His parents turned to professions for help and Peyton underwent a series of tests at Women's and Infants Hospital as well as Hasbro Children's Hospital.

"We kept asking questions - we couldn't fathom why it happened," Angela said. When the answers to those questions came they were devastating. Peyton could not hear.

His condition sparked yet another dilemma.

Hearing aids would not suffice. If Angela and Bob wanted their son to hear a cochlear ear implant was their only option. The good news was surgery would be easier for him because of his tender age.

The relatively new implant procedure has proved to be successful for the numerous patients who have received it. With both internal and external parts, sound is picked up by microphone and sent to a speech processor where it is transformed into coded signals which are sent to a transmitter. Both implant and outer ear piece are fitted with magnets.

Dr. David S. Cameron of ENT Associates performed the 41/2-hour operation to implant the hearing device at The Westerly Hospital on May 3. There were three anxious weeks while the surgery healed and the mechanism could be activated by an audiologist. When that day came Peyton tried to ignore the strange sounds before dissolving into tears. "He cried uncontrollably," his mother reported.

But that initial reaction is one of several observed by audiologists, the Jones family reported. Today their child is making noises while playing with his cars and trucks, happy babble that cheers his parents as he becomes used to the robotic sounds conducted through the hearing aid. It is difficult to communicate just yet as Peyton relearns the hearing process - frustrating for parents and youngster alike.

Bob Jones explains there is a long road ahead as Peyton begins speech therapy. The sessions will be conducted twice weekly during the summer months. Periodic checkups and testing will be a large part of Peyton's life. The implant will be updated at intervals with an outer ear piece. But, he notes, "Twenty years ago there wouldn't have been any help or such safe surgery."

In addition to the speech therapy some changes have to be made around the house, and some habits unlearned. Angela noted Peyton pointed at things to be understood before he received his implant and through patience will be taught to "unlearn" the habit through the coming months.

Bob said the hearing device is unfastened during the night so a smoke detector that employs lighting must be installed in Peyton's room. He also explained the hearing device is okay to wear in the rain but the youngster can't wear it while he swims. "He can't play on plastic slides either because the resulting static could de-program the implant," Jones asserted.

While there are do's and don'ts involved in the use of the mechanism the positive advantages of the implant appears to outweigh them. There is also more good news as the youngster proceeds with the learning and therapy processes. When Peyton is ready for school he should be attending normal classes. He and his teacher will be equipped with an FM system that snaps to his ear piece and sounds to him as if she/he is speaking to him alone.

Life has changed for Peyton Jones. Thanks to modern technology, alert parents and caring professionals a little boy who might have gone through life in a silent world has been given the gift of sound.

By Gloria Russell, The Sun