HEARING CENTER
Lillian
Diagnosed at 1 year,
profound hearing loss

Lillian’s psoriasis seemed to be the most difficult problem her parents, Dean and Shana, faced when she was born in August 2000. Scaling skin affected parts of the infant’s body, including her mouth and esophagus, and her ear canals frequently were swollen shut. At 10 months, Lillian was admitted to Texas Children’s Hospital because of painful abscesses caused by the disease.

Soon after, Dean and Shana noticed that although Lillian babbled she spoke no words. At Lillian’s 12-month check-up, the pediatrician suggested her hearing might have been affected by her earlier condition and recommended a definitive hearing test, the ABR.

Lillian’s first hearing test at 14 months revealed she had profound hearing loss in both ears. Shana was shocked as Lillian had always been so expressive, but she immediately began to investigate ways to help her daughter. 

One of the most hopeful treatment options was cochlear implantation, a surgical procedure used to overcome severe hearing deficits. Since Lillian’s psoriasis would prevent her from wearing hearing aids, Shana was eager to find out more about the surgery.

Working very differently than a hearing aid, a cochlear implant consists of an external microphone, processor, battery pack, and an internal piece, which is surgically inserted into the cochlea to activate the auditory nerves of the inner ear. Sound information delivered to the ear must then be interpreted by the wearer, a skill much like learning a new language.

Shana scheduled Lillian for a second ABR test at Texas Children's audiology department. The test had the same outcome as the first — Lillian had no response to auditory stimuli — and Shana and Dean learned that Lillian had most likely been born deaf.

Before receiving cochlear implants, Lillian went through a comprehensive physical and psychosocial evaluation, performed by a team of hospital professionals and led by Dr. Spiros Manolidis. The team assesses candidates suitability for implantation, arranges the surgery and coordinates the extensive training required after the surgery.

At 18 months, Lillian underwent cochlear implantation of one ear at Texas Children’s, and a month later she could speak three words. Working with her mother daily on speech and listening activities, Lillian also visits Texas Children’s for speech therapy and to attend a language skills playgroup for children with cochlear implants, works with a deaf education teacher weekly, and sees a speech therapist once every two weeks.

“Lillian really enjoys learning and loves it when we see her teachers,” said Shana. “It has been great for all of us to be able to communicate through speech.” 

Although Shana admits to “bombarding” Lillian with language, the effort seems to be paying off. Now, Lillian speaks clearly and well and easily identifies objects and uses sentences.

Learn more about the ABR test (pdf) in English and Spanish.