Just a year after Hamsini was born, Vasuki Sekar realised her child did not respond to sounds.
She was shocked to find out that her daughter had hearing impairment.
“There was a time when I yearned to hear her call me ‘Amma’, now I’m unable to answer all her questions, thanks to the training at Bala Vidyalaya,” she said, speaking at the 44th Annual Day celebrations of Bala Vidyalaya, which were held at AMM Matriculation Higher Secondary School, on Saturday.
Students of the school recited rhymes at the event, and prizes were distributed to students who were integrated in regular schools last year.
G. Gananathan, professor of ENT at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, said the assumption that cochlear implants for children may not be of much use was a myth.
“Soon after the implant, the child may begin to respond and identify sounds. But for the child to become almost normal, a tremendous amount of patient training by teachers and parents is required,” he said.
P. Sivasankaran, secretary to government, department of welfare of differently-abled persons, noted the government has taken several initiatives to provide assistance and identify deserving beneficiaries.