What Can A Prelingually Deaf Adult CI Expect?

deafskeptic

deafskeptic

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I ask this question because I've been doing research on CIs and prelingually deaf adults. As many of you know I was born deaf due to Rubella. I didn't learn to speak till I was 3 years old.

I've had hearing people tell me I fool (interesting choice of words) them into thinking that my hearing is much better than it really is because of my speech skills. I can hear some speech via my HA.

Would it be reasonable for me to learn to speak on the phone? I haven't seriously tried to talk on the phone since the pizza man in Rochester hung up on me 21 years ago.

I'm well aware that success can vary a great deal but I was wondering what's the most likely outcome.

Thanks guys.
 
deafskeptic said:
I ask this question because I've been doing research on CIs and prelingually deaf adults. As many of you know I was born deaf due to Rubella. I didn't learn to speak till I was 3 years old.

I've had hearing people tell me I fool (interesting choice of words) them into thinking that my hearing is much better than it really is because of my speech skills. I can hear some speech via my HA.

Would it be reasonable for me to learn to speak on the phone? I haven't seriously tried to talk on the phone since the pizza man in Rochester hung up on me 21 years ago.

I'm well aware that success can vary a great deal but I was wondering what's the most likely outcome.

Thanks guys.
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Ummm....good question. I think the fact you can hear something and have developed speech skills gives you a leg up on somebody who has never heard before. Whether or not you could actually develop that capacity is really an unknown at this point. It is not easy to predict these things...even the pros don't always get it right.

I would think that it is always possible you could do so. You may be pleasantly surprised...I have a friend who was in a similar position as you hearing wise. She received her CI a little over a year ago and she is doing very well and in fact is doing better than anybody could have expected of her. A couple of months ago, she and I had a nice phone conversation (out of the blue as I wasn't expecting her call and she made me guess who it was...I figured it out after a sentence or two) and she missed very little. It was one thing for me to use the phone but it was another thing for her to use it given our different "deaf" backgrounds.
 
We sound fairly similar although I probably used the phone to an limited extent with people I knew well when I had hearing aids. But it was always not easy, even then.

Like you I didn't learn to speak until I was three. I was diagnosed quite late and got my hearing aids at two and a half. I did develop good speech skills subsquently which was probably very lucky for me.

I got my CI activated a month ago and already phone use has been very promising. While on vacation in the UK recently I had a 15 minute phone conversation with my husband back in Australia on a phone that wasn't amplified and with no T switch setting. Also the voices sound closer to me whereas with hearing aids they sounded far away.

I don't think I'll ever be relaxed on the phone though. It's been too many years of stressing out everytime a phone rang! I think I will probably only really use it when I have to but even then it's a fantastic advantage to have for the times when you need to get hold of someone right away.

As S171Soars said if you have speech skills already then this makes it much more likely that a CI will be of some benefit to you. You will have to give it more time than a late deafened person but I think you will probably be pleased with the results. From your previous posts I think you've said your hearing has decreased? Wearing a CI has made me realise how much energy is thrown into trying to hear when you can't hear. I have much more energy these days.
 
Well for most of my life my hearing loss has been stable. I'm not sure if I've had a decrease in hearing though my most recent audiogram show my loss is in the 100s. I have not seen my other audiograms recently but I think loss was in the 90s.

If I'm losing my hearing, the most likely cause is thyroid disease. It can cause deafness. If so, my loss was stable in the past but it's now progressive.
 
I'm prelingually deaf -- born profoundly deaf for unknown reasons (not Rubella, German measles or any of that). My parents opted for the oral method and I got my first hearing aid at 9-months or so.

I debated for a long time whether or not to get a cochlear implant at age 33. Hearing aids worked well for me. I researched and talked to those who got cochlear implants. I've had the cochlear implant for three years and it hasn't made that much of a difference for me.

I attended speech therapy for about nine months (got too busy and had to stop). The therapist gave me great tips and tools for practicing listening.

I can pick up more sounds than before, but not that much more. I hear birds chirping, the dryer buzzing from other rooms (whereas before, I had to be near the dryer), kids screaming from other rooms (Who wants to hear that -- Unless someone is hurt, of course). I listen to talk radio as much as I can and pick up words and phrases here and there, but hardly enough to figure out the topic of the conversation.

