Tag Archives: pediatrics

Isla Feels More Confident Than Ever with New Ponto 5 SuperPowers

Katelyn Harkins tells us how getting fit bilaterally with Ponto 5™ SuperPower processors have helped her eight-year-old daughter Isla blossom socially.

Isla was born with bilateral microtia/atresia. She was adopted from China at 20 months old and had no access to sound prior to coming home. She received Ponto bone anchored hearing processors on a softband as loaners from Oticon Medical the month she turned two and loved them immediately. She even insisted on wearing them to nap!

We are privileged enough to have access to excellent hearing solutions from Oticon Medical, which give Isla a near normal audiogram. We are also lucky to have a school for the Deaf nearby, which gives Isla access to education provided in both spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL).

We were very excited to hear OM was coming out with a Ponto 5 SuperPower! Isla’s hearing loss is severe enough that the extra headroom of the SuperPower allows for access to as much sound as possible, and equally little feedback. Isla was thrilled that the upgrade gave her onboard controls for volume and mute.

Isla’s upgrade included getting bilaterally implanted*. In researching implantation, I understood minimally invasive Ponto surgery (MIPS) was minimally invasive compared to the old “long cut” or “pocket” methods: one hole punched in the skin, one hole drilled and filled with a tiny screw. I brought my research to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) ENT and Isla was his first MIPS surgery. He expressed that he loved the process and was very impressed with the how easily it went. In this video, (Isla was still waiting six months to “snap on” her processors because her skull bones are thin).

The Ponto 5 SPs are amazing!  My daughter has loved her devices from the beginning, and we always made them fun by having a bunch of different colored softbands to choose from each morning. She has absolutely blossomed in public and more crowded situations with the upgrade to P5 SPs. She’s more willing to get out there and play or join a group of kids she doesn’t know. Absolutely worth it!

* Ponto surgery is contraindicated for patients under 5 years of age. The subject here is shown wearing two ponto 5 superpowers on a softband but has undergone the surgery stated by the parent. Outcomes and healing times wary patient to patient. Please consult your caregiver.

Seven Things to Know When Considering a Bone Anchored Hearing System for Your Child

In the search for the right hearing solution for their children, parents typically ask, “Will my child be able to hear? Will they be able to talk? Will they be able to achieve the same things that their brothers and sisters or other children can achieve?”

Parents want to know what it takes for their child to grow, play and do the best at school. At Oticon Medical, our goals for technology have always been to meet these challenges. We feel it’s important to offer the technology that will help each child succeed. We believe that children with hearing loss should have access not just to sound, but to a superior sound experience.

Here are the 7 things you need to know when considering a bone anchored hearing system (BAHS)  for your child from a recent AudiologyOnline text course, The Ponto Bone Anchored System: The Right Choice for Pediatrics, with Mary Humitz, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA.

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Thinking of a Bone Anchored Hearing System? Make An Informed Decision & Select the Device That’s Right For You

A Bone Anchored Hearing System (BAHS) is an amazing life improvement that can immediately bring a smile to your face and new sound into your world. Whether you experience the feeling for yourself, or it’s for someone you love, choosing the right BAHS solution is important. The key is that you have a choice, and when you have a choice, it’s best to make an informed decision.

Did you know there are different types of implants? For instance, a direct drive solution sends vibrations via a direct route to the bone. That’s different from a skin drive, which sends vibrations through the skin and then to the bone.

Depending on your specific condition, certain solutions work better than others.

Informed Decisions

Physical facts with skin drive solutions: These devices have lower output in the mid to high frequency region.

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