Many children are born with hearing loss in one or both ears. This was the case with baby Lachlan, only seven weeks old in the following video.
“Our beautiful son Lachlan was diagnosed as having moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears,” reads the video’s description, presumably written by Lachlan’s parents. “When he was 7 weeks old he received his hearing aids.”
Hearing aids have been developed for even the youngest children, with heartwarming results.
“His reaction when [the hearing aids] were turned on was truly amazing. We cried from happiness.”
As you’ll see in the following video, little Lachlan originally fussed when his hearing aid was placed into his ear. He squeals and cries, uncomfortable with the foreign device. Then, his aid is activated and he hears his mother’s voice for the first time.
“There we go,” says his mother, soothingly. “Well, hello. Hi!”
Lachlan stops crying almost immediately. He looks around in wonder.
And, to everyone’s surprise, he even starts to smile.
His parents are perhaps just as moved as Lachlan.
“He’s smiling!” they exclaim, watching him closely. They even start to laugh. Which makes Lachlan smile even more.
“Now I’m just going to clap to make sure it’s not too loud,” says the woman who first placed the hearing aide into Lachlan’s ear. “Ready, Lachlan?”
She claps multiple times, and Lachlan blinks every other clap or so.
“See how he blinks a little bit? But he stopped, so it’s not too loud. And he’s not blinking when we talk.”
His mother smiles down at Lachlan, who still looks awestruck.
“What a big difference it is, isn’t it?” she says gently.
After receiving hearing aids for Lachlan, his parents brought him to the Early Intervention Service, an oral language center for deaf children that also screens newborns for hearing loss. The EIS is associated with The Advisory Council for Children with Impaired Hearing (Taralye), an international organization based in Melbourne, Australia that has been teaching children who suffer from hearing impairment how to listen and speak since 1968.
“The role of the parent and family is regarded as pivotal in every aspect of our work and we are highly committed to supporting and fostering the wellbeing of families of young children with hearing loss,” reads Taralye’s website.
Luckily for Lachlan, his caring parents have teamed up with Taralye to build a better future for their son.
“Our beautiful little boy is now two years old and doing remarkably well,” his parents say in the video’s description.
Make sure to watch the video to see Lachlan hear for the first time!
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