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#MacroMondays
#Odd
For "Odd", I immediately had the idea of combining Ohropax® earplugs and my new Sennheiser earbuds. The idea probably came to my mind so easily because my old, trusted, super comfy custom-made earbuds stopped working properly just recently when the right earpiece went "deaf" all of a sudden. I had them sent to the manufacturer, and even though they don't make those earphones anymore (only hearing aids, their original field of business), I still hope that they can fix it. The irony here is that I bought these earphones at the audiologist (you couldn't buy them anywhere else) years ago, because to make the earpieces, the audiologist had to make a silicone earmold, secured with a cotton thread so you could safely remove the silicone once it had hardened. So I sat there, waiting with my ears totally muffled by the silicone, and rummaging about the pretty likely next step following the purchase of in-ear headphones: hearing aids if I turn up the volume too loudly...
The width of the little scene is 5 cm/1,9 inches, so the width of the frame, negative space included, is about 5,5 cm/2,1 inches. The final image is an in-camera focus stacking made of 15 images. And yes, I have bought these colourful Ohropax® earplugs just for the theme, because I thought the standard yellow or orange earplugs would look a little boring for my "Sister Disco" setup ;) The earplugs come in four colours, blue, green, yellow, and orange, and all have a nice marbling pattern. I decided to use only three of the earplugs so the scene wouldn't get too big and there would also be some negative space to let the image "breathe". Processed in DXO, Color Efex Pro, and Photoshop.
Soundtrack: CTRL/STRG+ www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTTY6Z51mO0
HMM, Everyone, and have a nice, sunny week ahead!
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Street photography from Glasgow, Scotland.
I have lost my perfect hearing.
My whole life I have enjoyed exceptionally acute hearing in both volume and frequency range. Sadly, since my one infection during the last 5 years that I believe to be Covid, I suffered ongoing random occurrences of vertigo that would last for just 24 hours at a time. Immediately after one of those vertigo attacks a few months ago I awoke with sudden onset screaming tinnitus that has been with me ever since. Overnight I lost a lot of hearing range in the upper frequencies too. From hearing clearly up to 21khz to my hearing now falling off from 6khz and above. My audiologist confirmed that, anecdotally, there has been a massive increase in cases of tinnitus in people following Covid infections. It is and has never been 'just a cold'.
It saddens me so much that I can now no longer enjoy perfect peace and quiet.
I have other symptoms commonly found in 'Long Covid' too. I did so well to avoid infection only to get ill early last year.
Thank you all for your support, comments and favourites. They are all greatly appreciated.
Take care.
This is for the group ‘Crazy Tuesday’ and the theme ‘Soft Toys’.
I had already taken some images for this weeks task but was not happy with the sub-standard shots that I had ended up with! As luck would have it, we had to travel to Grantham, Lincolnshire, as my wife’s audiologist has relocated to work from there instead of Newark and she had a follow-up appointment.
It was there, whilst having a walk that we passed a small toy shop, the Westgate Gallery, which specialised in toys for younger kids. In their window was a display featuring a wealth of soft, cuddly toys. Zooming in on these three central characters I thought that they would make an excellent choice for the camera and this task!
Just in this section of the window were many other soft toys and two teddy bears and an octopus are captured.
We went to the ribbon cutting today for my audiologist new business. The lady in the black dress has been my hearing aid specialist the past eleven years. She is opening her own practice.
Lauren York Au.D.
5016 W. Waco Dr.
Waco. Texas 76710
(254) 878-4040
I have been wearing hearing aids over 30 years. My hearing loss is pretty severe but the modern technology is amazing. They are expensive. These were $5000.00 dollars. I have a wonderful audiologist . You younger people out there please take care of your hearing. I hear young people playing music in their cars full volume. I have read the number of people with hearing loss is increasing and at a younger age. Wear earplugs in noisy environments .
Have a wonderful weekend
Sound - Macro Mondays
Several years ago, I lost hearing in my right ear. The hearing loss was gradual, but finally became so profound that a conventional hearing aid was useless.
My doctor and audiologist suggested that a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid system (BAHA) would be helpful in my case. This system consists of a titanium post which is implanted into the skull just above and behind the deaf ear, and a sound processor device which snaps on to the post.
