My son, N.S., continues to do well with his Oticon Medical Ponto Pro Bone anchored hearing aids. He was initially implanted July 2014 with abutment placement September 2014.
He is currently easing into his second half of first grade. During the school day he uses both Baha devices, the Oticon Medical streamer to connect to computers and for use when the teacher and the speech-language pathologist (SLP) use the FM system. He receives speech therapy twice a week for ½ hour each. N.S’s SLP indicates he is doing well and quarterly progress reports indicate adequate progress in all areas of speech and language development. We will have N.S’s annual IEP (Individualized Education Plan) next month. I am hoping to receive more positive reports with a set of new goals.
As far as school in general, first grade is going well. He has assimilated to the routine of the classroom and the use of computers (with the aid of the streamer that allows him to “plug into” the computer, as he cannot wear headphones). At times spelling words are a challenge; such as the word W-I-T-H, as the /th/ sound is very quiet. With practice it does come. N.S. loves to read and does a wonderful job of sounding out words.
I recently traveled with N.S. and his brother (by car-OY!) to Indiana. During this trip we made several stops and N.S. saw many relatives, most of whom had not seen him in three-plus years; thus prior to his implants. Everyone was impressed with how well he heard, especially in such noisy environments. Additionally, there were many comments on how clear his speech was. N. S. met a few people that he had not previously met, so the fact that NONE of them needed him to repeat was phenomenal. A nod to 5 plus years of speech therapy, but mostly the change in hearing devices in the past 2 years
