Hearing aids

The EHDI team consisting of an ENT doctor and audiologist came here in the beginning of April.  They come here twice a year to provide services to the Marshallese people such as doing hearing tests and surgeries for ENT issues such as inserting ear tubes. 

Two children got hearing aids, both donated.  One is a baby and another is a child in my class.  

When he showed up to school the next day, it was funny to watch how the other children reacted to his new hearing aids.  A lot of them wanted to know what they were.  As students arrived on their buses, the students who already saw the hearing aids would tell them to look at his new hearing aids.  Now, a month has passed and the novelty has wore off, but there are still a few students who are curious about the hearing aids and ask me about them, especially one student. 

One of the other students in my class always look at his hearing aids when he is next to the student with hearing aids as if he expects something to jump out of his ears. He does it every time they are next to each other.  

I just think it is funny.  I am sure that's how people reacted when hearing aids were first introduced in America. 

None of the other children have a hearing aid except for that one student in my school.  There are a few adults who have hearing aids on island.  There is also no one who wears a cochlear implant on island. 

I would imagine that it is difficult to maintain hearing aids here.  There is no audiologist on island so if it is broken, they would have to wait for the EHDI team to come.  If the child needs a new ear mold, they would have to wait for the EHDI team to come.  There is no speech therapist or people knowledgable about auditory development on island, so no one to really teach the child how to listen.  We work with what we have.  

So it's been an interesting experience for everyone.