Illinois
Sound Beginnings
Illinois Sound Beginnings is a collaborative effort between the IL Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program and IL Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side as a way to provide parents and professionals resources and information they need to ensure children who are deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind reach their highest potential.
Cochlear Implant
Follow Up Care
Activation Day
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Turning on the implant and making sure the volume is comfortable
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1 – 3 hours long
1-week after activation
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Testing the child in the booth with their implants on to see how they respond to different types of sound•
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Programming the implant based off of the results
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About 1 hour long
1-month after activation
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Testing the child in the booth again and further fine tuning the device•
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1 hour long
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Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will also likely assess language at this time
2-months after activation
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Testing the child in the booth again and further fine tuning the device
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1 hour long
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This is a great time to meet with a Child and Family Therapist to discuss the adjustment period
3-months after activation
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Testing the child in the booth again and further fine tuning the device
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1 hour long
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SLP will assess the child’s ability to make speech sounds
6-months after activation
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Re-assessment by audiologist and speech language pathologist
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1 - 2 hours long
1-year after activation
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Formal assessment of the child’s listening and communication skills with the implant
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1 – 2 hours long
Long-Term Follow-Up Care
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Most children come back 2 - 3 times in the second year following activation
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After that, it is common to return every 6-12 months for follow up care, depending on the child’s needs