CSUS joins innovative hearing program

California State University Sacramento and Oakland Children’s Hospital have joined forces to create a therapy site at CSUS for children with cochlear implants, a speech and hearing professor said Wednesday

Located in the Maryjane Rees Language Speech and Hearing Center, the site is currently helping six children to hear, some for the first time in their lives. The program has been in operation since February.

Carole Mayer, professor of speech pathology and audiology, said CSUS landed the opportunity when Adeline McClatchy, an OCH administrator, approached Mayer about establishing the program.

OCH wanted to provide a facility in the Sacramento area so families did not have to commute to Oakland for therapy.

“It’s a special opportunity for a collegial arrangement between a university and a hospital,” said Mayer.

CSUS administration was supportive of the idea and gave approval within a few weeks of receiving the proposal.

Cochlear implants are hearing devices surgically implanted behind the ear of a hearing-impaired patient. They transmit sound waves from the device’s microphone down a coil that leads into the ear. The sound waves first stimulate electrodes on the coil, which inturn stimulate nerves fibers in the ear. The impulsesare then sent to the brain for interpretation.

Currently, MaryKay Therris, a cochlear implant professional from OCH comes to CSUS once a week to provide the therapy. She works individually with children in one-hour sessions, helping them to proounce words and distinguish sounds. Learning to use the implant generally takes two to three years, depending on the patient.

Therris’ services will end in December when the CSUS speech and audio graduate students, who are required to learn OCH therapy techniques, will take over the program. The students are observing Therris providing therapy and can ask her questions about procedures.

“It’s a very unique opportunity for students to be able to observe special therapy being provided by a profession at their site,” Therris said.

Participants feel that overall the program benefits other hearing therapists and professionals in the area because they can come to CSUS and observe the implant therapy techniques.

Mayer said it is a win-win situation for everyone. — the families, don’t have to go to Oakland and CSUS students are getting valuable exposure to auditory therapy techniques. Best of all, the program is not costing CSUS anything extra other than the use of one room in the speech center, according to Mayer.

The therapist explained this program is not for any hearing impaired patient, however. The children in the cochlear program have serious or greater hearing loss.

Patients with cochlear implants can not use hearing aids because a hearing aid only amplifies sound. Cochlear implants patients either have little or no hearing fibers to interpret the sound, or the fibers have been damaged beyon usefullness.

Mayer said she thinks the program will grow as the word gets out to the public. While the surgeries will still occur in Oakland, new patients from the Sacramento area will be referred to the CSUS center site for therapy.

Mayer and the CSUS speech and auditory graduate students say they will be looking forward to helping the children.