Edwardsville girl graduates from Central Institute for the Deaf
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| TOM ROLLINS PHOTO Jessica Wesselmann, 6, of Edwardsville, gives a short talk at her graduation ceremony at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. To her right is CID co-principal Barb Lanfer. Jessica spent three years at the institute learning to listen and talk without the need for sign language. She will attend elementary school in the fall in Edwardsville. |
A resident of Edwardsville, Jessica graduated from the CID in St. Louis in May, and will attend first grade in Edwardsville in the fall.
She gave a short speech at her graduation, with six other graduates from CID, when she announced that she is a good reader; her favorite subjects are math and language.Kim Readmond, CID communications coordinator, said Wesselman spent the last three years learning to listen and talk without the need for sign language.
“Jessica has made good progress during her three years at CID,” Readmond said.
Before she received the cochlear implant, Jessica wore hearing aids in both ears, but complained about further hearing loss in her right ear, the result of a progressive hearing loss condition that she has experienced since birth.
After further testing, she became a candidate for a cochlear implant and had surgery Nov. 29, 2006.
Maggie Matusofsky, pediatric audiologist at CID, said Jessica has profound sensory neural hearing loss in her right ear, where she received her cochlear implant.
“She also has severe to profound hearing loss in both ears,” she said. “Her parents decided to go forward with the cochlear implant in her right ear.”
Jessica continues to wear a hearing aid in her left ear.
Hearing through a cochlear implant is much different than the hearing most people experience, with or without a hearing aid, since it is computer-generated sound, Matusofsky said.
“It’s providing access to the sound that she might not have gotten with the hearing aid,” she said.
Mike Wesselman, Jessica’s father, said he is impressed with his daughter’s hearing ability improvement after the transplant.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience,” he said.
Through her improvement, Jessica has also developed a love for reading, Wesselman said.
“They work with her speech and help her with her language skills,” he said. “They focus on language development.”
When a child receives the implant, they receive auditory training to make sense of the sound, Matusofsky said.
“The implant has to be programmed regularly until we optimize her ability to hear and understand speech,” she said. “We want to make sure she can hear soft sounds across frequencies that are important for speech. We also want to make sure that loud sounds are comfortable.”
Wesselman said Jessica tested well at the school during her time there.
“All of her test scores were above average,” he said. “They test you to make sure you are at the grade you are supposed to be at.”
Readmond said CID specializes in helping the students achieve in their regular classrooms after graduation.
Robin Feder, CID executive director, said the school provides small class sizes, with individual attention for each student.
“(CID) teaches the children at whatever level they are,” Feder said. “Our goal is to allow them to catch up with their hearing peers, so they are at the same grade level. They are working at their own pace in each subject.”
The learning process at CID is a cooperative effort, with bus service provided by the Edwardsville School District during her three years at the school.
Readmond said the institute works with teachers and administrators, like those in the Edwardsville School District, to help them meet the needs of CID graduates.
Jessica started riding the bus to St. Louis when she was 3 years old.
In the fall, she will be riding the bus to Leclaire Elementary School in Edwardsville.
She said she is excited about attending school there, since she will be reunited with another CID graduate, Rachel Kubicek, also from Edwardsville, who graduated from there a year before her.
Jamie H. Cadieux is the pediatrician cochlear implant audiologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital who worked with Jessica’s parents.
“(Cadieux) worked with us when she got it done,” said Jessica’s mother, Laura Walsh.
Jessica also receives ongoing treatment for the cochlear implant at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
“Jamie was thrilled with her progress after the cochlear implant,” Walsh said.
Readmond said graduating from CID is a “big accomplishment” for the graduates.
“They learn the language and reading, the things that they will need in their home school districts,” she said.
Founded in 1914 by Max Goldstein, CID is a fully accredited, private nonprofit school where children who are deaf and hard of hearing successfully learn language, speech, academics and social skills without the need for sign language.
Readmond said generous private support allowed the institute to provide the education for students regardless of a families’ ability to pay
“We don’t turn any child away based on the family’s financial circumstances,” she said. “Parents do pay a portion of the cost, but it’s based on their ability to pay.”
The school serves children from birth to age 12, about 150 children yearly.
For more information about CID, visit cid.edu.
