Rock Springs boy's family glad to have expert help with hearing loss
Coming out of isolation
By JODIE FOWLER - Daily Rocket-Miner | Posted: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 12:15 am
ROCK SPRINGS -- Developmental milestones are recorded and celebrated in many ways.
From the first time a baby rolls over, their first giggle, their first steps, their first words and beyond, parents beam at each accomplishment. They strive to teach their children words by repeating "mama" or "dada" over and over.
Imagine the frustration and concern that develops if a child is unable to say any words by the age of 2 or they do not even hear you talking to them.
Previous celebration can turn into constant worry, as experienced by one Sweetwater County family.
Three-year-old Anthony Cordova was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in one ear.
Not only were his parents frustrated with his development, but Anthony himself was emotionally upset. He often expressed his dissatisfaction by misbehaving.
His siblings also took the news of his condition hard. When Anthony was diagnosed, his mother, Stacie Cordova, said his older brother made a list of what he would not be able to do with him because of his disability.
At the same time, she said her family struggled financially when Anthony was diagnosed. The insurance company would not pay for hearing aids. It argued they were not needed because there was an alternative form of communication and Anthony could learn sign language.
After an intervention from the Child Developmental Center, Anthony is better equipped to communicate his needs. He uses a combination of hearing aids and sign language to communicate with the world around him.
With the help of the center's speech and language pathologists, he has gone from zero words to speaking full sentences within one year's time.
His expanded vocabulary has also come with behavior changes. His mother said he is pleasant and well-behaved. In addition, Stacie said the whole family is less tense now that the issue is being dealt with.
"(Center staff) made it so I can breathe when I talk about him," she said.
If the center's assistance was not available, Stacie said her family would be taking Anthony to Primary Children's Hospital on a weekly basis for services.
"If they weren't here to set us on the right path, I don't think he would be where he is today," Stacie said.
In addition to offering instruction, the center helped the Cordova family find other forms of aid. For example, it connected them with a resource that lends Anthony hearing aids.
Because of the intervention and therapy provided through the center, Anthony is developmentally ahead. At the age of 3, he recognizes his alphabet and is able to say and sign all the letters. He can finger spell several words and can also count to 20.
After receiving the needed interventions, Stacie Cordova said Anthony is not so isolated and the whole family seems to be much more comfortable. The center strives to provide intervention tools to everyone in the family by teaching members sign language and how to communicate with Anthony.
Stacie said accessibility to the program was easy and the therapists have come to the home to work with her son.
Stacie works graveyards and said, "It's been amazing that they come here. Nobody has put me at the bottom of the list."
Stacie said a significant amount of people do not find out if their child has hearing loss until kindergarten, so early testing is important.
"So many people do not understand the absolute necessity of this place. They are early intervention," she said.
With the whole family involved in the process of learning how to communicate with Anthony, Stacie said the services through the CDC gave her sanity back to her.
"This place is not a glorified day care. They are providing essential services. These services are not duplicated anywhere else in Sweetwater County," she said.
If parents are struggling with or concerned about their children's development, Stacie said, "Trust me, you will never know if it will be your child. Someday they will help a child you know. You can't put a price on the word mamma."
Coming out of isolation
Also I did have my day with the insurance company haha they said he could just use sign language as communication so I put him on the phone with the jerk who said it and waited a minute then got back on and told him how very rude he was being. when he asked why I told him that my son had just signed hi and asked how he was and got no response!!! --Stacie Cordova
