Product Description
Mia has her own camera and she loves to be out in nature photographing wild birds and animals. She also takes pictures for her school newspaper, the Branksea School News! Mia is dressed in a red jacket, t-shirt with ladybug, jeans and red spotted wellies, with a denim-blue hat & bag,
Mia wears a cochlear implant and she doesn’t let being hard of hearing slow her down. She actually thinks she’s lucky, because her cochlear implant lets her hear all kinds of important sounds, like her friends and parents talking, the school bell and the sirens on police cars, fire trucks and ambulances!
What’s a cochlear implant?
A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged parts of the ear to directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by the auditory nerve to the brain which recognizes them as sound, but hearing with a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn.
Since 2020, cochlear implants have been approved for use in eligible children beginning at 9 months of age. For young children who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing, using a cochlear implant while they are young exposes them to sounds during an optimal period to develop speech and language skills. Research has shown that when children receive a cochlear implant early in life followed by intensive therapy, they often are better able to hear, comprehend sound and music and speak than their peers who receive implants when they are older. Studies have also shown that eligible children (as young as 9 months of age) who receive a cochlear implant early may develop language skills at a rate comparable to children with normal hearing and many succeed in mainstream classrooms.
As of July 2022, more than 1 million cochlear implants have been implanted worldwide. In the USA, roughly 118,100 devices have been implanted in adults and 65,000 in children!
Inspired by a real Mom!
Mia was created in response to a call from a British mother, Rebecca Atkinson, who wears hearing aids herself. “When I was growing up in the 80s,” says Rebecca, “I never saw any deaf characters in toys, books or on TV. When I became a mum myself, I decided it was time things changed. I wanted the global toy industry to act, to better represent the 150 million children worldwide with disability and difference.”
Included with Mia:
- Red Jacket
- T-shirt with ladybug
- Denim-blue hat & bag
- Jeans
- Red spotty wellies
- Camera
- Edition 2 of Branksea School News
Lottie Dolls are just like real girls and boys! They’re designed to be physically proportioned like real 9 year old children, with age-appropriate clothes, interests and activities. Ethnically diverse, Lottie and Finn literally stand on their own two feet… they’re positive role models, empowering children to embrace individuality, enjoy childhood and have meaningful adventures!
Lottie Doll’s designers work with kids, parents, child psychologists and child nutrition and education specialists. More than 100 action points have been incorporated into the designs and accessories to make them realistic dolls that children can relate to, and identify with.
Lottie’s Motto is “Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You!”
Doll measures 7.5″ tall. It includes small parts, and is not suitable for children under 3.
