I have three children. My oldest is hearing. My youngest son is deaf but we didn't find out til he was almost two. He got an implant a few months ago. I went ahead with the decision because everyone we know is hearing and we wanted him to have the opportunity to hear and sign both. Now, I just had a baby girl a few weeks ago and they think she may be deaf as well. My problem?.....her father wouldn't want her to get a CI. Obviously the deafness is genetic somehow, just not sure from where. Any opinions on what you would do. Would you implant both kids? Let them both just be deaf and take implant off my son? OR Just let my son wear implant and let my daughter not hear? I feel like me and my husband are in a huge squabble in this. I am avidly learning sign language so I feel that sign language and CI will give them an opportunity of both. Perhaps I am wrong?
2 deaf kids --- ci's???
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jillio
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I most certainly agree with your decision to learn sign and to expose both of your children to sign and speech both. This is the optimal way toinsure that they will not experience difficulties in language, it will increase their educational success, and it will allow them to develop without delays. Please, by all means, continue to do this no matter what decision you make on the CI.
Regarding the implantation....that is a personal decision that must be resolved between you and your husband. Good luck.
AWESOME!!!!! Are you hooked up with the Oregon School for the Deaf or any regional Deaf ed programs? Are you a member of The American Society for Deaf Children?
Why wouldn't your husband want your daughter implanted? Has your son not been responding well with his CI? It's possible that she might not need implants. Some deaf kids respond well with just HAs. Also don't panic. It's important to get kids implanted relatively early..........BUT, it does seem like they make it seem like if you don't get your child implanted ASAP, they won't suceed as well. Just remember that until recently the gross majority of dhh kids weren't dx as dhh until they were toddlers (two or three)
R2D2
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I think we can all give our opinion of what we would do in your situation but it may not be the right answer for you and your husband. I would suggest marriage counselling so that you can come to a decision you can both agree to. Personally, I'm fine with parents who choose an implant for their child and with parents who go the sign only language route, as long as they meet all their child's educational and social needs.
It may be that your daughter will not qualify for a CI and may be fine with a hearing aid. As you know, CIs are only recommended for those with significant hearing losses.
Cloggy
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Welcome to AllDeaf,
I am the father of a girl that was born deaf.
Our decision make it possible for Lotte to hear was, among other things, based on a hearing family. Because, deafness is not something that only affects the deaf person; it affects the family, friends and the outside world.
Lotte is doing very well with her CI. (See for yourself) and even though we cannot compare it to a situation where the deaf child cannot hear, Lotte is fully integrated in the kindergarten and with other friends as we wished for her.
But in your case, you might want to find out why your husband is thinking like this. Has he met deaf children that cannot hear and seen how well they do. Has he seen deaf children with CI that do not function well.
I suppose he was in on the decision for your first child, so why is he changing his mind now. (Or is the father not the father of the first two children?)
It's good to think about these kind of decisions, but I feel that your husband has reasons that you don't know about - yet..
In the mean time, make sure you communicate with your newborn. YOu'll love to sign to her, and be amazed at how fast she will start signing back... It's great!
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Herzlich Willkommen in AD 
First of all, I am glad that you decide to moviate your both deaf children with sign and speech languages.
Have you talk to your husband why he decided to not want to have CI for his daughter when his son already have one? Is CI work pretty good on your son?
First of all, I am glad that you decide to moviate your both deaf children with sign and speech languages.
Have you talk to your husband why he decided to not want to have CI for his daughter when his son already have one? Is CI work pretty good on your son?
Welcome ! You are going the right way with sign language. It is good for the child to get language as soon as possible. It also is good to have in case the CI fails. I am curious about his reason for his refusal of the second CI.
First congratulations on the birth of your daughter.
Secondly while I agree that using sign at this time is good I'd also wait to see just how accurate the ABR is. Discussion of options can come as time goes by. She may have just a moderate loss and do well with HA's.
As for the choice to implant or not. Since her older brother is implanted perhaps it would be best to give her the same oppertunity to hear as he has, if she qualifies for a CI. If he hadn't already had a CI it'd be different, but he does and why should one get the oppertunity to hear and the other not? JMO of course.
But by all means sign to both.
Welcome to AD, I think that's great that you're using signs with your children. I do think total communication (sign and speech) should be the route that hearing parents should use with their deaf child.
As far as cochlear implant goes, the decision is yours to make not anyone else in here, but I do hope you will continuing using signs no matter if it is not even in needed anymore.
As far as cochlear implant goes, the decision is yours to make not anyone else in here, but I do hope you will continuing using signs no matter if it is not even in needed anymore.
Hi 
welcome to Alldeaf...
I absolutely agree with your decision on learning and teaching your children sign language as along with spoken language too...I'm also glad that you and your husband made the decision together on implanting your son with CI, I know it wasn't an easy decision but I'm glad you both gave him an opportunity to hear again, there's nothing wrong of wanted a child to hear but however for your daughter ( btw Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!!
) that's something you and your husband alone needs to be discuss together by making an decision on whether or not to implant her too, have you both talked to an audiologist yet? to see if there's any other opportunity to help her such as wearing hearing aids? or as if she is qualify for a CI ? also I would like to know how is your son doing with his CI? any improvements? is there something your husband sees in his son that he doesn't want to see in his daughter too?...
