The goal Karen Smith is taking a leave of absence from St. Luke's Hospital that began in February to take Christopher to a round of appointments and classes. No,'' hitting whomever or whatever was in his path. The goal is to have him ready for a mainstream class by first grade. He also takes occupational therapy. The Smiths knew they were taking a risk when they scheduled implant surgery for Christopher.
Facial paralysis is a possible outcome.
Not only that, the couple was connecting their toddler to electronic devices for life. He has a cochlear implany that has not been activated yet. The National Institutes of Health reported in a 1995 conference on cochlear implants that about 5 percent of implant surgeries in adults result in complications, such as problems with the implanted devices shifting. The rate is less for children. The parents also had to commit to working day and night at home to reinforce his speech and occupational therapy.