CI in children

HelloKittyGal

HelloKittyGal

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I hope that this is kept to the point.

It's a question I wonder. What do you think about children who are successful with a cochlear implant? While I hear stories about those who are against it because it will 'take away childrens' identity' I don't hear any credits given to those who are very successful. I believe that these chlidren grow up being normal just like us and hearing aids users.

I know about the risks involved in a CI as I have one myself, but I don't see anyone giving credits to those who it really works for. I am not sure that there are that many parents who force CI on deaf children just to make them 'normal.' I don't think they want children to be normal, but to give them the option to talk and hear.

Well, I'll be done, but what about those that it works for them? It's much easier as a child to learn than it is as an adult...why postpone it? I know I would have wanted to be implanted as a child for sure because I was a happy HA user, though I didn't know how much more I was missing.
 
Kitty,

My deaf niece got hers when she turned 5. My brother and his wife are deaf too and they didn't want to force her to be " normal " but rather to give her all tools. She knows a little signing but not much. She is very successful at her school and even takes music lessons. Everytime I see her, she always corrects my speech. "Aunt Meg, you need to pronounce this...." and I can only laugh.

Shes almost 10 now and has been very happy with her CI. I know it does NOT work for everyone so she was lucky to have a success with her CI.

Hope this helps, Kitty..I wasn't sure exactly what you were asking for.
 
The thing that I am itch me is that some people believe in WAITING until the child can decide, but it's very common fact that when you start earlier the better. If you don't try to have the CI earlier, it's going to be in no doubt harder for them. Why make it so hard to wait until later?

That's what itch me, and no one say anything good about those who really succeed. There are far more children than the few unsuccessful cases that the CI works for.

See what's itching me? LOL, but I am curious why diss the CI when it can in fact be easier than when you're older. It's a child's body, but nobody's forcing anything negative upon a deaf CI child. I don't see that from what I am looking around parents with CI children.
 
Meg said:
Kitty,

My deaf niece got hers when she turned 5. My brother and his wife are deaf too and they didn't want to force her to be " normal " but rather to give her all tools. She knows a little signing but not much. She is very successful at her school and even takes music lessons. Everytime I see her, she always corrects my speech. "Aunt Meg, you need to pronounce this...." and I can only laugh.

Shes almost 10 now and has been very happy with her CI. I know it does NOT work for everyone so she was lucky to have a success with her CI.

Hope this helps, Kitty..I wasn't sure exactly what you were asking for.
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I am curious. Are your brother and his wife oral deaf or ASL signing Deaf? Pre-lingual or post-lingual deaf?
 
It can be good for SOME children to be implanted with a CI at an early age. I know one who wasn't happy with having a CI when turning 12, I think. That child complained about the mother forcing child to use the CI every day and child didn't want to, etc.
The child currently does do well with CI but is having a lot of trouble with understanding english -- through writing and reading. That person is nearly 17 and reading skills is really bad and doesn't understand captions on TV.
So, it varies from child to child on how well they fare with having a CI and that whether it does or doesn't have an impact on their education.

I have a CI myself and I know I got it at a late age, but I'm happy with it...the only downside to it is that I get headaches from it after using it for like 4 hours or so.
 
HelloKittyGal said:
I hope this goes away one day..never give up hope!
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Well, I've had the CI for a bit over 4 years now...hasn't changed much. Only if I have the sound on low and careful not to be exposed to extra-loud noises that'll trigger the headaches.
 
Reba said:
I am curious. Are your brother and his wife oral deaf or ASL signing Deaf? Pre-lingual or post-lingual deaf?
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Reba, we all were born deaf and raised using oral methods. We all picked up ASL in college years. I am more into deaf culture than they are though. They do sign alot but not fluently like me.

They got CI s at the same time too to help support their deaf daughter. My brother and sister didnt have that much success with CI like their daughter. It proved that it works better when implanted in children, not adults.
 
ah Another Ci thread (Grins)


I am one of those people who do not like CI's on Younger Children even Babies...I have my Reasons and I have said it in a few other CI's Thread...It is just the way I feel about it...;)
 
I am not sure that there are that many parents who force CI on deaf children just to make them 'normal.' I don't think they want children to be normal, but to give them the option to talk and hear.
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True...some parents are OK with letting the deaf kid be involved in Deaf culture and learning Sign....matter of fact the implantees are evenly divided between TCers and orals. (and many of the oral kids WILL pick up sign as a second language!) Oral language is a very valueable tool. (and I am very glad that I can hear and speak and parcipitate in the hearing world somewhat)
At the same time one of the "hooks" that organizations like AG Bell uses to corroll parents in, is rhetoric and language that seems to say that kids who are oral (don't use Sign at all) are "healthy and normal." (a form of ableism)
Pro-oral organizations seem to really capitalize on a hearing parent's grief at having a kid with a disabilty or a difference, and they really really push the "supoirotity" of oralism (aka audisim) One can be oral without being audist (eg exposing the dhh kid to both Sign and speech and letting the child choose which way they want to commuicate or not being snotty about not signing ) but the thing that I really dislike about organizations like AG Bell or Auditory-Verbal is that they push the audist version of oralism.
I encourage parents of newly dx kids to start Sign but at the same time take their dhh kid to auditory-verbal therapy or a speech therapist who is experianced in teaching dhh kids, or opt for a split placement (1/2 day at the local TC program and 1/2 day at the local oral program)
So, it varies from child to child on how well they fare with having a CI and that whether it does or doesn't have an impact on their education.
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Yes, it's very indivdualistic...just as with hearing aids. There are deaf people who are functionally hoh with hearing aids but there are deaf people who wear aids just to improve their speechreading or to help with enviromental noises. The same goes for CI. Even over at HealthyNormalExchange, they admit that sucess varies tremendously with CI, and that what counts as "sucess" for one person might not be a sucess for another person.
I am OK with some kids being implanted early on ( the population which doesn't get ANYTHING from hearing aids, like the kids with auditory nereopathy or kids whose coachlea has ossified. However in the cases where the child gets quite a bit of benifit from aids,(50%+) I think that the parents should wait until the child's a little older. I'm NOT advocating waiting til adulthood...I just think that it's a little too difficult to tell what and and how well a child hears with hearing aids, when they are very young. I also think that with a lot of the borderline cases, the kids could get adquate amplification from body worn aids or frequncy transponder aids.
 
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