves, or the auditory nerve that carries the sound signal from the cochlea in the inner ear to the brain. His parents tried giving him a cochlear implant, but it did not work.

They then enrolled Grayson in a research trial at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, N.C. Three weeks ago, he became the first child in the U.S. to receive an auditory brain stem implant.

The procedure involves placing a microchip on the brain stem to bypass the cochlear nerves altogether. The person perceives and processes sound, which travel through tubes in his ear.

Dr. Craig Buchman, Grayson's head and neck surgeon at UNC, explained to CBSNews.com that the devices were made several years ago for adults who have tumors in their cochlear nerves, but it has never been approved for use in children in the United States.. While the implants were able to give back some hearing to the adults that received them, they were not as effective as cochlear implants.

However, Buchman's team's theory was that if the auditory brain stem implant was put in a young child, they may be better at processing the sounds.

"One of the reasons we really were interested in this study, children have enormous potential because of their brain plasticity," he said. "They have enormous potential to interpret sounds.... I don't know what he hears and how he's going to use it, but only time will tell."

Grayson was the first chosen because he had high cognitive abilities and used cued speech, a visual system based on phonetics used to communicate. That way, doctors could see if he was hearing anything and responding to sound stimuli.

When he heard his father calling him for the first time, his face lit up with shock. Buchman said he was pleased with Grayson's responses.

The child still has to go in for frequent checkups to fine tune the device in order to give him the best hearing possible.

"We don't know exactly what it's like for him," Nicole explained. "We don't know exactly what he hears. His brain is still trying organize itself to use sound."

In total, Buchman's team has evaluated 10 children who all have similar problems with missing nerves. Right now, they're limiting the study to younger children who don't have that many additional health or cognitive issues to see what the potential of the device is. If they are successful, they are hoping that older children who haven't learned how to speak because of their hearing problems may be given a chance to finally hear and talk.

As for Grayson, he's already benefiting from his new hearing abilities.

"It's been phenomenal for us," his father Len Clamp said to WBTV.
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Deaf boy with auditory brain stem implant stunned after hearing dad for first time - CBS News
 
This is about to be broadcast on the NBC Nightly news...
 
shel90 said:
A heads up.... certain group of parents of deaf kids may attack you for your beliefs. Many of us, in the old days, have expressed the same beliefs and we got attacked for it.
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People tend to get upset when others tell them how to raise their children or judge their choices. It works both ways.
 
There is nothing wrong with wanting to give your child the best chance in life, if that includes cochlear or nerve implants or whatever, they're well within their rights to make that choice for their child.

It really annoys me when deaf people accuse these parents of child abuse, that's really not fair on them. It's a disability that could possibly improve significantly.

When deaf people starts accusing these parents of discriminating and attacking deaf culture then that's reverse-discrimination.
 
That's not the point, the point is that hearing people's attitude as if Deafness is the end of the world. We all know it is not the end of world. It sickens me to hear them saying "Oh Deaf? Man! I feel so sorry for you, can't have a life" Oh please! That mentality is not necessary and is totally crap.

I would even more appreciated when medical professionals approaches "Deafness" respond as "Not to be concern, it is okay because we have several options for your child that has hearing loss, choices are learn sign language, perhaps speech therapy, hearing aids, CI, and so forth. Be advise that some options even with CI may or may not benefit your child" Rather than "I am so sorry to inform you that your baby had failed hearing test and we highly recommend CI, we highly recommend speech therapy so that your child can talk normal like us" You know, the way doctors and medical professional treat parents as terrifying rather than positive approach that assure parents that regardless of hearing loss, they can lead to productive lives.

The link I posted, was meant to be joke and mirrors how hearing people reacts when they can't accept hearing loss.
 
Blindness isn't the end of the world, but I would for sure do everything possible to avoid being blind.

Edit - Besides you're letting your pride of being deaf cloud your judgement on parents opting for cochlear implants. The surgery is essentially brain surgery, I'm sure the parents would weigh up every single option for their child in terms of quality of life and risk. It's already a tough decision and it doesn't help when the deaf culture makes them feel guilty for doing what they think is the best option.
 