One big plus with the cochlear implant -- no more feedback. It was embarrassing when my hearing aids whistled in a quiet room. But unfortunately, implants are more expensive and require going to an audiologist for occasional programming.

If I did it over again, I don't know whether or not I would have the surgery especially since it left me with severe vertigo for over a month. If I were 16, I am sure it'd be a different story.

I've pulled together resources for listening practice if anyone is interested:
Bionic Ear Blog: Auditory Training Resources and Sites

Best,
Meryl
 
Hmm. Your post just gave me an idea for improving my listening skills.

I've been refreshing my CSS skills and I just found out you can use some css stuff to make the computer speak for you. This will not work with all browsers but it should be worth trying.
 
Wow......glad an ambigious canidate who isn't all gung ho about the CI posted. I really think for ambigious canidates, the CI is like the digital aid for hoh people. Like there are a lot of people who LOVE the digital aid, and then there are quite a few people who prefer analogs!
Deafskeptic, what's your hearing sitution? Like do your hearing aids allow you to access a lot of speech, or just a small percentage? I'd definitly opt for it if your aids only allow a limited amount of speech......but if you can hear quite a bit, I'd probaly wait and see.
 
deafdyke said:
Wow......glad an ambigious canidate who isn't all gung ho about the CI posted. I really think for ambigious canidates, the CI is like the digital aid for hoh people. Like there are a lot of people who LOVE the digital aid, and then there are quite a few people who prefer analogs!
Deafskeptic, what's your hearing sitution? Like do your hearing aids allow you to access a lot of speech, or just a small percentage? I'd definitly opt for it if your aids only allow a limited amount of speech......but if you can hear quite a bit, I'd probaly wait and see.
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A small percentage. I'm still using an analog aid. I only have one HA and I couldn't understand any kind of speech when I wore a HA over my right ear. The screening process is much more stringent for prelingually deaf adults than for post lingually deaf adults.

Although I can hear speech on loudspeaker or telephones with amplifiers, I rarely can make out a word. The T-switch has never been of much help to me. Once in a blue moon, I'll be able to make out words on the radio.

I just realized in order for my aural style sheets to work I'd need a speech reader. Opps. *blush*
 
meryl said:
I'm prelingually deaf -- born profoundly deaf for unknown reasons (not Rubella, German measles or any of that). My parents opted for the oral method and I got my first hearing aid at 9-months or so.

I debated for a long time whether or not to get a cochlear implant at age 33. Hearing aids worked well for me. I researched and talked to those who got cochlear implants. I've had the cochlear implant for three years and it hasn't made that much of a difference for me.

I attended speech therapy for about nine months (got too busy and had to stop). The therapist gave me great tips and tools for practicing listening.

I can pick up more sounds than before, but not that much more. I hear birds chirping, the dryer buzzing from other rooms (whereas before, I had to be near the dryer), kids screaming from other rooms (Who wants to hear that -- Unless someone is hurt, of course). I listen to talk radio as much as I can and pick up words and phrases here and there, but hardly enough to figure out the topic of the conversation.

One big plus with the cochlear implant -- no more feedback. It was embarrassing when my hearing aids whistled in a quiet room. But unfortunately, implants are more expensive and require going to an audiologist for occasional programming.

If I did it over again, I don't know whether or not I would have the surgery especially since it left me with severe vertigo for over a month. If I were 16, I am sure it'd be a different story.

I've pulled together resources for listening practice if anyone is interested:
Bionic Ear Blog: Auditory Training Resources and Sites

Best,
Meryl
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Thanks Meryl! some of links on her site are good and has been recommended by several CI users from elsewhere.
 
Welcome Meryl and thanks for sharing your experience!

