CI question - Please help

[rockdrummer]

To reiterate, everybody forgets that not doing something can be as bad as doing something. For some kids, getting a CI is a great choice while for others it isn't. There are no easy answers for this dilemma... To make this point more stark and clear, if one as a parent denies a kid a CI and the kid could use a CI and be "like" the hearing, the parent is no better than the one who put a CI on a kid and it didn't work. Hobson's choice...

It's just to bad that we don't have a crystal ball to help us predect the outcome.

 

[sr171soars]

It's just to bad that we don't have a crystal ball to help us predect the outcome.

Indeed! Would life be sooooo simple...eh? Somehow, I can see us screwing that up too! Knowing the future doesn't really solve anything either. All we would do is make so called "safe" choices and never realizing the consequences of such.

 

[rockdrummer]

of course not - those of us (I am assuming) who voted for 1 year are showing that we expect that the parents would make the choice which is in the child's best interest, from our perspective. Since this option is available, that's why I chose it!

Sorry Neecy but the queston is; What age is appropriate for a child to decide on a Cochlear Implant? Not at what age would a parent decide. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on the question.

 

[rockdrummer]

Sorry, RD; just put my sentiment alongside Neecy's.

Ahhh.. so you were saying you would make the decision.

 

[rockdrummer]

Depends on the child. Some children at the age of 12 are capable of understanding the implications, others not until they are older. But--I still believe that a child should be a very active and integral part of the decision to implant or not implant. What they want, and how they choose to live with their deafness should be of the utmost concern--not what anyone else wants for them. Same reason I don't agree with practices like arranged marraiges.

Good point. Children all mature at different paces and I have heard that on average, girls mature faster that boys. I'm guessing that your approach would be ASL at early age and then use that to teach english literacy. I have to believe the ability to learn and comprehend is a factor in ones maturity and ability to grasp the implications of such a choice.

 

[TAMI SAM]

of course every child is different.I M H O. I would think it would be easier on the child to learn with it right from the very begining..This is coming from a mom with a speech delayed son. why have to learn things 2x.plus less trauma since a infant may not be aware of being different and going through surgery ect.

 

[GalaxyAngel]

I wish you will clump some ages in groups... I choose 16 because that is the youngest age I will think is allowed to make their own choice.

In general, I think 16 to 18 is the youngest age group you can be allowed to go through the candidancy process (this will have the doctors deciding the emotional maturity) of your own choice.

Age 1 to 10-- the choice is always made by parents so it is just wrong because it is THEIR bodies, THEIR lives that they gotta deal with YOUR choice. Don't impose your dreams/life on them. I don't approve of this.

I will only approve this WHEN the doctors do give you the FULL SPECTRUM of options rather than pressuring the parents to do a CI to "save the child".
ANd that day won't come, unfortunately.

I'm w/her 110% exactly how I felt that way because felt sorry for babies to toddler nothing know and making ci by parent decision what the best for child.. Really I do not approve.. but Im not against you as long you want happy.. Not my business.. your choice as long your child is growing up and happy.. That great!

I'd rather 16 to 18 yrs old their own decision what the best interest their future...

 

[rockdrummer]

The one year old number keeps increasing. To make sure the question is clear its to those that feel the child should make the decision for themselves. Not the parents. To the folks that voted one year old do you really belive a 1 year old child can grasp the implications and make an informed decision?

 

[dreama]

I voted 18 although parents can influence their children even at that age. I am a deafblind adult. I was orally taught and often wish I had learnt british sign language before I lost my sight. I hated wearing hearing aids. I am glad I am now profoundly deaf so now nobody can presurize me into wearing hearing aids again. The idea of having a coclear implant gives me nightmares.

 

[DeafSCUBA98]

i voted 5.. thats the correct age i believe.. because they have communication skills. yet not the adult level.. but enough to tell us what they want.

 

[darkangel8603]

I was not sure, I voted 16 because that is the legal age someone can drive and they are bound to have alot of thoughts, but kids at age 12 is the the youngest I will go for kids to make their own decision.

