As a parent or guardian of a child with Microtia and Aural Atresia you may think that your child is learning just fine, however, evidence clearly shows that unilateral hearing loss definitely impacts your child’s ability to learn in the classroom. Allow us to help your child’s current performance in school by providing him or her with a refurbished bone conducting hearing assist device. If you are aware of the impact of unilateral Microtia and Aural Atresia, and you have tried unsuccessfully to obtain a hearing device, you are not alone. Many parents are similarly frustrated with how their health insurance has treated them. Again we say to you, we are here to help.
Here are some recommendations to help you:
1. Obtain a Current Audiogram
If your child has not had an audiogram within the past 2 years please obtain one. Usually this order is submitted from an otolaryngologist office. If you do not have one, the order can be submitted from your pediatrician’s office. If you are uncertain, call us, we can help you with this.
The audiogram will help us understand not only the severity of your child’s hearing loss on the affected side, but it will also help us to better understand the quality of hearing in your child’s normal ear. It is very important to maintain the hearing acuity of this good ear.
Undiagnosed chronic ear infections, chronic mastoiditis, or a growth occasionally seen in the inner ear called a cholesteatoma, could all potentially cause problems. Your pediatrician and otolaryngologist can help you with this.
2. Working with the School System
Your child’s elementary school can also help you. General laws have been established and funds set aside to provide equal educational opportunities for children with hearing disabilities. Microtia and Aural Atresia is considered a hearing disability. Please contact us and we can help you work with your child’s elementary school. Your child is entitled to preferential classroom seating, modifications to the classroom to best help your child hear, the assistance of the professionally trained speech pathologist and audiologist, and an individual educational plan (IEP), or a 504 plan.
We at 2 Ears 2 Learn consider you and your child’s school teacher, audiologist, speech pathologist, and principal as being on the same team, a team committed to helping your child achieve his or her maximum potential through proper sound amplification.
3. Please Fill out the FERPA Consent Form
The FERPA consent ensures the privacy of the information shared with us (Like a HIPPA consent at your physicians office). Please fill the form linked below in blue and send it to us so we can begin the process of helping you and your child. If you need help with the form please call us.
FERPA consent for 2 Ears 2 Learn
4. Overcoming the Obstacles
The healthcare system and educational system often have quite a few hurdles that make your journey difficult. Your child may have already been referred for a bone conducting sound amplification device but it was denied by your insurance provider. This is common, please do not give up! Your child needs your help.
We are working diligently to lobby state insurance boards to prevent insurance providers from excluding this very important device from coverage. The cost of a new device can be prohibitive for most families. This is where we come in. We are actively collecting bone conducting sound amplification devices from those who have upgraded to a newer device, and from those who no longer need them. We are having them refurbished so that we can provide them to your child.
5. Your Health Insurance Might Provide a New BAHA or Ponto Pro.
Some children might qualify for a new device depending on their individual insurance plan. Even if you have previously been unsuccessful, we will be happy to check into this for you.
6. The BAHA or Ponto Pro Will Need To Be Programmed for your Child’s Specific Hearing Needs
When your child receives the bone conducting sound amplification device from us, it still needs to be fitted by a trained audiologist. We can provide you with a referral of who to see. The device needs to be electronically adjusted to provide the maximum benefit for your child’s specific type of hearing impairment. The device is held against your child’s head just behind the ear remnant with either a soft headband or a specially modified baseball cap.
7. Other Options for Hearing Restoration
Some children may be a candidate for a permanent restoration of their hearing through either surgical creation of the ear canal or permanent implantation of either bone conducting posts or a bone conducting magnet. If you would like more information about either of these options, we would be happy to refer your child to an appropriate professional for evaluation and treatment.