The BAHA processor transmits sound via bone condition through my skull to my good ear, allowing me to hear sounds from my deaf side. The brain quickly adapts to this new way of hearing and the transmitted sound seems natural and clear!
This is a photo of my Oticon Ponto 3SP sound processor. It’s about 1.25” (32mm) long.
The surgery was successful. I’m still in pain but it has subsided to the degree that I am no longer taking the prescription pain killer medication. Tylenol is not as effective, so I feel more pain, but it is subsiding. And Tylenol doesn’t make me as sleepy.
I am hopeful that the good hearing I had when the first implant was installed two years ago will be restored. It was a defective unit in a defective batch created on a particular manufacturing line within a specific time period. During my periodic visits every three months, my Audiologist at the University of Arizona noticed the degradation after a year had gone by and alerted the manufacturer who sent a doctor to examine me and tested the implant. She determined that a certain number of the transducers at the higher frequencies in the implant had failed.
...you don't need an education, YOU NEED AN EDUCATION!
List of Degrees Not Classed as 'Professional' by Trump Admin
Nursing
Physician assistants
Physical therapists
Audiologists
Architects
Accountants
Educators
Social workers
Wasn't it trump who said: "I love the poorly educated"?
IMG_5432-2
(To Stephen’s audiologist. F train in Brooklyn. The tattoos.)
Blog: sharonfrost.typepad.com/day_books
3 1/2 x 11 in double page spread; watercolor, ink, whatever, on Stillman and Birn Epsilon soft cover. #subways #ftrain #tattoos #coronavirus
I went to Plantation Preserve with Lynns camera and my New Hearing aids. My hearing has been bad for too many years, but my ear doctor and audiologist kept saying it wasn't time. Finally, they said it was time.
It was frustrating hearing so many birds and not finding them as they were a distance off and on the other side where I couldn't get to.
A SEO hunting with both its ears and eyes, studies the snow covered ground below.
Wetaskiwin County, Alberta.
The following information about an owls ability to locate prey is a bit long but well worth the read:
"To Audiologists, the fascinating thing about Owls is their hearing. They possess a unique type of directional hearing that allows them to focus on their prey with precision. Their hearing picks up even the faintest of sounds, which enables them to take prey in complete darkness.
Owl ears and the shape of the ear opening or aperture varies from round and small to an oblong slit, depending on the species. Some species have a valve called an operculum covering the ear opening.
Some of the more strictly nocturnal species have asymmetrically set ear openings (i.e., one ear is located higher than the other). These same species use their pronounced facial discs like radar dishes to guide sounds into their ears. When an owl hears a sound, it can tell its direction because of the minute time difference between when the sound is perceived in the left and right ears. Turning its head so that the sound arrives at both ears simultaneously gets it looking in the exact direction from which the sound is coming. Owls can detect a left/right time difference of about 0.00003 seconds (30 millionths of a second)! Using its asymmetrical ear openings, it lines up on the sound on the vertical plane. All these signals combine instantly in the owl’s brain, creating a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
So accurate are these senses that an owl can capture prey in total darkness without the aid of its eyes and can even capture prey under snow. An Owl’s range of audible sounds is not unlike that of humans (200-12,000 Hz), but an Owl’s hearing is much more acute at certain frequencies enabling it to hear even the slightest movement of their prey in leaves or undergrowth. The translation of left, right, up and down signals are combined instantly in the Owl’s brain, and create a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
Once the Owl has determined the direction of its next victim, it will fly toward it, keeping its head in line with the direction of the last sound the prey made. If the prey moves, the Owl can make corrections mid-flight. When about 60 cm (24″) from the prey, the Owl will extend its feet forward and spread its talons in an oval pattern. Then, just before striking, the bird will thrust its legs out in front of its face and often close its eyes before the kill. Studies of Owl brains have revealed that the medulla (the area in the brain associated with hearing) is much more complex than in other birds. A Barn Owl’s medulla is estimated to have at least 95,000 neurons – three times as many as a Crow..."
Directional Hearing in Owls….Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D.
