These educational services are unique to the team and are performed by trained teachers of the deaf who visit each child's school before and after implantation. These services assure that children who receive implants can reach their optimal speech, language and educational skill level. Other tests may be required depending upon the needs of the individual. Throughout the entire implantation process, emphasis is placed on providing counseling and support for the adult or child being implanted, as well as their family members. The surgery for the insertion of a cochlear implant requires an overnight hospital stay.
Subsequent visits allow finer tuning of the processor.
For children, the Cochlear Implant Center Team provides an evaluation program and ongoing supervision through visits to the child's local school. Close contact is maintained with the local healthcare and educational professional who care for the child. Children, in particular, require a long period of rehabilitation to teach them to listen to the new sounds and to optimally tune the device. All children who receive cochlear implants can learn to hear the everyday sounds we take for granted. Most children are able to hear conversation without lip-reading and use spoken language for everyday communication.