John Slykhuis
Brandon Girvan is looking forward to starting school this fall and playing soccer, now that he has his new cochlear implants that allow him to hear.
Georgina
May 07, 2008 07:25 PM
By: John Slykhuis
When Brandon Girvan starts junior kindergarten at Jersey Public School this fall he’ll be like most other kids in his class, with a couple of exceptions.
First, his language skills won’t be as developed as his classmates because he only started to learn to speak a few months ago.
Second, he wears a headgear that resembles an elaborate iPod.
The four-year-old is getting used to the stares his mom, Christina, said.
Brandon is catching up quickly to his peers and getting a boost by playing soccer this year with the Lake Simcoe Soccer Club.
At first, the club was reluctant to let the young boy sign up because they regarded his hearing device as jewelry.
“I said, ‘Well, what about glasses?’,” Christina said. “Then, I said, This is discrimination’.”
In the end, the club relented and allowed Brandon to play as long as Christina signed a waiver.
“Brandon is really looking forward to it. He loves to play,” she said.
None of Brandon’s siblings, Victoria, 7, Alexandria, 5, and Jason, 1, have hearing problems. He was born with his condition, but it wasn’t diagnosed until he was almost two years old. Christina and her husband Jason didn’t understand why Brandon had behaviour issues.
“We thought maybe he was just a spoiled kid,” she said.
One day, her day care provider told Christina, “He’s just not hearing.”
Further tests at the Hospital for Sick Children confirmed it.
After studying the alternatives, including learning sign language, they opted for cochlear implants. Brandon had the surgery last December. The implants cost $75,000 each and were totally paid for by OHIP, Christina said. The prohibitive cost means Brandon won’t be eligible for technically improved implants as they develop, unless the family pays for it.
According to the Canadian Academy of Audiology, a cochlear implant is a device surgically implanted into the cochlea (the auditory portion of the inner ear) to bypass the sensory organ to activate the hearing nerve directly. It is designed for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss who do not get any benefit from hearing aid amplification.
A unit consists of a directional microphone, cable and transmitter which fit behind the ear; a speech processor which can be worn in a pocket or on a belt and the internal portion of the device (the magnet and receiver/stimulator which are implanted in the skull).
When he starts kindergarten, his teacher will have to speak through an FM broadcast device because Brandon can’t discern where sound comes from if there are other kids talking nearby.
“This will make her voice a priority for Brandon,” Christina explained.
They also found out last week they have been approved for the same FM device at home.
May is Hearing Awareness Month and locally, the Canadian Hearing Society’s Simcoe York branch in Newmarket is educating the public about issues of hearing loss.
The society is planning a Deaf for a Day program Friday, May 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Magna Centre at 800 Mulock Dr.
The hearing society’s office is at 713 Davis Dr., Unit 105.
For more see their website www.chs.ca/offices/simcoeyork