My friend, Carrie, hearing instrument specialist (HIS), programming my new optional external microphone to be used together with my ReSound hearing aids.
If you have hearing loss (Perhaps you are afraid to admit it? Don't be! The longer you wait, the more you will fall behind in ability to communicate--it's a function of the aging brain.), now is the time to do something about it!! As in--buy AND USE hearing aids. Truthfully, one of the many reasons some needful people don't is the expense. These miniature computers for your two ears can be very expensive--as in thousands of dollars EACH. But, there's an alternative. Keep reading.
In America, there is a reputable way to avoid some of this cost and--not intending to advertise--the answer is Costco (for those of us who have access to a store). (For some countries, hearing aids/ear care is available through national health programs.) Costco's prices, for top quality name brand equipment, is about half what a private audiologist will charge. Volume trade is the way Costco achieves this. In my experience--and that of friends--Costco provides top quality service and support--write me privately with any questions about any aspect of hearing loss. I have info on self-help; have been studying the subject for over 5 years, and wearing hearing aids for 15.
If you are a US veteran with hearing loss, the VA hospital will fit you with an excellent hearing aid, free!
Important facts about hearing technicians in USA:
An AUDIOLOGIST (master or doctor of audiology--Au.M., or Au.D.) has graduate university training in audiology. This is one reason they are qualified to charge you more for their product. A HEARING INSTRUMENT SPECIALIST/DISPENSER (requirements differ by state) must complete more modest educational requirements--usually a high school diploma+special courses, not including university. In my 15 years of experience with hearing loss, and from considerable research, I find that the individual often makes the difference. Many of Costco's Hearing Specialists have been doing this work for decades and are very experienced and well informed, as well as helpful.
Unless your American provider has the letters Au.M.or Au.D. after their name, they are "short course" qualified, not university trained.
Read more here:
www.hearingtracker.com/ask/what-s-the-difference-between-...
Ask questions and feel good about your encounter, or don't buy!!
Please see my Album on HEARING.
EXPLORE-d!
Thanks, everyone!
Good morning Panda Loving Friends! Happy TuesMeii! Happy TuesBei! Happy TuesJi! !☕🍩 🇺🇸🐼🐼🐈⬛🐈🐈⬛🙏️
Good morning Bao Li & Qing Bao!
Happy Election Day! 🇺🇸 Good luck to all the candidates. Prayers for a peaceful day today and in the days to come.
I'm off to vote 🇺🇸 this morning - no early voting here. Then I have to stop by my ENT office to see the audiologist. - I can't get my new phone to pair with my hearing aids and I can't hear worth a darn. I'm still trying to find certain buttons (like how to mute the phone).
Hope everyone finds something today to make you smile.
Have a pawsome day everyone, be kind, enjoy some little thing, and be safe.
I came across John on Southport Pier. He agreed to vape for an image. He is an audiologist from York who was staying in Fromby, his childhood home town, whilst visiting his mum. He had brought his partner, four children and mum for a visit to Southport Pier. For his partner and children it was their first visit to Southport.
I have shared the images I took including the RAW files with John. Both his partner and John were photographers with a camera round their necks, both using fairly modern mirrorless cameras with retro lenses from the 1980s/1990s and edit with lightroom.
John has lived in all sorts of places York, Newcastle and York with a period back in Formby in those various moves.
I was out seeking shots that show coastal towns out of season.
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
Poject 365 number 11/365
A quick trip down to Newbury in the south of England for an interview. I have been accepted by Oxford University to start a another degree next year. This will be my fourth although I hope to convert this to an MSc after. I will be studying as an Educational Audiologist. maybe I will have less time to be addicted to Flickr after September.
This picture sums up the year 2020. The mask was drawn by my grandson in England. Other masks in this album were drawn by my grandson James from Barcelona. Both countries were in and out of Lockdown for most ot 2020. Almost £200 was made for a charity chosen by my wife. The picture was taken in my audiologists examination room, after I set the timer for 10 seconds and handed it to the audiologist who held the phone steady until the picture was taken.
If anyone objects to my using this image on Flickr, just tell me and I will remove it!!
