After Jose received the implant, Giron learned to talk to him on his "implant side" and to take off the earpiece when he plays on plastic slides so static electricity won't erase the programming.
When Franco doesn't have a construction job -- more often the case now with the housing downturn -- he too attends counseling and classes. Among other things, he is learning to be patient.
"Sometimes when you want your child to make progress and it takes longer than you expect, that's when you feel down," he said. "But when they do something you didn't expect them to do, you feel this overwhelming sensation."
Jose can claim accomplishments that might surprise the hearing world. In class one morning last week, he sang, "The ants go marching one by one," and flung up his arms for "Hurrah! Hurrah!" And like many of his classmates, he speaks in not one language but two: Spanish and English.
The theft of the processor has not halted his progress. Cochlear implants come with a backup earpiece.
Most insurance plans cover the $40,000 to $60,000 cost of the implant, and for low- income children like Jose, California Family Services and Medi-Cal pick up the tab.
But replacing the backup will be up to Giron and Franco. For now, they fasten the remaining earpiece to a strap, clip the strap to Jose's T-shirt -- and worry.
"He hates taking it off," Giron said.
To see how a cochlear implant works, go to www.fda.gov /cdrh/cochlear/index.html.
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mary.engel@latimes.com
