Meet Kelton Neyland

Little Rock, Arkansas

Until he was 4 years old, Kelton Neyland did not know what it was like to hear everyday sounds, such as birds chirping or people talking.

In 2002, near Kelton’s first birthday, his teacher noticed that he seemed to have some hearing problems.

His mother, Denecia, took Kelton to a local audiologist, who diagnosed him as deaf, with absolutely no explanation. Unsatisfied, Denecia brought Kelton to the audiology clinic at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in one ear and moderate to severe hearing loss in the other. The diagnosis was overwhelming for Denecia.

“My initial response to having a child with hearing loss was to be devastated,” says Denecia. “I cried a lot, asking God, ‘Why me? Why Kelton?’ After a while, though, I realized we were blessed because the situation could be a lot worse.”

During the next year Kelton’s hearing loss progressively worsened until he had profound hearing loss. With this bad news came some good – Kelton was eligible to receive cochlear implants in both ears.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device which helps provide a sense of sound to someone who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. Kelton received his first cochlear implant at age 3 and his second a year later. At the time he received his first implant, he could hardly speak and was significantly delayed when compared to other children his age.

Through four years of hard work and dedication, Kelton has worked to bridge that language gap.

“Kelton is now able to hear the birds chirping, water running and many other sounds he would never have been able to hear without his cochlear implants,” says Anna Reed, a speech therapist at ACH. “His parents have worked diligently so that he can catch up with his normal hearing peers, and they have always believed in his potential to succeed.”

Kelton, who continues to attend weekly speech therapy at ACH, is a very outgoing and friendly child who loves to read and dance.