As an experiment, and to fulfill my audiologist's explicit requirements, I’m reading the Gutenberg Press online free version aloud. The goal is to retrain my brain to understand what the cochlear implant hears, i.e., the signals it sends to my brain.
The LibriVox version shown here is not understandable. It doesn't work for me. So I've started reading the Gutenberg Project's online version of Albert Einstein's Lectures on The Meaning Of Relativity aloud.
Today, I will try having my aid read it aloud, with me reading it on my mobile phone or printed out on my printer.
It should be an interesting experiment.
_________________________________________________
Here’s a link to The Gutenberg Project Version that you can read on your computer or mobil phone:
www.gutenberg.org/files/36276/36276-pdf.pdf
After going to the Gutenberg version;
1. In your browser's View, set the size to see a portion of the first page that you can read easily.
2. Scroll down to start reading this page and all other pages of the book.
Tags:
"Cochlear Implant" "Bionic Man" "Retrain The Brain" "Reading Aloud" Book "Book Search" "Project Gutenberg" Ebook Audiologist Recommendation Experiment Physics Physicist Teaching "Love of Books" "Meaning of Relativity" "Albert Einstein" Lecture "Special Relativity" "General Relativity"
IMG_7306 V2
Esperando mi esposo en Manhattan. (Before the demonstration, in the waiting room at the audiologist. Waiting for my husband in Manhattan.)
Blog: sharonfrost.typepad.com/day_books
5 1/2 x 11 in. double page spread; watercolor, ink, whatever, on Glogal Art Materials Handbook.
Here’s a link to The Gutenberg Project Version that you can read on your computer or mobil phone:
www.gutenberg.org/files/36276/36276-pdf.pdf
After going to the Gutenberg version;
1. In your browser's View, set the size to see a portion of the first page that you can read easily.
2. Scroll down to start reading this page and all other pages of the book.
Al audiologo. Las demoras. (F train in Brooklyn. After the storm, Ida. To the audiologist. Delays.) #subways #ftrain #ida #hurricanes #passenters #brooklyn
The new cars, now coming on line, include a Hearing Loop among their features! This allows those with telecoils in their hearing aids to access improved hearing options on the noisy cars. I tried one the other evening. I think they still have wrinkles to work out. I didn't notice a big difference. The track noise is pretty brutal for many portions of the map. I hope I get another chance to try it soon.
If you wear hearing aids, be SURE to ask your provider/audiologist to ACTIVATE YOUR TELECOIL, so that when you encounter an opportunity like this--many public spaces--you can take advantage of greatly improved hearing.
This is the day after my cochlear implant in my skull above and behind my left ear. 👂 I’m as good as can be expected under the circumstances 👌 Baruch HaShem 👏🎶👏 🌈✡️
_______________________________________________
Okay, here's the story. I have severe hearing loss in both ears. Sharon, the manager in the Audiology section at Costco in Tucson, tested me for suitability fir a new set of new and improved hearing aids. She advised me to not waste buy money and go for a cochlear implant.
A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that does the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.
My friends at the Tucson branch of ALOHA, Adult Loss Of Hearing Association agreed and provided me with lots of information and emotional support. I decided to bite the bullet and get a cochlear implant in my worse ear.
My cochlear implant operation was on Halloween, Wednesday October 31s. This selfie was on the day after Halloween, Thursday, November 1st 2018.
Here’s the status of this process I am just beginning:
After a coupe of days, I became pain free❣️
The operation was just to remove bone in my skull and place a large computer chip the size roughly of a 35mm slide, which is an imbedded processing unit, attached to a magnet. It is all in the bone somewhat behind the ear. The surgeon also inserted a long embedded wire from the skull into my left ear's cocleus. It is internal and not visible.
In another three weeks I will have an external unit fitted behind my ear just like a regular hearing aid. It will have a magnet to hold it against the implanted magnet in my skull. The magnet is about the size of a quarter. The audiologists will activate it and tune it for me.
Then it can take typically from 3 to six months for me to retrain my brain to recognize signals it’s getting from the bone and any residual hearing in the ear.
Right now, I hear nothing from the left ear.