...but however I truly can understand this isn't quite as easy for you both, but hang in there and do what you both thinks is best for your own children....
I'm looking forward hearing from you again, and wish you and your husband the best!
...
welcome to Alldeaf...I absolutely agree with your decision on learning and teaching your children sign language as along with spoken language too...I'm also glad that you and your husband made the decision together on implanting your son with CI, I know it wasn't an easy decision but I'm glad you both gave him an opportunity to hear again, there's nothing wrong of wanted a child to hear but however for your daughter ( btw Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!!
) that's something you and your husband alone needs to be discuss together by making an decision on whether or not to implant her too, have you both talked to an audiologist yet? to see if there's any other opportunity to help her such as wearing hearing aids? or as if she is qualify for a CI ? also I would like to know how is your son doing with his CI? any improvements? is there something your husband sees in his son that he doesn't want to see in his daughter too?......but however I truly can understand this isn't quite as easy for you both, but hang in there and do what you both thinks is best for your own children....I'm looking forward hearing from you again, and wish you and your husband the best!
...Good point jag! Part of the reason why I'm somewhat not gung ho about implants in babies is that even with the technolgy its very difficult to gague hearing issues, accuratly. Yes, there are some kids who absolutly positively need it, and that's great that they have the CI.
I know of kids who tested as profound on ABR, but then on more tradtional audiotremy they tested as more hoh losses.
Think positive please...
Cloggy
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You're right, sorry. There's pleny of time..
jillio
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Yes, there is plenty of time. This is a parent who has come here looking for support, and rather than attempting to influence her decision, we should be supporting her as she goes through this difficult processs. To rush a parent into a decision does not best serve the parent or the child. As long as her child is in an environment that permits communication, and quite obviously she is, her child's needs are being met.
LTHFAdvocate
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Several points as someone who works at an otology practice but this obviously is not medical advice.
Even if your husband changed his mind tomorrow, it would be 11 months minimum before your daughter could receive an implant. So think about what you can do in those 11 months, like hearing aid trials, more diagnostic testing to confirm the loss level, and signing. Although some people think this is still somewhat controversial, I would seriously consider genetic testing, especially for Connexin 26. Knowing what genetic source is at work with your children would likely assist with your daughter's long term hearing prognosis, even before the hearing test results came back. If the basic genetic testing comes back negative, then a CT scan looking for enlarged vestibular aqueducts might be in order.
People frequently use the term ABR to mean generically a "sedated infant hearing test" There is actually a much better test than the ABR called an ASSR.
The information from an ASSR examination provides nearly all of the same information generated by an ABR examination, and several types of additional information as well. An ASSR examination can present a broader range of sound with a maximum of up to 120 dB, as opposed to the 90 dB limit of the ABR examination. Therefore, the ASSR examination is the only test that can reliably answer the question "how profound is the loss?" Secondly, the ASSR can provide more detailed results with respect to specific frequencies of the hearing loss. This is extremely important because hearing loss curves are not always flat and often have some type of slope, either downward, upward, or a combination of the two. Having more specific information about the level of hearing loss associated with each frequency is indispensable in selecting a treatment, and programming devices.
Hope this helps
Sheri
Even if your husband changed his mind tomorrow, it would be 11 months minimum before your daughter could receive an implant. So think about what you can do in those 11 months, like hearing aid trials, more diagnostic testing to confirm the loss level, and signing. Although some people think this is still somewhat controversial, I would seriously consider genetic testing, especially for Connexin 26. Knowing what genetic source is at work with your children would likely assist with your daughter's long term hearing prognosis, even before the hearing test results came back. If the basic genetic testing comes back negative, then a CT scan looking for enlarged vestibular aqueducts might be in order.
People frequently use the term ABR to mean generically a "sedated infant hearing test" There is actually a much better test than the ABR called an ASSR.
The information from an ASSR examination provides nearly all of the same information generated by an ABR examination, and several types of additional information as well. An ASSR examination can present a broader range of sound with a maximum of up to 120 dB, as opposed to the 90 dB limit of the ABR examination. Therefore, the ASSR examination is the only test that can reliably answer the question "how profound is the loss?" Secondly, the ASSR can provide more detailed results with respect to specific frequencies of the hearing loss. This is extremely important because hearing loss curves are not always flat and often have some type of slope, either downward, upward, or a combination of the two. Having more specific information about the level of hearing loss associated with each frequency is indispensable in selecting a treatment, and programming devices.
Hope this helps
Sheri
Cloggy, for crying out loud................I am NOT advocating waiting til the kid is older. Early intervention IS important. But a lot of the doctors and experts make it seem like if you don't intervene IMMEDIATLY, the kid will end up not acheiving all that much. Hey, until recently a lot of dhh kids didn't get dx until they were toddlers.
rick48
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What ever you do, do not stop using sign with your children. Likewise, why would you stop using the ci for son? Also are either or both of your children receiving spoken language therapy? Your questions are really personal ones that you and your husband are going to have to resolve.
Good luck,
Rick
I'm speechless.
Audiofuzzy
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Why speechless? Rick was never against SL. nor Cloggy, nor me.
Fuzzy
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