A sound practice: Cochlear implants restore children's hearing
Thursday, November 5, 2009 - 18:22
in Psychology & Sociology
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ava Martin seems less nervous than her parents as the three sit in an audiologist`s office at UC Irvine Medical Center a few days after Labor Day. In August, the 6-year-old had surgery to place a cochlear implant in her right ear. Now Ava plays with toys while Ginger Stickney describes to Dave and Gabrielle Martin the tests that will gauge how their daughter`s auditory nerve is responding to the implant. But first Stickney must activate the device that could restore function to Ava`s right ear - an ability lost years ago due to a congenital inner-ear defect that`s also destroying the hearing in her left ear.