The best thing you can do after getting hooked up is... GET OUT!

Go to restaurants, go for walks, go to a movie, go shopping -- anyting you can do to "take it all in." Getting into the midst of everyday life strengthens your chances of a successful CI experience. It may sound strange and confusing at first, but only by immersing yourself in sound will you begin to learn how to use your new auditory skills.

 

practice listening at home
 

Immediately after hook-up, it is a great idea to get started on learning to listen with your CI. My wife spent a good amount of time working with me in the early weeks-- and it certainly paid off.

Below are some sample exercises you can do with your spouse, a close friend or a family member.

Simple therapy exercises to do at home:

First, have someone read a passage from a book while you follow along.

A good exercise is having someone read and stop at a word, then you voice that particular word. He/She can then repeat the process.

After this exercise, you may try having someone read any sentence within a paragraph and you guess which sentence it was.

Other exercises:

1. Without relying on speechreading, have someone voice

- Names of people you know
- Simple sentences -- "How are you?" or "Nice to meet you."

2. Listen to simple "read-along" children's books with audio-cassettes. Many are available for free at the library.

3. Listen to public radio. Talk shows are a good source of practice on the road. Most of them deal with current news, so it helps to have a good guess as to what the conversation is about.

4. Speaker phone. Try talking to a close friend or family member. The speaker phone will allow your spouse or partner to clarify anything you miss. Be sure to prompt your caller before you begin - "speak slowly and clearly... use short sentences...stay on topic, etc."
 
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