A normal side effect is that my balance is reduced. I have had to retire my signature walking stick. Hopefully, it will be temporary 🙏. I’m back to the aluminum stroller with green tennis balls 🎾 on the rear legs.
_________________________________________________
P.S, On Wednesday, November 7th, I went back to using my walking stick, at least some of the time.
I am being somewhat successful at keeping my courage up. The glass is two thirds full❣️LoL
Tags:
"Bionic Man" Bionics "Cochlear Implant" Stroller "Walking Stick" TMC "Tucson Medical Center" Ear Pain Antibiotics Tylanol Stitches "Retrain The Brain"
Hearing loop to the rescue!
Do you wear hearing aids? Do yours have a T-coil? Do you know how to turn it on? If "no", or "I don't know" is your answer to these questions, now is the time to ask your audiologist!
A hearing loop is an invisible wire circling a lecture hall, theater, auditorium, or church that, when recognized by the T-coil in your hearing aid, brings the speech DIRECTLY to your ear, through your hearing aid! Your ear devices become personal "ear buds" with no gadgets to carry or fiddle with!
If you are hard of hearing and attend church, synagogue, auditorium, theater, or lecture hall, you owe it to yourself to find out about these wonderful systems and/or to speak to those in charge, especially if there is not yet a loop installed. More information is available from your audiologist, or research "hearing loop" on the internet. There's lots of info out there. The best starter-resource guide is found at: www.hearingloop.org.
Feel free to contact me with questions.
This sign is posted at Julia Morgan Hall, one of two lecture spaces at the University of California's wonderful Botanical Garden.
This is just a picture of an old book cover. It is an old translation. Don't try to read it. Look at the Gutenberg Project version instead.
Here’s a link to The Gutenberg Project Version that you can read on your computer or mobil phone:
www.gutenberg.org/files/36276/36276-pdf.pdf
When you get there, first set the view size on your browser to read it comfortably.
________________________________________________
Looking for a suitable book to read aloud. This book published by Henry Holt and Company looks interesting. In theory, it should retrain my cochlear brain in more ways than one.
In addition, a good friend and colleague gave me a copy of a very thick book on General Relativity that I do find fascinating.
However, I am looking for books that are published online. Neither of these printed books does what I want.
(To the audiologist. F train in Brooklyn.)
Blog: sharonfrost.typepad.com/day_books
3 1/2 x 11 in double page spread; watercolor, ink, whatever, on Stillman and Birn Epsilon soft cover.
This notebook/sketchbook is so small (3 1/2 x 5 1/2) — so easy to carry anywhere. And yet it opens up to a surprisingly wide panorama. Not Instagram-comparable — but Instagram is pretty lame in general.
#ftrain #subways #audiologist #stillmanandbirn
Looking for a suitable book to read aloud. This should retrain my cochlear brain in more ways than one.
Retraining My Post Cochlear Implant Brain With A Project Gutenberg Ebook
Lecture I
Space and Time in Pre-Relativity Physics
Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive.
It's fun having the theater to oneself! Even for 10 minutes!
I came an hour early, by invitation of the film program manager, to confer with him about the Assistive Listening Devices they provide for patrons. I was their "tester" to give feedback on how their gadgets are working--Answer? "Very well!!!"
I had a marvelous experience with the film that followed, the Italian classic, "Il Posto" (1961). Even though the soundtrack was in Italian, I like to hear the voices, which are part of the experience, even when there are translation captions below, as there were here.
The theater uses an RF "radio frequency" system, with either earphones (if you are 'just' hearing impaired without in-ear aids), or a neckloop (which connects to a telecoil) if you wear hearing aids. Now is the time to ask your audiologist if your telecoil is activated!! (many are not, unfortunately). Those of you in Britain, Australia, Scandinavia, and northern Europe, know more about telecoils than we do in the States, where they are still all too rarely used.
Mary Hare Grammar School is a residential co-educational community special school for deaf pupils in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It consists of around 230 pupils.
The schoo, is also home to Mary Hare Training Services, for Post Graduate Services training Teachers of the Deaf and Eduction Audiologists.