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The reason why I said these things is because my parents shared with me on their experience when they discovering my hearing loss. They told me that these medical professionals were giving them very terrifying comments and encourage them to treat me as hearing person rather than Deaf person. My parents decided not to believe in them, and send me to Deaf school, same time learn sign language with me. My parents told me that they realize these medical professional were very misleading, even today it still holds true.

Because of this, I am very grateful for my parent that made right decision for me, by ignore all the advises they got from medical professionals.
 
diehardbiker said:
The reason why I said these things is because my parents shared with me on their experience when they discovering my hearing loss. They told me that these medical professionals were giving them very terrifying comments and encourage them to treat me as hearing person rather than Deaf person. My parents decided not to believe in them, and send me to Deaf school, same time learn sign language with me. My parents told me that they realize these medical professional were very misleading, even today it still holds true.
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Then that's your parents decision and that should be respected. I'm glad it's worked for you, I really am. But it doesn't give you the right to attack other parents for making their decisions for their child.
 
I am NOT attacking parents decision. What I am attacking is how MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS reaction and misleading these poor parents that got lost and confusion. Here is the truth, once Medical professionals approach differently and could have educate them in better way by letting them know that Deafness does not mean that there is no life.

Mind you, medical professional already advised my parents to give abortion on me! Is that a good advise? Can you accept that advise? Get my drift?

Tuscany said:
Then that's your parents decision and that should be respected. I'm glad it's worked for you, I really am. But it doesn't give you the right to attack other parents for making their decisions for their child.
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diehardbiker said:
I am NOT attacking parents decision. What I am attacking is how MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS reaction and misleading these poor parents that got lost and confusion. Here is the truth, once Medical professionals approach differently and could have educate them in better way by letting them know that Deafness does not mean that there is no life.

Mind you, medical professional already advised my parents to give abortion on me! Is that a good advise? Can you accept that advise? Get my drift?
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Technology and medical science has improved since you were born, just gonna say that.

I am interested to know how did the medical professionals know you were deaf before you were born? They didn't know I was gonna be deaf..
 
And here we go again, the discussion of children getting implanted with CI.

I just hope the parents have explored other options that just relying on the CI.
 
How did they know? There was epidemic on Deafness back then, better research before barking at me.

Sure science and technology improved, but the medical professional, how they approach parents with Deaf child pretty much have not changed.

Can you show me story that came from medical professionals educates that Deaf, even without speech and hearing ability leads normal and productive lives? I have NOT heard single of them.

Tuscany said:
Technology and medical science has improved since you were born, just gonna say that.

I am interested to know how did the medical professionals know you were deaf before you were born? They didn't know I was gonna be deaf..
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Yes, that is only if Medical professionals are being honest with these parents and not to pretend that this can lead to normal hearing life (No ASL, speech all the way).

KikLove said:
I just hope the parents have explored other options that just relying on the CI.
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Tuscany said:
Technology and medical science has improved since you were born, just gonna say that.

I am interested to know how did the medical professionals know you were deaf before you were born? They didn't know I was gonna be deaf..
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Mothers had rubella. Many birth defects are associated.

Read up a little before attacking everybody...
 
Bottesini said:
Mothers had rubella. Many birth defects are associated.

Read up a little before attacking everybody...
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Rubella..I didn't know that.

I don't mean to attack anybody, I just get annoyed at stuff like this since my parents were attacked for choosing oralism instead of sign language for me.

The Deaf Culture in Britain back then were... hateful towards hearing people. They had an elevated sense of importance about themselves, as if that if any random person didn't know sign language, they were disxriminating against the deaf.
 
No problem, but the truth still exists, it is how Medical professional react which needs a major overhaul. Many of them considered CI as a miracle, which in reality is not much of a miracle and gave parents false sense.

The only time I would accept is that there is evidence supporting that Deaf with CI can speak and hears normally like everybody else. So far, not even single evidence support that.

Tuscany said:
Rubella..I didn't know that.

I don't mean to attack anybody, I just get annoyed at stuff like this since my parents were attacked for choosing oralism instead of sign language for me.

The Deaf Culture in Britain back then were... hateful towards hearing people. They had an elevated sense of importance about themselves, as if that if any random person didn't know sign language, they were disxriminating against the deaf.
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