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Ross Roeser, director of the Callier Center |
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The benefits of advanced technology are evident in the area of amplification and hearing aid devices. Phillip Wilson, head of audiology, said, "Some of the most exciting advances have come in just the past year and a half. Now almost all hearing aids are digital and some are using artificial intelligence to do really smart things. They can monitor the auditory environment and make changes in the way they work based upon what's happening around them and even based on the direction the patient is facing. They're completely automatic and make these changes without the patient pushing a button or even knowing what's happening."
In collaboration with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the Callier Center is well known for being a leader in cochlear implant procedures. Cochlear implants are designed for those who are profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Before cochlear implants, patients with this level of hearing impairment were limited to sign language and lip reading. These electronic devices directly stimulate surviving nerve fibers in the inner ear, enabling many patients to hear for the first time.
"Our use of cochlear implants has been quite extensive," Roeser said. "In collaboration with U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, we've now performed implants on over 200 children. Many are now functioning at normal age level. Some are even playing instruments in orchestras. Just last week we were at our annual Cochlear Implant Summer Camp. It was amazing to see 72 children who had received cochlear implants talking, singing, and playing."
Advances are also being applied to everyday products, such as telephones, televisions and alarm clocks. The Callier Center has Assistive Listening Device centers in both its Dallas and Richardson locations, allowing those with limited hearing to experiment with products. For example, users can try out telephones that allow them to turn up the volume to exactly the right level for them, wireless headsets that allow them to listen to television without putting it on a distractingly high volume for others, and alarms that are placed under the pillow or mattress to wake users by vibrating.
"This is a community-based program. Without it, most wouldn't know these specialized products are even an option," Roeser said.
As they are doing with Emmy, Callier speech pathologists are helping children learn to understand and give directions, ask and answer questions, and convey and improve language skills. Parents are encouraged to participate in the sessions and receive training to continue the treatment at home.
The Speech-Language Pathology program also regularly treats children who have never learned to eat or swallow. "Many of these children have fragile medical conditions. They never learned to eat orally. Often they were tube fed as infants at the time they would've normally been developing sucking and chewing abilities. We start by getting them to play and interact with food. Once children are able to tolerate textures and different types of stimulus in their mouths they will learn to chew and will move on to become oral eaters, " Donise Pearson, head of Speech-Language Pathology and director of Callier-Richardson, said.
Speech, language and cognitive services are also provided to survivors of strokes, traumatic brain injury or those who have other neurological problems. Other programs are in place to help those who stutter and to modify strong accents.
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