Find Out Why Early Hearing Loss Detection is Important

Hello again, readers! Did you guys know that hearing loss can be hereditary too? That’s one fact I’ve only recently learned, when I sat down with my diary to interview 5 year old Sultan and his mom, Rubina Imran Sheikh. The much informative session began with her introducing me to Sultan, a shy 5 year old boy, who was trying to hide behind his mother.

“He will get friendly...just give him 5 minutes,” she said. “We found out about his impairment when he was just a few months old infant. His elder sister, Shifa (10) shares the same problem. Her deafness was diagnosed when she was 1.5 years old, so we paid a little extra attention to Sultan’s actions and reactions when he was in his infancy. While Shifa has a profound hearing loss in both her ears, Sultan’s left ear is 30% functional.”

Initially, they both wore hearing aids. ‘Dr. Saumitra Shah’ from Shruti ENT Hospital, Surat, then advised us to get them Cochlear Implants, as they provide a clearer and more comfortable hearing than the hearing aids. My kids never had any complaints with the hearing aids either, as that was the only sound their ears knew. But we as parents, wanted what’s best for them.

Toddlerhood is a very important stage for the development of a child. 

“I earnestly advise every parent to go for a Newborn Screening. Thanks to this initiative taken by Shruti ENT Hospital, Sultan's deafness was detected at a very early stage, when he was just an infant. You don’t know what your child might be suffering from. Fortunate are the ones, who find out on time. I really wish I had known about this earlier, when Shifa was born...” says Sultan and Shifa’s mommy, Rubina Imran Sheikh. 

At the age of six, Shifa had already surpassed that phase by the time we came to know about this technology, but Sultan was still just two. Hence, Sultan’s progress graph climbs higher and faster than Shifa’s. We are thankful to god that at least we succeeded in getting one of our kids implanted at an early age. It is extremely important.

Sultan is using Harmony, a cochlear implant manufactured by Advanced Bionics, while Shifa is using a different processor. Sultan’s Harmony outshines the performance of Shifa’s cochlear implant. We certainly recommend it.

The difference is right in front of our eyes, in terms of speech, hearing, academics and the way they respond to whatever comes their way. As his hearing problem was given medical attention when he was not even 1, Sultan’s hearing is quite better, and he is also a quick learner. Shifa is a wee bit slow when it comes to understanding what’s being said. This often creates a friction and rivalry among the siblings sometimes, and we have to act as arbitrators between them.

At home, I ask them to sing songs or recite poems for me while I work in the kitchen. It gives me a chance to work on their pronunciations and provide them with confidence. I don’t want either of them to go through psychological ramifications of hearing impairment, so I try my best to be a very encouraging mother. Every achievement, no matter how big or small, is celebrated with special meals and good desserts.