As a pediatric audiologist in New York City, I encounter children on a daily basis who have hearing loss.  ENT physicians and pediatricians are accessible to treat children with chronic ear infections.  For infants and children who have permanent hearing loss, amplification (i.e. hearing aids) is used to provide them with the capability to hear sounds in their environment.  With the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening program, infants who have hearing loss are able to be fit with hearing aids before the age of six months.

Last year, I met Estaphano, a HIV positive child who has a significant hearing loss.  In order for him to communicate, he uses some mixture of American Sign Language and some of his own “made-up” sign language.  Tuesday afternoon, Estaphano came to the project office and I played Keep Away with him and tossed an American football.  I asked Estaphano if he would like to hear, and he raised his eyebrows and nodded.  I was able to bring several power, non-digital hearing aids with me and was able to fit Estaphano with hearing aids for both of his ears.  When I put both of the hearing aids on him, he was able to hear sounds for the first time!  His face was filled with excitement and joy and he didn’t want to take the hearing aids off.  Several people on staff for the project began calling his name, but he didn’t respond.  Estaphano does not know what his name sounds like; it has no meaning to him.  He is going to have to learn what sounds are and put meaning to those sounds.   Often, typical hearing individuals take hearing sounds such as the noise of flip flops, shoes walking on the floor, the hum of a refrigerator, horns honking, music playing,rain hitting a roof, children laughing, and someone saying “I love you” for granted.  It is going to be exhilarating to see and watch Estaphano learn these sounds and for him to hopefully produce words.

—Audrey Morrison

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