Corey is a six year old boy who has a younger sister Ruby. Since her birth Ruby has attended most of Corey’s therapy sessions.

Corey’s birth was premature resulting in collapsed lungs and jaundice.

• At 10 months, Cerebral Palsy;
• at 12 months, Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss and Cortical Blindness; and
• at 3 .5 years, Auditory Dysynchrony and Neuropathy.

The Spastic Centre managed Corey’s physical needs, while The Royal Blind Society supported his visual needs and Australian Hearing managed the fitting and ongoing support required for Corey’s hearing aids.

The Shepherd Centre provided Corey and his family with his initial Early Intervention therapy related to his hearing impairment.

The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre managed his Cochlear Implantation and ongoing audiological services.

Despite the fact that Corey was receiving Early Intervention services from The Shepherd Centre he did not achieve hearing aid compliance. This inhibited his ability to respond to Auditory Verbal Therapy and develop communication and language.

The Shepherd Centre referred Corey and his family to MREIC in May 2005 and he was enrolled when he was 2.5 years old.

At MREIC Corey and his family received an Individalised program based on the COMBINE Methodology including the following:

• Cochlear Implant candidacy evaluation
• Ongoing audiological services for his Cochlear Implant
• individual and group sessions involving physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, early childhood education
• parent support and education
• transition to pre-school/school support

At 3.5 years old Corey received his Cochlear Implant.

Due to tactile and auditory defensive behaviours Corey continued not to tolerate either his hearing aid or Cochlear Implant. A sensory integration program was implemented to target these issues. He responded well and an adapted Auditory Verbal Therapy program was introduced. Corey slowly developed hearing aid / Cochlear compliance and functional listening.

Corey has developed a sound basic receptive vocabulary, can follow auditory instructions, enjoy simple stories, songs and rhymes but despite the development of pre-lingual skills, intensive oro motor therapy, modeling of spoken language he has not developed speech.

A Picture Exchange System (PECS) was introduced to Corey for expressive language. As PECS is a visual system and AVT is auditory, adaptations had to be made to ensure that Corey’s auditory skills were not compromised and could continue to develop. This involved providing Corey with a structured listening program without visual cues on a daily basis in addition to PECS training.

A transition to school program was developed for Corey when he was ready to enroll in St Gabriel’s school for Hearing Impaired children.  MREIC have provided ongoing individual weekly speech and language sessions at his school to ensure that he has a smooth transition. The school staff have worked in collaboration with the MREIC team.

Corey now hears across the speech range, walks, climbs and runs independently. He has become a communicative young boy who enjoys family and school life. Corey listens well and comprehends everyday conversations and school instructions and he uses a picture communication system to express his thoughts and needs. Corey enjoys the company of his school peers and has learned to read, spell and is beginning to do early numeracy.

Corey is currently being assessed for higher level augmentitive systems of communication to meet his expanding social and academic needs.