TREATING THE DEAF: Give parents a choice

Miss-Delectable · 02-13-2007, 12:30 AM

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin..._7807052.shtml

Parents with newborns go through that first moment of life with one question.

Is my child healthy?

The most common congenital problem with a newborn is hearing loss, which occurs in three of 1,000 live births. About 20 percent of those with hearing loss have profound hearing loss.

About 90 percent of children with hearing loss have parents who can hear. Who among them would turn down the chance to turn a deaf child into a hearing one?

There is an option. With cochlear implants and training, a formerly deaf child can speak and hear.

Parents have moved to Jacksonville from as far away as California, simply to provide their child the training of the Clarke School.

The Clarke Jacksonville school has been providing this training since 1996. The original Clarke School for the deaf was founded in 1867 in Northampton, Mass.

There are two issues here.

One is letting the public know this option exists. There is an understandable pride in the deaf community that sign language is the established way to cope with deafness.

For some, sign language may be preferred.

But if there is an option that basically eliminates congenital hearing loss, most parents surely would want to explore it.

The best time to treat deafness is early, before age 3, when a child is best able to adjust. The cochlear implants can provide the sound, but without training it's just a lot of noise.

The second issue is cost. While the cost of the implants and training can be substantial, it is much less than the cost of educating a deaf child, says Susan Allen, director of Clarke Jacksonville.

Allen is former director of speech and auditory development at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, so she appreciates the services they provide.

But there ought to be an option for parents to have education for their children that the Clarke School provides.

02-13-2007, 12:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Miss-Delectable Capt Tony Nelson, Jeannie Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: No.1 Shopping Capital in Australia Posts: 10,238 Blog Entries: 3	TREATING THE DEAF: Give parents a choice http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin..._7807052.shtml Parents with newborns go through that first moment of life with one question. Is my child healthy? The most common congenital problem with a newborn is hearing loss, which occurs in three of 1,000 live births. About 20 percent of those with hearing loss have profound hearing loss. About 90 percent of children with hearing loss have parents who can hear. Who among them would turn down the chance to turn a deaf child into a hearing one? There is an option. With cochlear implants and training, a formerly deaf child can speak and hear. Parents have moved to Jacksonville from as far away as California, simply to provide their child the training of the Clarke School. The Clarke Jacksonville school has been providing this training since 1996. The original Clarke School for the deaf was founded in 1867 in Northampton, Mass. There are two issues here. One is letting the public know this option exists. There is an understandable pride in the deaf community that sign language is the established way to cope with deafness. For some, sign language may be preferred. But if there is an option that basically eliminates congenital hearing loss, most parents surely would want to explore it. The best time to treat deafness is early, before age 3, when a child is best able to adjust. The cochlear implants can provide the sound, but without training it's just a lot of noise. The second issue is cost. While the cost of the implants and training can be substantial, it is much less than the cost of educating a deaf child, says Susan Allen, director of Clarke Jacksonville. Allen is former director of speech and auditory development at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, so she appreciates the services they provide. But there ought to be an option for parents to have education for their children that the Clarke School provides. __________________

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