It was established in 1916 as Dene Hollow School for the Deaf in Burgess Hill. It was renamed after Mary Adelaide Hare. The school bought Arlington Manor and surrounding estates in 1947, and moved from its old site in Burgess Hill to the refurbished premises in 1949.
This is Hannah. She has spent many years in the north as our audiologist. She is "retired" but couldn't stay away when she learned that the person who was supposed to replace her didn't last. Aside from helping an entire generation with hearing problems to hear, she was the driving force in putting sound systems into our schools. She is almost a legend in the north and it was really nice to have her working in our building once again - even if she is retired.
After a year-long hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Special Olympics Michigan began hosting in-person sporting events this weekend. Athletes competed in snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in both Grand Rapids and Detroit. Healthy Athlete events provided health and hearing screening.
These shots are from the event in Grand Rapids, hosted at the new Special Olympics Michigan Unified Sports & Inclusion Center.
After a year-long hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Special Olympics Michigan began hosting in-person sporting events this weekend. Athletes competed in snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in both Grand Rapids and Detroit. Healthy Athlete events provided health and hearing screening.
These shots are from the event in Grand Rapids, hosted at the new Special Olympics Michigan Unified Sports & Inclusion Center.
Lovely final garden of pastel pink coneflowers!
Do you ever ask for a sign to give you an answer to a problem you are having? Well I have learned that once we get quiet and listen we usually get it.
Everyone have a beautiful day...I am having trouble even knowing what day it is after the holiday.
Actually, I am going to dedicate this to ME today to bring me JOY and RELIEF.
I have been battling an ear problem and told I had severe hearing damage. I have many doctors( for another chapter sometime maybe) and today I found out from my specialist I have severe inflamation of the left ear? It is causing the terrible ringing in my ear I have suffered for a month plus nausau and headaches.
I was relieved I did not need my ears for flickr! BUT now today, after one dose of the oral med and two application of the drops the ringing is almost gone!!!!!!! YaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers that I do not have to go to the audiologist that I have not yet scheduled! Now I have to let the other doctors know......fun times.
I think I might just go to my island on vacation first and deal with them later?????????
Mary Hare Grammar School is a residential co-educational community special school for deaf pupils in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It consists of around 230 pupils.
The schoo, is also home to Mary Hare Training Services, for Post Graduate Services training Teachers of the Deaf and Eduction Audiologists.
It was established in 1916 as Dene Hollow School for the Deaf in Burgess Hill. It was renamed after Mary Adelaide Hare. The school bought Arlington Manor and surrounding estates in 1947, and moved from its old site in Burgess Hill to the refurbished premises in 1949.
Looking for a suitable book to read aloud. This book published online by Project Gutenberg should retrain my cochlear brain in more ways than one.
Today's prompt was to shoot with off camera lighting to be reminded how awfully harsh the on camera flash can be and how beautifully creative off camera lighting can be.
I really like how the die is in focus while hubby is slightly blurred.
[f/3.5, 1/6 sec., ISO 400]
On the July 1st PDXNightOwls photowalk ( next photowalk Friday August 12th) we were lucky enough to be invited by Thor up to his workshop where he develops his many forms of lightning. The biggest surprise was that from up close lightning's three dimensional structure becomes readily apparent; previously I had thought this 3D appearance was due to camera movement during the exposure. Special thanks to Thor's shop assistant Thialfi for use of the 100K stop ND filter and 10K DB earplugs - although my audiologist says my ears will most likely continue ringing for the rest of my life. NB48017 - Happy Mostly Monochromatic Mondays!
The more modern Hearing Aids are almost invisible. This lady is wearing an Open Fit Behind the ear hearing aid.
At the audiologist, Keisha's old hearing aids get reprogrammed as much as possible so that she can hear both her teachers at school and her classmates. The audiologist shows the program he uses on the flat screen.
Robert F. Vogt, Jr., Ph.D.
Research Chemist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Working at CDC has provided a great opportunity for me and my lab colleagues to contribute to one of the most exciting new developments in public health: the detection of SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) by newborn bloodspot screening. SCID is a failure of the immune system that results in severe infections, often leading to infant death. Live vaccines are especially bad for infants with SCID. Fortunately, newborn babies with SCID can be treated effectively by bone marrow transplant if the transplant is done within a few weeks of birth. Now we have a test that can detect SCID in newborns from a heelstick blood drop dried on a paper card.