 

[DDRExtremist247]

A lot of the responses posed so far have dealt with the child deciding whether or not they want to receive CI. While I believe a child could say,"I want to hear"; there is no way they would be able to comprehend what they were missing. This stands for adults too. Imagine, as an adult, not being able to taste anything your whole life, and then having the opportunity to one day. Sure you could say, "i want to taste", but you would have no idea what you were getting yourself into.
That said, I think the bigger question is: At what age can a receiver of CI's comprehend that damaging their cochlea may eliminate usage of all future, more advanced instruments of hearing? (assuming future instruments would require an intact cochlea)

 

[sr171soars]

...
That said, I think the bigger question is: At what age can a receiver of CI's comprehend that damaging their cochlea may eliminate usage of all future, more advanced instruments of hearing? (assuming future instruments would require an intact cochlea)

Not so! No basis of fact in your statement. You imply getting a CI damages one's cochlea. That does not square with the facts of people who have used theirs for many years and still going strong. As for future use, there have been cases where the implant had to be replace and the person's hearing was none for the worst of wear. I have been told for myself that I will probably be looking at a new advanced implant in about 15 years or so.

 

[deafskeptic]

Opps, I misread the thread and voted on the wrong button. Anyway, since we're debating the on the age of consent for the child, I'm not sure what age would be good.

I think the late teen years would be good as most young adults should have the maturity to make a decision like this one.

However as Sr117soars has noted, not doing something can be as bad as doing something.

I see a dilemnia here. If we decide to implant only on the child's say so and at the age of consent, too much may have been lost and the child may never receive the maxium benefit of the implant. Hell, I'm an adult with a CI and I know it's very likely I'll not get the the full benefit of my implant. Will the child be angry at the parents for delaying the decision?

I would have much prefered to implant the child at a later age but all the data that I got on the subject indicates that the sooner the implantation - the better. I wasn't happy at seeing this data for the conclusion wasn't one I wanted to arrive at.

Personally, If I were to implant a deaf child of mine at a young age, I would make language development a priority and use sign or cued speech (Most likely sign for my child) as a way to aid my child's lanuage development or when the child isnt' wearing the CI. I'd do this as not all children benefit from CIs and I don't want any child of mine to end up like some of Shel90's students.

If my child has an easier time understanding things with the CI and speaks well, great. If not, well I'll still love the child and I'll work on other strageties.

 

[rockdrummer]

 

[Tousi]

Sorry to intervene here as I am in a hurry and don't wanna go back to the beginning but are we, in fact, talking about the age of consent of the child? if we are, I wonder why the poll indicates the years from one year to whatever the concensus (broadly) is for the age of consent??

 

[rockdrummer]

Sorry to intervene here as I am in a hurry and don't wanna go back to the beginning but are we, in fact, talking about the age of consent of the child? if we are, I wonder why the poll indicates the years from one year to whatever the concensus (broadly) is for the age of consent??

Poll question. What age is appropriate for a child to decide on a Cochlear Implant?

Opening post. There are many that say the decision to opt for a CI should be made by the child. I am at a loss as to what is the appropriate age for a child to decide.

The question was posed to those that feel the decision to get a CI should be that of the child. There’s information that suggests there’s a window of opportunity for a child to acquire language. Understanding there are many variables, it’s my belief that a child would have to be at least 10 to begin to understand the implications. An age that as I understand it is well beyond that window. Without getting into a debate on CI success rates, there is also the argument that the earlier the better to opt for a CI. It’s interesting to see that currently 40% of the vote is under age 6 with 30% of that being at age 1. Perhaps the questions were mis-understood or mis-read or mis-worded.

 

[WildHunt]

I'd say 16 to 18. That way, they can do their own personal research on if they want to get a CI or not, and they can ask people for their experiences like if it worked well for them or why not, and all that stuff... I believe that each deaf individual should be allowed to make choices for themselves. Heck, there's some people who got implanted at an early age that hated the CI and wished they never got it. *shrugs*