Some students with a profound hearing loss may benefit from a surgically implanted device called a cochlear implant which is worn instead of a hearing aid. A cochlear implant does not restore normal hearing but it does help many indiv iduals who are deaf to receive enough auditory information to distinguish among different speech patterns, improve lip-reading skills and demonstrate improvements in speech. Over 35 children in Saskatchewan are now using cochlear implants. They are scattered across the province from Pinehouse Lake and LaRonge in the north to Frontier and Willow Bunch in the south. Learning to use a cochlear implant is a process that requires time, commitment and an appropriate educational program.
Most children take at least two years to learn to use the new sound information effectively.
Electrostatic discharge can damage some parts of a cochlear implant. Children who have cochlear implants should avoid playground equipment that creates static electricity during use. The next edition and an added one to Challenges, Choices and Changes will address the topic of child abuse. Included will be information on the profiles of both the victim and the offender, the role of schools, and materials. A recent C anadian study indicated that the incidence of the reporting of sexual abuse of children in Canada ranged from 73 to 158 per 100,000 population.