The Need to Upgrade

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, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.

Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

We went on to add PROMPT therapy to our list of interventions and praise God, Johann has improved a lot. We also decided to homeschool Johann to afford him one on one instruction and learning that fits his style. It comes as no surprise that he is challenged by academics, but he is very talented. Homeschooling allows us the flexibility to help Johann learn best.

Progressing Hearing Loss

Through close monitoring we observed that some high frequency sounds are very difficult now for Johann. He always has to ask me to repeat myself or ask "What did you say, Mommy?" His annual hearing tests now note that his hearing loss in his right ear is now severe to profound.

With these, our audiologist, speech therapist, and friend, Teacher Kathy has recommended Johann for cochlear implants.

It wasn't easy to come to a decision to get implants after being used to hearing aids from the start, but it's all for Johann's welfare. We continue to pray for the best for Johann.