A new medical procedure which enables some deaf children to hear for the first time is to be made routinely available, NHS England has announced.
Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABIs) involve placing a device directly into the brain in children whose inner ear or auditory nerve have not fully developed.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London will offer the procedure to profoundly deaf children under five who are unable to wear hearing aids or cochlear implants.
An estimated 15 children per year would be assessed for the surgery, of which nine of them would then go ahead with the treatment.
A few deaf children have already had the procedure, with Leia Armitage being the first child in London to have an ABI in 2013.
Leia’s father Bob said: “We were devastated when we found out Leia was missing her auditory nerve as well as her cochlea.
“We thought we had no hope as her deafness was so rare, but thanks to the ABI we’ve come so far.
“It’s taken five years and a lot of rehab but Leia has defied the odds and is now putting full sentences together.”
The news follows an announcement by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in January that nearly 900 deaf children will be eligible for cochlear implants each year.
Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said for some deaf children “technology like auditory brainstem implants can be the right option and can make a huge difference to their lives”.
By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and makes the occasional video about deaf awareness on his YouTube channel. He can also be found talking about disability, politics, theatre, books and music on his Twitter, and on his website.
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Robyn E Carter
April 23, 2019
The surgery is not new. It’s been around for years. That said, it’s not always successful.
Linda Levitan
April 23, 2019
That’s why we call learning sign language “the organic cure for deafness.” It doesn’t involve brain surgery, drilling a hole in a child’s head, implantation of electrodes, blood, the risk of infection, etc., etc. But it gives them access to language and utilizes their visual skills. Of course, it doesn’t make the CI corporations, clinics, and audiological industry any richer.