The CI Circle News

Back To School: Helpful Information on Hearing Equipment
The CI Circle News The following information was put together by this Mom and sent to school with her son on his first day of preschool. The child currently wears a hearing aid in one ear and Advanced Bionics CI (w/body worn processor) in the other. Feel free to use and modify it as needed!My child is deaf in both ears. He wears a hearing aid in his left ear and a cochlear implant in hi...
Wed, Sep 01 2010 · 23 hours ago

CI AM A ROCK STAR!!! VOTE NOW!!!
The CI Circle News Music Video for Do Something Battle of the Bands Raises Awareness of Importance of Music Education for Kids with Hearing Loss Students enter unique video in DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation Battle of the Bands contest to raise awareness of importance of music education while reducing stigma associated with kids with hearing loss; use Jonas Brother...
Sun, Apr 18 2010

Cochlear's Hearing Hero Award Goes To...
The CI Circle News On behalf of all members of CiCircle, I would like to congratulate Miss Rachel Chaikof for winning Cochlear’s Hearing Hero award. Rachel started advocating for others like herself at a very young age and has continued to devote much of her time to cochlear implant awareness. I can’t imagine having accomplished what she has in her short twenty three years. As a young c...
Wed, Mar 24 2010

Size comparison of Nucleus 5 and Nucleus Freedom BTEs
The CI Circle News If you're an avid CI family blog reader, you may have seen this already. Landon's (a.k.a. Buzz's) mom, Jen, posted some nice pictures on her blog comparing the new Nucleus 5 with the older Nucleus Freedom sound processor. There are photos both on and off Landon's ear (he's about 3 1/2 years old, BTW). Check it out: Landon's New Ears are HereAlso, in case you missed...
Thu, Mar 11 2010

Congratulations Val and Rachel AND New Youtube CI Channel
The CI Circle News Congratulations to two CI Circle family members, Val Blakely and Rachel Chaikof who were recently nominated for a "Hearing Hero" award given to "someone who has dedicated their time to proactively educate others on how Advanced Hearing Solutions can dramatically improve the communication ability and quality of life for those impacted by a significant hearing loss." V...
Tue, Feb 23 2010

New Connexin 26 Research: Does Hearing Worsen?
The CI Circle News Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School have just published a new study on children whose hearing loss is caused by connexin 26 mutations. They wanted to know if hearing loss caused by connexin 26 remains unchanged or worsens. They monitored the hearing of about one hundred children for about 10 years to see what happened. Read on to learn...
Sun, Jan 31 2010

Deaf Children and Reading
The CI Circle News Reading and Deafness: One Mom’s Journey When I first found out that Neal was deaf, three things were in the back of my mind. 1) I’m going to have to learn sign language; 2) Neal will never attend a regular school; and 3) He’s not going to read above a 4th grade level. (My husband had just finished a mainstreaming course as part of his teaching credential and been give...
Tue, Jan 26 2010

Cochlear Implants in the Middle of Nowhere
The CI Circle News Hello from eastern Montana a.k.a. the middle of nowhere. I am the mother to a four year old, bilateral cochlear implant user and despite having absolutely zero cochlear implant resources in our area, my son continues to excel. Many of you may be living our same experience, some, not so extreme. We travel 10 hours one way, to Denver, for mapping and Auditory Verbal The...
Mon, Jan 18 2010

Halloween- CI Style!
The CI Circle News Lera's Mom strikes again!...Hi. For Lera's Halloween party at school, we turned her CI headpieces into spiders. Very silly, I know. : ) I took 4 black pipecleaners and cut them in half. I put wig tape on each of her headpieces and attached 4 pipecleaners in the middle to make 8 legs (on each one). I then put more wig tape on top of that and added a black felt circle t...
Fri, Oct 30 2009

