The Beginning Project Ephphatha started as a collaborative effort from family and friends to help raise funds for Johann's cochlear implants. Through God’s grace we achieved initial success, and now, we aim to help other children (like Johann) and families (like ours) in their hearing journey. We want to spread…
Johann is a jolly, eight year old boy who loves maps, building blocks, and drawing. He is born with sensorineural hearing loss on both ears due to unknown causes. He was a healthy baby but hearing screening tests suggested that something was amiss. Further hearing tests like OAE, ABR, ASSR…
Why me? Hearing loss is devastating, first because hearing is such a crucial part of a child's growth. Without proper hearing, speech development and cognition will be affected. Second, the challenges of caring for a special need is not as simple. The psychological, emotional, and intellectual adjustments a parent needs…
What is it? An implant to hear better? Isn't that a bit scary? Do I need a donor for it? These and more, popped up in our heads the first time we heard of cochlear implants. We decided to do more research naturally. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical…
Secondary Condition Johann was benefitting well from his hearing aids, but at five, he was still not speaking to par. We discovered that he also has Childhood Dyspraxia (or Apraxia ) of Speech. Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds,…
Discovery When Johann was born, newborn screening tests were just starting to take on. Good thing because it allowed us to get intervention early on. But then, as a first time mom, it was also very devastating to know that even before we went home from the hospital, something might…