Did you once keep a blog? I think I may have read your story before?
 
and I couldn't understand any kind of speech when I wore a HA over my right ear.
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Oh so you're in the sitution where one ear has not responded to traditional amplification? In that case definitly go for it! Also maybe talk to your audi and experiment with different kinds of hearing aids. Like try digitals, those transponder thingys......maybe even see if a body worn aid might be able to give you some more power. I mean I know I'm not an audi, but on the other hand b/c of my experiance with ITE vs BTE,(I wore ITEs for jr high, and totally 100% thought I could hear with them.......then an audi at Mass Eye and Ear, put a BTE aid on me...........haven't looked back since!.....and trust me, that wasn't THAT long ago! ) I really think in some cases some people might be able to get more sound perception with a body worn aid, then with a BTE.
 
meryl said:
I'm prelingually deaf -- born profoundly deaf for unknown reasons (not Rubella, German measles or any of that). My parents opted for the oral method and I got my first hearing aid at 9-months or so.

I debated for a long time whether or not to get a cochlear implant at age 33. Hearing aids worked well for me. I researched and talked to those who got cochlear implants. I've had the cochlear implant for three years and it hasn't made that much of a difference for me.

I attended speech therapy for about nine months (got too busy and had to stop). The therapist gave me great tips and tools for practicing listening.

I can pick up more sounds than before, but not that much more. I hear birds chirping, the dryer buzzing from other rooms (whereas before, I had to be near the dryer), kids screaming from other rooms (Who wants to hear that -- Unless someone is hurt, of course). I listen to talk radio as much as I can and pick up words and phrases here and there, but hardly enough to figure out the topic of the conversation.

One big plus with the cochlear implant -- no more feedback. It was embarrassing when my hearing aids whistled in a quiet room. But unfortunately, implants are more expensive and require going to an audiologist for occasional programming.

If I did it over again, I don't know whether or not I would have the surgery especially since it left me with severe vertigo for over a month. If I were 16, I am sure it'd be a different story.

I've pulled together resources for listening practice if anyone is interested:
Bionic Ear Blog: Auditory Training Resources and Sites

Best,
Meryl
Click to expand...


:welcome:
Welcome to AD, Meryl!

Was interested to read your post especially when you said you were born profoundly deaf. Me too! And it looks like you're getting pretty good results from your CI, what with hearing birds and all. I was never able to hear any sounds that I could identify and my HAs has never benefited me so I chose to ditch them and go without.

My grandson (5 years old) got implanted at the end of July and was "turned on" at the end of August and he seems to get good use out of his CI -- he is profoundly deaf like me and his father, my son. I was even told his voice sounds more normal.

Hope Fragmenter sees this and add to my post.
 
I used analogs for a long time and now I have two digitals ! however, I still have speech perception problems even though I have programmable HAs. I can understand speech in quiet and if I am close the speaker but I'm lost in crowd and multiple conversations :( Telephone calls are almost always a big challenge to me . Body worn aids are not sold here and I don't think they would help me cuz my digitals already have much more power than what I need but it's not enough just being 'powerful'. I think I am gradually getting my way to 'CI' road .
 
Now that I've done research on hearing aids, I think I'll have to try one of those digital aids. My current BTE HA is a Siemens model 284 PP according to the web site. I'll be calling my audie tomorrow to see what HA she would recommend.

I'm thinking I'll get right ear implanted and sticking with my HA for left ear.

I didn't think they still sold body aids in the USA. I was like what body aids? But it turns out there are some still being sold! um. I've not been able to find mention of any body aid on one of the few manufactors of body aids.
 
Deafdyke,

Is that just your personal opinion about body aids or is it scientifically acknowledged that they are more powerful and clear than BTEs? Would be interested in any links if you have any. Is this why they tend to put them on children? I always thought it was because body aids were easier to keep on children but would be interested in any more information otherwise.
 
Just my personal opinion, based on an experiance I had when I was in jr high-high school. I mean it makes sense if I can hear better with BTEs then with ITEs, then some people might be able to hear better with body worn aids then with BTEs. Size really does still equate with power.
Oh, and Deafskeptic, ask your audi about Phonaks and Oticons. Those are the BEST out there.......even their analog aids are amazing!
 
Boult said:
Yes she does and that link she posted is her blog :)
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\

Thanks for pointing it out - I thought it was just a resources site. Yes that is definitely the same blog I was thinking of. Small world!
 
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