Update: Extreme Makeover and Cochlear Implants
The CI Circle News This article providing a little more background information was just posted to the Ci Circle... ABC's Extreme Makeover to feature Dallas police officer this Sunday07:48 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2009By BRUCE TOMASO / The Dallas Morning Newsmailto:Newsbtomaso@dallasnews.comThis summer, Carlton Marshall, a Dallas police officer gravely wounded in the line of duty...
Thu, Oct 15 2009

Cochlear Implant Story on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home...
The CI Circle News Message sent to Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle:Hi Everyone, This coming Sunday (10-18 8/7c) ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition will air the story of a recent simultaneous Nucleus Freedom (two cochlear implants) recipient. The story includes how this recipient, lost and then regained his hearing with two cochlear implants. This is quite a story and one you will not...
Tue, Oct 13 2009

Trick out your CI processor
The CI Circle News Look what we found!A parent on the CI Circle listserve posted about a company called SkinIt, which makes custom skins for phones, laptops, cameras, just about any electronic device including -- you guessed it -- CI processors! There are thousands of designs available including (but not limited to) Disney, video games, religious, pretty girly stuff, scary skull stuff,...
Tue, Oct 06 2009

Decorating CI Processors
The CI Circle News Over the years, some parents have gotten quite crafty with decorating their child's cochlear implant processor(s). From ribbons, barrettes, and flowers for the girls, to stickers and tube riders for the little boys, here are many of the options and instructions from Lera's mom, Julie. Her decorations and more photos can be found at her site: click to visit Julie's sit...
Thu, Sep 03 2009

Seeing the impact
The CI Circle News CI circle started back in the 90's by myself and Karen Biernat. One day in my free time I will actually write how it all came about, it is really quite an interesting story.In a nutshell we had parents contacting us asking us the same kinds of questions about implants for children. At that time the only groups they had found were not supportive of implants for childre...
Sun, Aug 09 2009

Becoming an Advocate
The CI Circle News Quite possibly one of the hardest things for me to swallow through our first year of becoming parents to deaf children was the average civilian’s lack of knowledge. Though I’d worn those very same shoes for 26 years prior to having my first child, I quickly forgot my own condition, which was weighted with the same ignorance. I immediately began my habilitation as soon...
Sun, Jun 28 2009
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Hot Off the Lab Bench: Research News on Hearing Loss, Usher...
The CI Circle News This is still not the craftsy blog we've been advertising. Instead we bombard you with science(!!), which from this reporter's perspective is the most exciting thing on earth. I suppose most readers will think otherwise, so I'll try to make it as exciting or, at least, as informative as I can.I've spent the last two days at conferences at Harvard Medical School in B...
Mon, Jun 22 2009

CI Circle Weekly Round-up June 13-19
The CI Circle News Many apologies! The craftsy blog we promised last week is not ready yet, so we again bring you topics discussed on the CI Circle Yahoo Group for parents of children with cochlear implants.Outgrowing a CI?A security guard at national historic site commented to a family that he "had one of those" (meaning an implant) when he was a kid. He appeared to speak very clearly...
Fri, Jun 19 2009

CI Circle Weekly Round-up June 6-12
The CI Circle News We've got a fun and craftsy blog post in the works that should be ready soon. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, here's a brief round-up of talk on the CI Circle Yahoo Group for parents. (And thanks to all who have voted in our survey above. The survey continues for a couple of weeks.)Missing Gina MaserParents asked where to get a bilateral bodyworn harness for Advan...
Fri, Jun 12 2009

CI Circle Weekly Round-up May 30-June 5
The CI Circle News Can't promise we'll keep the round-ups going indefinitely, but here is the buzz this week among parents at the CI Circle Yahoo Group. And while you are here, check out our readership survey (above.)Valedictorian!List members with children of all ages were inspired by a Salem (Ohio) News story about one member's daughter, a high school senior.CSF gusherA parent asked...
Fri, Jun 05 2009

