The CI for children issue (My POV)

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RonJaxon

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I'm sure you all know about all the issues regarding parents who have a deaf or HOH child and get a CI for them. Well, with me under 24 hours away from getting a CI (Surgery is 11:30am tomorrow) of course I've been doing a lot of reading about this lately. I suppose this post is in part because I'm a little gitty about my surgery tomorrow and need to find something to occupy my mind. LOL But here's what I think about this CI for kids issue.

First of all I'm for it as long as the child is healthy and fit for the procedure. The issues I read about most from those who are against getting a CI for their child is the argument of a matter of choice. They say that they should wait for the kit to be old enough to make the decision for themselves. The other issue is about deaf culture. Neither of these complaints make sense to me for the fallowing reasons.

First of all. It's natural for a parent to look into any procedure or options that will help their child. If something doesn't work the way it's suppose to then it's only natural for a parent to see if there is anything that can be done about it. One may argue that being deaf doesn't make them "broken" and that's true in a way that a deaf person can do anything put their mind to just like anyone can. But, they cannot hear and there is a way for a parent to give their child the ability to hear then they should look into it and do what they can to get what isn't working to work. If they have a problem with their hips and a surgery will fix this problem then they should do it. If their eyes don't work but a procedure will give them the ability to see then they should get it. And if a CI will allow a child to hear then they should give their child the ability to hear.

Now let's assume that a child has the CI. The parents looked into it. Doctors said the child is okay for the procedure. They child gets the CI and everything goes great. No complications. The child can now hear to some degree (we all know the results vary). Now, let's fast forward to when this child is older. He's at the age where had he not gotten the CI when he was younger he's now old enough to "Make the decision to get one". Where is there are harm done here? What if by the slim chance this person who has been able to hear since he was young and got his CI suddenly decided that he no longer wants the ability to hear. What can this person do? The answer is simple. He can just not use his CI. He now has the "Choice" at the age that he's able to make this decision.

Now let's assume the child didn't get the CI when he was younger and decided he wants to get it. He gets one and can now hear. He likes it. What do you think this child will ask his parents? I'd imagine he'd have some thoughts of wishing he had it sooner when he was growing up, going to school, had a hard time at the store buying candy because the clerk wasn't "Deaf friendly".

Of the above two paragraphs, which one had "The choice"?

Now on the deaf culture issue. This is not even something a parent will need to consider if their are other options. Why would that even be an issue to a person who isn't deaf, Isn't related to someone who is deaf? Don't spend time around deaf? In other words if they aren't in any way connected to the deaf culture then their decision to get a CI for their child to give them the ability to hear has absolutely nothing to do with deaf culture. That's something they should look into if there are no options to give their child the ability to hear.

Just wanted to share some of my thoughts on this issue. The child should be loved regardless. But the parents will naturally want to find a way to resolve any issues their children have. When a parent is faces with his issue they are not thinking about deaf culture. They are thinking about giving their child the best they can provide.

Ron
 
Not quite that easy. You have some people who wished they never got hearing aids so young; you have others that wished they had gotten hearing aids earlier. So the whole "the child wish he had gotten iit sooner" argument is rather subjective because it's akin to the trite: "grass is greener on the other side."

And on the issue of personal choice, that is rather a philosophical one that has been debated on since Thomas Hobbes wrote the Lleviathan.
 
Interesting points. My simplistic view is that parents do the best they can with the knowledge that they have, at that time, to provide the best for their child(ren). If you go retrospective, then it becomes a series of "what if", and "grass is greener" as Souggy has mentioned. No matter what choice is made, it's still between two worlds. There is no one right answer for the question.
 
I completely understand the parent's desire to do whatever will help their child. The doctor doesn't just ok the procedure, though. It's not a neutral decision. The doctor often pushes for the procedure. The doctor has a desire to "fix" the child and a financial incentive to do it. In a perfect world, the parents would understand the risk and the process, but in the real world, they often don't. It's just not that simple.

Surgery on a small child is always hard, especially on the mother. One of my kids has surgery at 7 months (for a different medical condition). I got the best surgeon in the city and we set up a directed blood donation so that my child could have his father's blood if needed. I was still a nervous wreck. Fortunately, my kids recovered and healed. I can empathize with moms whose babies' have surgery now.
 
I completly agree with our post. Better to give an option, to open a door, than to close one. Why NOT give the ability to hear? I don't see a down side to that opportunity.
 
