4000 deaf kids got implants in 10 yrs, very few had rehab

21.05.2019
Chennai:
More than 4,000 children in Tamil Nadu — including those below poverty line — born with profound deafness have received hitech implants in the last decade which helped them lead a normal life. But otolaryngologists say the last big battle against deafness is helping children learn to cope and live with these devices.

Although many children get the surgically implanted cochlear implants, those who don’t attend rehabilitation programmes — that will help them learn languages to speak — are not benefited. “When a three-year-old gets a device, his hearing is restored. But his hearing age is like that of a newborn. He will take at least a year to learn and comprehend language before he starts to speak. So, when younger children get the implant the results are always better. But for this, the child needs to attend rehabilitation programmes at least twice a week,” said ENT surgeon Dr Mohan Kameshwaran, who heads Madras ENT Research Foundation.

The foundation, along with charity organization Smiling Crocodile, will launch a campaign — ‘Because I hear, I live’ — that will encourage and support rehabilitation programmes for children who have undergone cochlear implantation.

Besides working with the trainers, the organizations will provide funding to transport poor children to the rehab centre and also buy them education aids.

Tamil Nadu has the highest number of children born with deafness. Six out of every 1,000 children are born deaf compared to one in 1,000 across the world. But ever since the state government allowed cochlear implant surgeries under the state health insurance scheme, many children got the device. The average age of children walking into the clinics – both private and government – for the implant has dropped from 4-6 years in 2012 to two years in the last two years. “The youngest child to get the implant under the state scheme was just a year old. A hearing test is conducted in almost all newborns. The first confirmation of profound deafness is made in the sixth or seventh month for most children,” he said. Children with private insurance come in during the ninth month.

Although age has been dropping, many parents have not been able to get their children to the centres for rehabilitation. At least 10% of the children who have received the implant haven’t attended rehab programmes. “Rehabilitation is like a bridge to school. When children don’t attend rehab, the outcome is poor,” senior audiologist R Ranjith said.

Dagmar Herrmannova, director of Smiling Crocodile, said the organization would strive towards getting the maximum number of children for the rehabilitation programme.

“The circumstances and environment of children living in a growing economy like India are different from that of Europe. We understand the challenges and help them overcome it,” she said.