CI Circle Weekly Round-up May 22-29, 2009
The CI Circle News Your editors apologize for the lack of posts in recent weeks (we've been busy getting teeth pulled, chaperoning dances, publishing information booklets and remodeling bathrooms.) So this week we're offering a round-up of discussion topics that came on on the CI Circle Yahoo discussion group for parents of children with cochlear implants. Despite the Memorial Day holid...
Fri, May 29 2009

Cochlear Americas Celebration Anaheim March 2009
The CI Circle News First up the picture above is the pattern of the carpet that the conference was held - I thought they chose it on purpose, apparently they didn't notice until after we all got there! Cool or what???WOW what a whirlwind! I travelled from Down Under to Anaheim California for the conference and to meet a very dear friend of mine for the first time.The Cochlear Celebratio...
Tue, Apr 14 2009

When they need new devices.......
The CI Circle News Having two deaf children who use cochlear implants to hear, I know that there will likely come a day when they need their internal devices replaced. We all hope the devices will hold out until they are much older and have children of their own, but what if they need new devices sooner? I used to ask myself this question when it recently became a reality for my son. Yo...
Sat, Apr 11 2009

Going to Disneyland?
The CI Circle News You just had cochlear implant surgery. What are you going to do now? Well, maybe not right away, but it seems many of us eventually end up answering that question: “We’re going to Disneyland.” It’s a common question: “I’m planning a trip to Disneyland, what do I need to know for my child with cochlear implants?” As mother to a son with bilateral cochlea...
Wed, Mar 18 2009

Parents and Professionals: Working Together to Improve the...
The CI Circle News "Still, one of the great omissions in too many intervention programs is the crucial role of parents within the process. Implementing improved systemic protocols and practices which encourage informed choice and the empowerment of families with children who are deaf or have hearing loss must be a fundamental objective to ensure the effectiveness of programs worldwide."...
Fri, Mar 13 2009

Two Dad Perspectives on Diagnosis: Deaf
The CI Circle News Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars, so how do these differences impact a parent's reaction to the diagnosis of "Your child has a profound hearing loss?" Oftentimes, moms share their reactions and experiences by blogging or interacting on support groups; rarely do we see the male point of view. We thought we would share two "Father Perspectives.""Swish. I coul...
Wed, Mar 04 2009

Mainstreaming your child with a cochlear implant
The CI Circle News As part of our blog site, the editorial team decided from time to time we would pick a topic of interest from the week on the discussion forum and discuss it here.One of the major topics this week started off with a parent asking what other parents were doing with regards to their child with a cochlear implant in the mainstream setting - did the child have an aide wor...
Fri, Feb 27 2009

Little Drummer Boy (and his neurotic mom)
The CI Circle News We're not a family of professional musicians, but we do enjoy listening to music and all have our eclectic tastes. Our older son, Colin, is a natural on the piano and keyboards and plays for pleasure. My husband and I curate our personal iTunes libraries and have holy wars of whether or not The Beatles trump Nine Inch Nails. But music is not something our son, Jere...
Fri, Feb 20 2009

CI Circle - the next generation
The CI Circle News CiCircle4TeensWhen our children are in their preschool years they often have many opportunities to socialise with deaf and hearing impaired peers through playgroups and other activities organised by the early intervention provider.With the available technology today, newborn screening and quality intervention programs, many of these children go on to attend their loca...
Wed, Jan 21 2009

Against the Odds
The CI Circle News Tuesday December 16th 2008Today was a very special day for my family, personally. Almost twenty years ago when my youngest son, Alexander, was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss I did not expect that he would graduate from high school with his SACE, after having been mainstreamed from Reception. For some time in the early days, my husband and I didn't even think t...
Sat, Jan 10 2009

Thinking about your approach to school
The CI Circle News Ever had one of those days? You know the kind of day when the alarm doesn't go off, then you have a fight with your partner, your kids won't get out of bed, then fight non-stop when they do? Things just keep going wrong and by the time you get to work you are exhausted and your brain is frazzled. It is always those days that you manage to make a stupid mistake - not i...
Mon, Jan 05 2009

