Reference no: EM133802378

Question

Amir is an 11-year-old sixth grade middle school student who was diagnosed with moderate bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss due to a severe case of otitis media when he was 3 years old. His hearing loss is moderate (decibel 41-60). During elementary school, Amir used to have hearing aids for the purpose of sound amplification, however, he often left the hearing aids at home and would often misplace them. For Amir, the sound decibel must be about 60 for him to hear light or mumble sounds (a whisper is about 30 decibels, normal conversation is usually about 60 decibels, a motorcycle engine running is about 95 decibels). Amir received early interventions as soon as the hearing loss was diagnosed by his ENT physician. Amir's mother reported that before the hearing loss diagnosis, his speech and language skills, were developmentally appropriate; however, his speech or expressive language, regressed significantly since the diagnosis. Amir is examined by his ENT (ear, nose, and throat) physician and audiologist every 6 months for hearing exams. Amir's parents recently agreed for Amir to have surgery for cochlear implants. The ENT physician informed Amir's parents that the success rate is only about 26%, but the physician nonetheless.