What a cochlear implant sounds like....

Chris found this link last night and it you can hear what it sounds like to hear with a cochlear implant. Pretty interesting and gives some insight into what Lily might face if she receives an implant. Since she is hanging onto some hearing in her other ear, there is the possibility that she would not like the mix of the 2 different types of sound.

Tuning In: What a Cochlear Implant Sounds Like

Heather Whitestone McCallum, mentioned a few posts ago, spent several years with one cochlear implant and a hearing aid in her other ear, a situation very much like the one Lily may find herself in. Her is her account of what that was like for her:

While I have a cochlear implant in my right ear, I want you to know that I continue to depend on the hearing aid that I wear on my left ear. Interestingly, there are some sounds that I do not hear well with my cochlear implant that I hear well with my hearing aid. The same thing is also true of my implant. There are sounds that I hear very well with the implant that I do not hear well with the hearing aid. One thing is certain, with the combination of both devices working together I hear much better than I did before as is evidenced by my speech recognition testing.

Still have some more research to do. I want to find accounts from others who have had a hearing aid in one ear and an implant in the other. I also want to find the latest information on the importance of binaural hearing (hearing in both ears) on speech development.

-Kriste