Happy Holidays From the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle!
The CI Circle News The members of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!
Tue, Dec 23 2008

A Deaf Family’s CI Journey
The CI Circle News My husband and I did not used to believe in cochlear implants (CI) until we discovered that our very own child was born profoundly deaf. It was a surprise for us. My husband and I were the only deaf members in our families. We gave our son hearing aids when he was 3 months old, but he apparently didn’t benefit enough, because he frequently took them off. He didn't eve...
Sat, Nov 29 2008

Determination and Perseverance =Full Scholarship
The CI Circle News I am an active member of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle, however for those reading who are unfamiliar with our story, here is a brief background explanation: John was late diagnosed (no newborn screening then) and didn't receive his hearing aids until almost 3.5 years. He had the receptive and expressive language of a 12 month old at his 4th birthday. Joh...
Wed, Nov 19 2008

Is Bilateral Really Better?
The CI Circle News One of the most common questions people ask me is "So what's the difference between having a child with unilateral and bilateral hearing?" Having a child who wears only one cochlear implant (CI), but also a child who wears two, lets me see on a daily basis how different my children are in that respect. Before I begin telling you about my kids, I wanted to mention th...
Fri, Nov 14 2008

What Are My Options For Communicating With My Deaf Child?
The CI Circle News The choice of communication and educational methodology for children who are deaf can be a very heated and emotional issue. The debate about “oral” vs. “manual” methods goes back over 150 years to the days of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alexander Graham Bell. Each method has many parents, educators, advocates, and others promoting it.Ultimately, the choice of communi...
Fri, Nov 07 2008

The Unexpected - An Adoption Tale
The CI Circle News Like most first time parents, we had hopes of receiving "that perfect child". Our "perfect child" had been born at twenty-nine weeks and was left alone in a Russian orphanage. We met him first at ten months of age. They gave us a medical history on the little fellow, that consisted of a brain bleed, numerous infections and viruses, and he was again fighting pneumonia ...
Wed, Nov 05 2008

What is a "TOD"?
The CI Circle News When your child is first diagnosed with hearing loss, you are required to learn not only new vocabulary related to the subject of hearing loss, but you also soon discover that the list of acronyms is just as long. So, here, we are taking one such acronym and defining just what it is, and why it’s so important in your hearing impaired child’s life.A TOD is a Teacher of...
Mon, Nov 03 2008

It's NOT a Sprint...It's a Marathon!
The CI Circle News Ok, so you have made it through surgery, have your team in place to help you with your auditory goals, and it all went by in a complete blur!Now you are ready to go! Give me goals, GIVE ME MORE GOALS! Let me get language in this child, not today, no yesterday, must get language in, must get language in, must get language in....Yes, it is true that the major part of th...
Thu, Oct 30 2008

Which Cochlear Implant Brand Should I Choose For My Child?
The CI Circle News Decisions, decisions... One of a parent's most agonizing decisions is whether or not to get a cochlear implant for their deaf child. No sooner does one decide to go ahead with a CI than another confusing choice appears: which brand of implant to choose? It can be overwhelming. The differences between them seem to require a degree in biomedical engineering to unde...
Mon, Oct 27 2008

Paving the Way...
The CI Circle News Rachel was born in 1987, before universal newborn hearing screening and before the internet. Her deafness was diagnosed at age two months. We left the audiologist with a diagnosis of a severe-to-profound hearing loss, having no clue what that meant or where to turn to for information. We went through a year of trial and error trying to find hearing aids and a program ...
Sat, Oct 25 2008

The Official Blog of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle
The CI Circle News Welcome to the official news blog for CI Circle – The International Pediatric Cochlear Implant network for parents.In 1998 Naomi Higgs (Australia) and Karen Biernat (USA) co-founded CI Circle. CI Circle arose from the need for parents to gain accurate and non-judgmental information about paediatric cochlear implants. The original group started with just 8 members and ...
Fri, Oct 24 2008