About

“I can hear” is a mobile android application aiming to facilitate the speech therapy process for children with Cochlear implants (CI). The app is a free of cost, accessible solution to the problems faced by patients with CI. The app focuses on the first three stages of Audio-Visual Therapy and stimulates the child’s learning with sets of interactive flash cards and various games. The flash cards focus on words the kids come across in daily life and are important for their development. Each flash card has a corresponding audio clip of the associated word. The Audio was recorded from trained speech therapists from the Apollo Cochlear implant clinic.

Click Here to Download the App

Download Link

What is the problem?

Cochlear implantees and kids who are combating hearing loss need constant audio and verbal therapy. This can only be given appropriately by trained speech therapists. However, in India the centers with therapists are too far away or too expensive for most patients. Additionally, kids are not able to practice speech therapy at home.Previous applications are not viable for these Telugu or Hindi speaking rural communities because the apps function only in English and require payment.

Our solution

Cochlear Implantees can do speech therapy on their android phones. They can use anywhere, anytime and download it using an APK link. The app provides an engaging way of undergoing speech rehabilitation and is approved by the Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI) and was made with help from the audiologist and speech therapist team at the Apollo Cochlear Implant Clinic. The flashcards feature Telugu words.

Features

Content :

The content was built based on the methods shown in “What is Auditory-Verbal Therapy” by Joanna Stith and the ling speech model.

Consists of :

Flashcard sets with a corresponding game. Each flashcard has a corresponding sound. Examples of sets: Ling’s 6 sounds, Fruits, Vegetables and Animals.

Language:

Telugu, with a few english words (that don’t have commonly used Telugu equivalents) .of sets: Ling’s 6 sounds, Fruits, Vegetables and Animals.

App

Available on Android devices and is free of cost.

Future Additions

Increase flash card sets.android devices to provide directly android devices to provide directly to center

Introduce diverse type of interactive games.android devices to provide directly to center

Expand same flash cards to Hindi language.android devices to provide directly android devices to provide directly android devices to provide directly

Increase crowdfunding and sourcing initiatives to provide the devices with the app directly to the clinics with CI patients.

1. What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.

2. Who can they help?

The cochlear implant technology can help people who:

  • Have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears
  • Receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
  • Score 50% or less on sentence recognition tests done by hearing professionals in the ear to be implanted
  • Score 60% or less on sentence recognition tests done by hearing professionals in the non-implanted ear or in both ears with hearing aids.

Many people have cochlear devices in both ears (bilateral). Listening with two ears can improve your ability to identify the direction of sound and separate the sounds you want to hear from those you don’t.

3.What are the benefits of a cochlear implant?

Many adults with cochlear implants report that they:

  • Hear better with a cochlear implant than with a hearing aid
  • A previous study has shown that people with a cochlear implant achieve an average of 80% sentence understanding, compared with 10% sentence understanding for hearing aids.
  • Find it easier to have conversations with people across meeting tables, in restaurants and other crowded places.
  • Reconnect with missed sounds that they could not hear before their cochlear implant.
  • Feel safer in the world as they can hear alarms, people calling out and approaching vehicles.
  • Talk and hear on the phone. & Enjoy music.

4. What factors can affect these benefits?

The benefits of cochlear ear implants are often different for different individuals. These differences are often due to:

  • How long they have had hearing loss before receiving a cochlear implant
  • How severe their hearing loss is
  • The condition of their cochlea (inner ear)
  • The presence of other medical conditions
  • How much practice they include in everyday life when using their cochlear implant system.

5. What happens during cochlear implant surgery?

Cochlear implant surgery is done in a hospital or clinic. The surgery lasts two to four hours. You are given medication (general anesthesia) to make you sleep during the procedure.

  • The surgeon makes a cut behind the ear and then opens the mastoid bone.
  • The surgeon identifies the facial nerves and creates an opening between them to access the cochlea, which is then opened. He or she inserts the implant electrodes into the cochlea.
  • The surgeon places an electronic device called the receiver under the skin behind the ear, securing it to the skull in this area.
  • The incisions are then closed, and you will be moved into the recovery area and watched closely.
  • You will be discharged after at least two hours of observation.

Contact Us

Yagna Sreeramaneni

Email

yagnas.1@gmail.com

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