Did you know that three out of 1,000 children in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area have hearing loss and could benefit from cochlear implant surgery?
If your child has hearing loss, whether it is a partial or total inability to hear, it can dramatically impact his or her cognitive, linguistic and social development, making social interactions and the ability to learn difficult. He or she may benefit from cochlear implant surgery.
Our team can help guide you through this process before, during and after surgery, when we’ll provide you and your child with extensive support.
The Cochlear Implant Program at Children’s National performs approximately 50 cochlear implants each year, which is more than any other pediatric cochlear implant program in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
Highlights of our program include:
At Children’s National, infants who are identified with hearing loss first undergo a trial to assess the effectiveness of hearing aids. Infants who do not show improvement with hearing aids are evaluated by the Cochlear Implant Committee. This group of audiologists, speech therapists and otolaryngologists determine each infant’s candidacy for cochlear implant surgery.
Early intervention is key with cochlear implants because a child’s neuroplasticity peaks within the first two years of life, and over time the brain’s ability to adapt to – and make sense of – new stimuli declines. Without sensorineural stimulation, the auditory cortex begins to shut down and can no longer process sounds into meaningful data. This is why it is vital to have your child evaluated early for hearing loss.
Learn how cochlear implant surgery can help to restore your child’s hearing.
For more information about the Cochlear Implant Program, please call Racquel Jefferson, Cochlear Implant Program Coordinator, at 202-476-3925.
3-year-old Molly is obsessed with the movie “Frozen.” And like the fearless princess in Disney’s icy animated epic, there’s something very special about Molly. She was born deaf.
Diego Preciado Vice Chief, Pediatric OtolaryngologyDirector, Pediatric Otolaryngology FellowshipCo-Director of the Cochlear Implant ProgramOtolaryngologist
Brian Reilly Co-Director of the Cochlear Implant Program Otolaryngologist
Tracey Ambrose Lead Audiologist
Patricia Craun Audiologist
Emily Fustos Audiologist
Sherwood Holloway Physician Assistant
Debra Anderson Speech-Language Pathologist
Jessica Egred Speech-Language Pathologist
Jasmine Stevens Speech-Language Pathologist