One-year-old Benjamin has a cheeky grin and sparkling eyes which light up a room. Born with profound hearing loss in both ears, Benjamin was six-weeks-old when he first received hearing aids, followed by two cochlear implants at 10-months-old. His hearing loss was initially a shock for parents, Caio and Camila, who had relocated from Brazil to Brisbane three years earlier.
“We did not expect Benjamin’s diagnosis – we didn’t have any family history of hearing loss, and there weren’t signs during the pregnancy of any issues,” said Caio.
“The journey started really early for us, once we started getting support, it got better. When we gained more information it made things clearer, and we can now understand the unlimited possibilities Benjamin has.”
Caio recalled the emotional moment watching Benjamin’s cochlear implants being switched on to sound for the first time, surrounded by their friends and family both in Brisbane and across the other side of the world.
“It was very special to see him respond after the switch-on,” said Caio. With his cochlear implants, Benjamin can now hear phone calls from his family in Brazil streamed directly to his processors.
“Our main goal is for Benjamin to be able to engage with his community and connect with friends and family, here and in Brazil – and to be able to attend a mainstream school and have a typical life,” said Caio.
“Hear and Say has played an important role in his development and it has been great to learn all the techniques for how to help him develop at home, and what we can do for him.”