I understand how hearing people's POVs are like that. Again, it is about self esteem issue that is huge issue for me if I were a parent to deaf kids and I do support CIs. I would probably have delay a little time a bit to make sure my kids to be aware about CIs and Deaf culture. Then I ll go for it. In my opinions, Some of these small kids who have CIs with Deaf parents that are VERY lucky and have been exposed to understand the concept of having Deaf culture and having of tasting hearing world.
 
ok there is a member of this forum who says you can hear speech at 115 db loss with has is this poster in dream world
 
I don't see a down side to that opportunity.
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That's the problem. Every decision has a risk. If medical professionals tell you that there is no risk, they are not telling you the truth and that's unethical. Full disclosure is required for informed consent. There's a reason that you sign forms before surgery. Does anyone ever read those forms? It doesn't matter what the medical professionals tell you verbally, those forms are what counts.
 
sallylou said:
That's the problem. Every decision has a risk. If medical professionals tell you that there is no risk, they are not telling you the truth and that's unethical. Full disclosure is required for informed consent. There's a reason that you sign forms before surgery. Does anyone ever read those forms? It doesn't matter what the medical professionals tell you verbally, those forms are what counts.
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I'm not saying there isn't a risk to surgery. I'm saying that there is no downside to having the opportunity to hear.
 
faire_jour said:
I'm not saying there isn't a risk to surgery. I'm saying that there is no downside to having the opportunity to hear.
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Tell that to the people that grew up in oral schools in the'60s and '70s. You may say it's the fault of the administration, but the people who grew up in that system would blame everything on being able to hear.
 
Souggy, emotional development is very important, and I think that's what you're talking about here. Correct me if I'm wrong. Social environment becomes increasing important to children.

Personally, I think that we do a bad job with emotional development in the U.S. The educational system wasn't set up to deal with it. At least this is improving slowly. Child development experts have focused on it, too, and changed some child rearing practices. Dr. Brazelton, for example.
 
Yes, I know. I was just saying to say there is "no downside" would tick off an entire generation; which I am grateful not to have a similar experience of.
 
I will never touch CI for any children except as a last resort. I am not comfortable with the risks of CI for myself or any children. Ill fit them with the best HAs which are capable of 70db gain. If they have residual hearing, they will have some ability to hear sounds and speech as I did and still do. I will save their residual hearing in both ears for the near future. I am saving my own residual hearing as well.

RonJaxon, good luck with your CI choice. I choose something else and that's my choice. Let us know how your CI surgery goes!
 
I want all deaf children to be exposed to Deaf culture and ASL whether they get a CI or not. Full access to language is important.
 
faire_jour said:
I'm not saying there isn't a risk to surgery. I'm saying that there is no downside to having the opportunity to hear.
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Downside to hearing again via CI: expenses of paying for batteries, parts, etc. and possible death resulted from meningititis. There are more and I am tired of pointing that out for you CI-pro guys over and over.
 
Souggy, emotional development is very important, and I think that's what you're talking about here. Correct me if I'm wrong. Social environment becomes increasing important to children.

Personally, I think that we do a bad job with emotional development in the U.S. The educational system wasn't set up to deal with it. At least this is improving slowly.
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GOOD point. Even many " superstars" have significent social-emtoitonal issues.
 
inmate23 said:
ok there is a member of this forum who says you can hear speech at 115 db loss with has is this poster in dream world
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No. Shel90 is a well respected member of our forum who is able to hear speech and that is her decibel loss.
 
Buffalo said:
Downside to hearing again via CI: expenses of paying for batteries, parts, etc. and possible death resulted from meningititis. There are more and I am tired of pointing that out for you CI-pro guys over and over.
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These are cons of CI's, not cons of hearing. And all of them can be mitigated. Rechargable batteries are paid for by insurance as are replacement parts. The only deaths by menegitis were by people who were unvaccinated and implanted with a device that no longer exsists.

I don't think these are vaild reasons for not hearing.
 
Buffalo said:
Downside to hearing again via CI: expenses of paying for batteries, parts, etc. and possible death resulted from meningititis. There are more and I am tired of pointing that out for you CI-pro guys over and over.
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Paying for batteries and part would not be a downsize, since it would be an advantage having a child who could hear, so parents would not care less about prices for batts etc etc..

Like Faire Jour said, not many people has gotten meningitis from CI surgery. Most hospitals etc are STRICT on vaccinations before implant surgery, some refuse to go ahead until the patient has been vaccinated
 
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