Hearing - Speaking - Cochlear Implants

After a severe hearing disorder (innner ear deafness) has been diagnosed, the first thing that is done immediately is the fitting of hearing aids.
If it is found that the hearing gain with the hearing aid is insufficient, especially with regard to speech development, a cochlear implant (CI) should be considered.
In order to assess the success of the treatment as accurately as possible beforehand, further tests are required, in addition to a hearing test and investigations into hearing aids and hearing gain with the hearing aids, before any operation is carried out. These include a sociopaediatric and paediatric neurological examination including EEG and a developmental psychology examination, which are all carried out in the kbo-Kinderzentrum München.

Further preliminary examinations are carried out in the operating ENT clinic (including a CT scan of the petrous bone). Finally, all the results are discussed with the operating clinic in order to decide whether and, if so, when, CI treatment will be carried out.

Integrated follow-up treatment concept in the CI Centre of the kbo-Kinderzentrum München
After the CI operation, the initial setting of the language processor can be started around 4 to 6 weeks after the operation.

For the follow-up treatment, an extensive treatment concept has been developed for children in the kbo-Kinderzentrum München. For the initial adjustment phase, infants and small children are generally admitted to the Parent-Child Ward of the kbo-Kinderzentrum München twice for 3 consecutive days at a time in order to ensure the most intensive care possible for the children and their families.

Subsequent treatment is on an outpatient basis. With older children, the follow-up treatment is generally completely as an outpatient from the beginning. This is also possible for younger children, and should be discussed with us individually.
During the time spent as inpatients in the kbo-Kinderzentrum München, the speech processor is adjusted each day, the implant is checked from a technical viewpoint and audiometric monitoring is carried out. In addition, ongoing developmental psychology monitoring is provided and parents are given psychological support and advice.

In addition, information discussions and regular parent guidance sessions to support hearing and speech development are provided by our logopaedic specialists and academic speech therapists.
Music therapy is also part of the inpatient therapy programme. Experience has shown that, within the framework of this complex concept, satisfactory results can be achieved in just a few weeks, so that after just two follow-up treatment blocks, reliable hearing reactions can be observed with the cochlear implant even to quiet noises and speech.

If there are any problems with the CI, the speech processors or with regard to further adjustment appointments, we are available for outpatient consulation between the inpatient follow-up treatment blocks. In addition, we offer the chance to support early hearing development through outpatient music therapy and in the form of logopaedic parent groups with the focus on early hearing, speech and communication development.

Following the two inpatient follow-up treatment blocks, further care is provided after the cochlear implant in the CI Centre of the kbo-Kinderzentrum München on an outpatient basis.
Here, the hearing gains with the CI and the CI itself are regularly monitored and adjustment is optimised, initially every 3 months and then every 6 months or annually.

In addition, there are also regular detailed examinations of speech development and ongoing psychological monitoring of overall development every six to 12 months in order to be able to constantly adapt the overall support concept to the child's needs. If problems with the CI or the speech processor arise in the meantime, appointments can always be arranged at very short notice by telephone.