The ability to detect and treat SCID has a very personal meaning for me, because it came from years of medical research that occurred largely over my lifetime. I was born just before DNA was found to contain the genetic code, which led to the era of modern biology. About the same time, the first genetic immune deficiency was reported by a pediatrician at Walter Reed. Similar reports followed, and much of our understanding of how the immune system works came from children with SCID and other types of immune deficiencies. These children suffered, and many died, but the lessons we learned from them culminated in our ability to detect and treat SCID before babies get sick. Since the idea of newborn bloodspot screening for SCID was first proposed, our CDC laboratory worked with state public health laboratories, universities, and foundations to make it a reality. Today we provide the tools and training that help screening laboratories set up the test and make sure it keeps working, so that every baby with SCID can be found and treated.
Learn more about newborn screening:
www.cdc.gov/features/ScreeningNewborns/ www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/PruebasRecienNacidos/
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/newborn_screening.html
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/CCHDscreening.html
www.cdc.gov/labstandards/nsqap.html
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/index.html
Joanne Mei
Lead Research Chemist, Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
I work in the newborn screening quality assurance program. We help state newborn screening laboratories make sure that their newborn screening tests are of the highest quality. We prepare blood samples that look like newborn baby samples for more than 50 disorders. We send those samples to state public health labs to test. The state labs do not know which disorders are supposed to be detected. The labs test each sample and send us their results. If they miss a sample, we help them figure out why. Because of this testing, doctors and families can be assured that the labs are providing accurate results.
Working on newborn screening is challenging because we are looking for a few affected babies among most who are healthy. Newborn screening casts a wide net in order to find those few babies. If a baby has a positive result, retesting is important to find out if the baby does have the condition. If so, it’s important for parents to know quickly so the baby can be treated early.
When I had my daughter, I was working in newborn screening. I had to explain newborn screening to my OB-GYN! There was no information at my doctor’s office. I had to ask the pediatrician about my daughter’s newborn screening results. I think most parents only find out about their child’s results if there’s a problem.
I feel it’s important for pregnant women to talk to their doctor about newborn screening so that they know that the tests will be done, and they can ask for the results.
Learn more about newborn screening:
www.cdc.gov/features/ScreeningNewborns/ www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/PruebasRecienNacidos/
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/newborn_screening.html
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/CCHDscreening.html
www.cdc.gov/labstandards/nsqap.html
“When I was 17 years old, I lost all of my hearing in one ear. I learned that I had a genetic syndrome that caused tumors to grow on my hearing nerves. And I learned that someday I would become completely deaf in the other ear. I was devastated and frightened. I grew up with full hearing and didn't know anyone who was deaf. I couldn't imagine the world without sound. A few years later, a friend told me about a remarkable new technology called an alpha pager, a pager that could receive a message sent via a live operator. I was excited to think that someday this technology could help me.
“Soon my world got quieter, but I didn't really notice because it happened so slowly. After much urging from my frustrated family, friends, and coworkers, I got my first hearing aid. I can remember turning my hearing aid on for the first time and immediately hearing a soft, low-pitched noise. My eyes scanned the room looking for the source. My audiologist smiled and said, ‘That's the air conditioner.’ I went for my usual run that evening and was surprised to hear the gravel crunch beneath my feet and the croak of a bullfrog. I had forgotten that frogs make noise!
“But the sounds around me continued to soften. I began using captioning on TV only a year after a federal law was enacted requiring most new television sets to include a closed captioning feature. And I became unable to use the telephone only a few years after emailing became the norm.
“I'm completely deaf now. In addition to closed captions and email, I rely on technologies such as text messaging, IM (instant messaging), and CART (communication access realtime translation). Recent changes in technology, as well as other recent positive changes such as the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, have provided opportunities for people with disabilities that were not available 20 years ago. I sometimes think back to the excitement I felt when I learned that I might someday use an alpha pager, and I smile.”
