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Claire

Claire began her hearing journey when she was diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss following her 12-month pediatric checkup, after having passed her newborn hospital hearing screening. We learned about cochlear implants right away and quickly started doctor visits to follow this path. As part of this journey, we discovered that Claire has a Mondini malformation in her cochlea causing her cochlea to only have 1 ½ turns instead of the typical 2 ½ turns, but she was still considered a candidate for cochlear implants. Claire was bilaterally implanted at 18 months and 19 months and activated at 20 months, respectively.

While in the waiting room for her CI surgery, we met a wonderful family who told us all about WISE and we immediately knew this was the educational journey we wanted for Claire. Living in Tuscaloosa, AL and driving her to AVT therapy in Birmingham presented some logistical challenges, but God willing, we were able to overcome them and get her to WISE for Auditory-Verbal Therapy and preschool. Claire started attending 2 days a week at age 2, 3 days a week at age 3, and 4 days a week at ages 4 & 5. This learning at WISE was exactly what she needed, as she received expert instruction from very caring and dedicated therapists/teachers as she learned to listen and talk. Early on this time was one filled with achievements and celebrations, but not without questions and doubts. The staff at WISE, the NEST Group, and other parents were all a consistent source of encouragement for us, along with the examples set by older children at WISE. There was no doubt this was the best environment for Claire (and us)!

In her 2nd year of hearing, Claire started speaking and slowly developed speech and soon we could hardly believe how quickly her speech and listening skills were developing! Claire is now in school at Holy Spirit Catholic School in Tuscaloosa. She started mainstream school in kindergarten and is currently in 2nd grade. Her speech is amazing, she is reading in the enrichment program filled with other excellent readers and her determination in learning far exceeds our expectations. She loves cheer, tumbling, soccer, and now also wants to play basketball! We are so proud of Claire and all she has accomplished and grateful for the opportunity to attend WISE and the wonderful relationships formed along the way. WISE has certainly been a blessing for us, and we would like to encourage anyone considering WISE for their child.

Alan and Beth Tidwell, Claire’s Parents