"Children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) can be at risk for academic, speech-language, social, and emotional problems, and often require special services to address these needs. Children with UHL do not have the advantages of binaural hearing (hearing with both ears), and consequently have difficulty localizing sounds, detecting/understanding speech directed to the impaired side, and understanding speech in noisy and/or reverberant environments. " From About.com
One interesting point they made was that the left side of brain processes speech. The hearing from the right ear is also processed on the left side of the brain. Because both of these processes occur on the same side of the brain, he has an advantage. If it had been the other way around, then it would be a little more challening learning to speak. Once he gets his hearing aid, his hearing will be very close to normal. The audiologist said he should have excellent "clarity" in that ear.
His hearing aid is an excellent hearing aid. It is programmed by a computer to adjust the volume for various frequencies, as needed. He will need less amplication with the lower frequencies and more for the higher frequences.
We opted for a UK blue hearing aid and a white and blue ear mold. This will make it easier to find if it falls out (or gets pulled out... he loves touching his ears!) plus we had to do UK blue becuase many of you know how much Aiden loves the C-A-T-S! Once he gets older, if he would like, we can order him a flesh colored one with a clear ear mold. Insurance will cover a new hearing aid every three years.
We were surprised at how small the hearing aid will be. Below are a couple of pictures, so you can get an idea of size. To us the most important things are his speech development and safety, both of which will be aided with the hearing aid. We look at the hearing aid as a piece of equipment, to help him get the most of out life. To us, it's no different than a pair of glasses some people need to improve their vision.
Finally, we are working with The Lexington Hearing and Speech Center. If you would like more information about the center, you can click on this link: http://www.lhscky.org/