CDC would like to thank Krista for sharing her personal story.
Winnie Chung
Audiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For many years I worked as an audiologist with all ages in a hospital setting. In 2004, I began to focus exclusively on newborns when I joined the state of Rhode Island's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) team. I made sure that hearing screening was done in the hospitals, that diagnosis and intervention happened, and that the state received data on every newborn. In 2009, I joined CDC where I provide support to all states.
What interests me most about newborn screening is the entire process, starting with an unknown through following up when the child has potential hearing loss. Most audiologists do not see this entire process. They see patients who are already known to have a hearing problem. With newborn screening, you have engagement with the newborn through the entire process from beginning to end.
It is important to find out whether babies have hearing loss and to provide interventions which allow them to learn language. There is a narrow window for learning spoken language and using it, which is between birth and early childhood. Beyond a certain age, learning to speak and understand spoken language becomes very difficult and will require more support. EHDI facilitates early identification of hard of hearing newborns and provides support for the family so they don't lose precious time.
What I find challenging is keeping up with the super-fast technological advances and new research findings. If I don't review research articles for even one month, I feel like a Stone Age audiologist! For example, Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder is a condition that we are only recently able to tell apart from other types of hearing loss. There are constant new research findings on how best to diagnose and manage this disorder.
I would like parents to know that if you deliver your baby in a hospital, be assured your baby will receive a hearing screen before discharge. If your baby does not pass the hearing screen be sure to get a second screen or a hearing test as soon as you can.
Remember 1-3-6. Your baby needs to have the hearing screen no later than 1 month of age. If your baby does not pass the hearing screen, he or she needs to have a hearing test no later than 3 months of age to confirm whether he or she has hearing loss. If your baby has hearing loss, intervention should start no later than 6 months of age. Your state EHDI program will support you every step of the way.
I hope for a day when all hearing impaired children will have zero academic delay because everyone knows what EHDI is and they get help and support each step of the way.
Learn more about newborn screening:
www.cdc.gov/features/ScreeningNewborns/ www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/PruebasRecienNacidos/
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/newborn_screening.html
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/CCHDscreening.html
www.cdc.gov/labstandards/nsqap.html
Suzanne Cordovado
Team Lead, Molecular Quality Improvement Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
When I first started at CDC, I worked on diabetes. My brother has type 1 diabetes, and because of the family connection, I didn’t think I would find a subject for which I had a greater passion. I was wrong!
Newborn screening touches lives in ways that you cannot even imagine. Research can sometimes be esoteric, but newborn screening has a direct impact and translates into saving babies’ lives. It’s a tremendous gift you can give your baby. As a parent, you want to do anything you can to give your child a healthy start, and newborn screening is the easiest way you can do that. For some disorders, a change in what your baby eats can mean the difference between life and death.
Our lab works on enhancing the quality of molecular newborn screening tests, such as those for cystic fibrosis. We provide materials and help develop tests to assist state public health labs make sure their molecular newborn screening tests are accurate. We also provide training on molecular testing for state lab workers.
I have had the privilege of working with several state public health lab workers, and they are some of the most dedicated people I have ever met. I have seen them cheer when they identify a baby with a newborn screening condition and have tears in their eyes when a treatment doesn’t work. Every baby’s blood samples are treated with the utmost care. I hold these lab workers in the highest esteem.
I was not working on newborn screening when my two sons were born. Still, I probably knew more about newborn screening than most parents since I was in the same division as the newborn screening group. My pediatrician didn’t mention my older son’s test results, and I had to ask for them for my younger son. If I had a child today, I would want to watch my baby being screened.
In the future, as we understand the human genome better, we will understand more about how mutations lead to diseases, which may provide more targeted screening and treatment. For example, a new drug for cystic fibrosis that was just approved only works for those with a specific DNA mutation. If this treatment becomes available for babies, babies with the specific DNA mutation could be identified through screening and could start this treatment right away.
Learn more about newborn screening:
www.cdc.gov/features/ScreeningNewborns/ www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/PruebasRecienNacidos/
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/newborn_screening.html
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/CCHDscreening.html
www.cdc.gov/labstandards/nsqap.html