1. A request is made by your Doctor (at Children's or Aston) for an implant packet to be given to you or sent to you by the Callier Center for Communication Disorders.

2. You complete the intake packet and return it to the Cochlear Implant Coordinator at the Callier Center in the envelope provided.  (Phone: 214-905-3077.  Lisa Berry.)

3. Once the packet is returned to Callier, insurance benefits are verified and outside records are requested (from school, family doctor, etc.)

4. Once insurance benefits are verified and approved and outside records are received your child will be scheduled for the cochlear implant evaluations at the Callier Center.

5. These tests include speech and language evaluation, hearing, and ear function testing.

6. The results of these tests will be discussed with you and sent to Dr. Roland and other doctors you may request.

7. If you as the family decide to proceed, now you choose which device you are going to get and the accessories that come with it.  You will be helped with this decision by a member of the team but the final decision will be yours.

8. Also during this time your child should be scheduled and receive a test called an MRI.  This is done to give the medical Doctor a picture of the cochlea (the inner ear) and hearing nerve to help determine if your child is a good candidate for implantation and if so, which ear to implant.

9. Surgery is scheduled. (Once you have a surgery date you are responsible for getting an appointment with Callier for initial hook up and mapping-call Lisa, 214-905-3077).

10. Approximately one month after surgery (allowing time to heal) the outside part of the implant will be "hooked up" and a "map" will be created for your child.  This is done at Callier with your Audiologist.

11. These mapping visits will continue as needed.

12. Speech/Language therapy with a strong emphasis on learning to listen with a cochlear implant is strongly recommended by our program for the enhanced development of listening, speech and language.