Cochlear implant program
The cochlear implant program at Children's Memorial Hospital is the
largest of its kind in Illinois and is the only one in the Chicago area that has
acquired a wealth of experience with all cochlear implant systems currently
available for children in the United States. More than 500 children have
received implants at our center since the first multichannel device received FDA
approval in 1990.
The Children's Memorial cochlear implant team is composed of a
multi-disciplinary team of hearing health care professionals. Nancy M.
Young, MD, is the physician and surgeon in charge of our program. Dr. Young
is an associate professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of
Medicine. Other members of our team include pediatric audiologists, speech and
language pathologists, educators of the hearing impaired, a child psychologist,
a social worker, and a nurse. If needed, other specialists and ancillary
services are available through Children's Memorial Hospital.
At the time of your initial consultation, we will provide additional
information about cochlear implantation and our evaluation process. We can also
provide you with the names of families to contact who have children who have
received an implant at our center. We will be asking permission to obtain your
child's school records and to speak with your child's private therapists and
school professionals.
Please provide us with the name and address of your child's pediatrician or
family doctor, as well as any other medical specialists involved in your child's
care. We also request that you provide us with copies of your child's
vaccination records.
Cochlear implant evaluation process
Hearing evaluations, with and without hearing aids, will be done in our
audiology department. Further specialized audiologic testing (speech perception
tests) will be needed to confirm your child's implant candidacy. Once we have
determined that your child would receive more benefit from an implant than from
his or her hearing aids, imaging studies will be scheduled. A CT scan of the
ears and, in some cases, an MRI will be recommended. At any point during the
preoperative evaluation period, you can meet with Dr. Young. She will consult
with you again closer to the date of surgery to answer any additional questions.
The preoperative consultation and audiologic testing, the medical
consultation and postoperative programming are available at the main hospital in
Chicago and at our outpatient facility in Westchester.
Please note that young or difficult to test children may require multiple
appointments in order to complete the required speech perception testing. The
order of these evaluations may be changed to meet the individual needs of the
child and family. For families coming from a distance, it is possible to
schedule multiple evaluations over several days. We can assist you in finding
local accommodations, if needed.
For more information and consultation scheduling
If you have any additional questions or wish to schedule an initial
consultation, please contact Elton Guillen, the administrative office
coordinator for the cochlear implant program, at 773.880.4605.
Donations are welcome
Donations of new and used hearing aids, FM systems and cochlear implant
equipment are welcome. You will be provided with a letter acknowledging your
in-kind donation for tax purposes.
Please contact Elton Guillen at 773.880.4605 regarding
donations.