South Florida teen student born deaf excels school thanks to determination, technology
A South Florida high school student who was born deaf defies the odds and now ranks at the top of his class.
With the help of modern medicine, Edmund Polinski is proving that obstacles are no match for determination.
Edmund, a freshman at South Plantation High School, received a cochlear implant when he was 18 months old. It has helped him lead a normal life and enjoy what most teenagers do.
"Love to watch shows, play video games, anything technology-based," he said.
In school, Polinski is making an impact. Not only is he in the top 15% of his class, he was also recently awarded the President's Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence. It's a testament to how far he's come.
Dr .Ivette Cejas was Polinski's cochlear implant surgeon. She said detecting his hearing loss early helped give him a better life.
"It's not just early identification of hearing loss, it's also early implantation, and with that, individuals are able to have the best outcomes across the board," Cejas said.
A recent study by Cejas, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that children who get cochlear implants early have better academic performance, as well as better reading, writing and language skills, compared to children at or above the typical age and gender expectations.
With the implant, speech therapy and a transliterator, Polinski was able to attend regular classes in elementary school.
He said his favorite class now is engineering, "because you make all these cool little contraptions, like a bridge."
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