The touching story of Alon, a five-year-old Israeli boy, could have ended very differently. After being diagnosed with developmental delay, Alon's parents took him to a series of specialists who agreed that he was on the autism spectrum.
Alon was referred for speech therapy with Tal Barak-Tovian, who has years of experience working with children with hearing impairments and deafness. She suspected the young boy was suffering from hearing loss and instructed the family to conduct further tests. Alon underwent his first hearing test in which his ears were separated by headphones, revealing hearing impairment in both ears.
His parents were told that the only he must have a fluid build-up, but Barak-Tovian insisted on further tests, which found that Alon was suffering from congenital cholesteatoma - a cystic mass that can cause harm similar to a tumor, that was trapped in his middle ear.
"When Alon came to me, he had speech impediments and could barely speak," Barak-Tovian said. "He didn't respond to his name or sounds, so they thought he might be on the autism spectrum, but it turned out he simply couldn't hear." Alon underwent surgery, followed by the process of customizing a hearing device for him. "Since he got the hearing device, his speech has improved, and he speaks amazingly in long sentences," she said.
"Apart from the fact that the diagnosis saved his hearing and the ear itself, I think it primarily saved his soul. That's what brings me the most joy." the speech therapist said. adding that Alon is now a happy child."
First published: 15:48, 06.22.23