Cochlear implant program
The Children’s Memorial Cochlear Implant Program began in 1991 and has grown to be one of the largest pediatric implant programs in the world. Over 700 implantations have been performed by founder and medical director, Nancy M. Young, MD. Dr. Young’s work was recently featured in Chicago Magazine’s 2008 “Top Doctor” issue.
Children’s Memorial’s multidisciplinary implant team is comprised of experienced pediatric audiologists dedicated to implantation, speech pathologists providing aural habilitation, social workers, deaf educators, a psychologist, a registered nurse and support staff to assist with scheduling, equipment and insurance issues.
Our implant program has special expertise in evaluating and implanting very young children, including infants less than twelve months of age. However, we serve children of all ages enrolled in a wide variety of educational settings employing different educational methodologies.
Children’s Memorial has a wealth of experience in evaluating and managing children with auditory neuropathy, Usher’s syndrome, deafness secondary to bacterial meningitis, and cochlear malformations, as well as children with multiple handicaps. Our philosophy is that each child should have the opportunity to develop to their full potential.
Cochlear implant evaluation process
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.
Specialized audiologic testing (speech perception tests) will be needed to confirm your child's implant candidacy. If needed, hearing aids will be loaned to your child for the evaluation process. 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 the administrative office coordinator for the cochlear implant program, at 773.880.4605 or via email at cochlearimplant@childrensmemorial.org
Equipment 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 our administrative office coordinator at 773.880.4605 regarding donations.