hearing aids or cochlear implants for my 5 year old please advise

rick48 said:
richard,

If you are considering the ci for your child and you have questions or are seeking information or support then please visit the ci circle it is populated by predominantly ci parents and no debates are allowed--just information and support!
Rick
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this is an excellent suggestion.
 
Deafteen90 said:
If you need any advise on which route to take with your 5 year old i recommend you contact your child's audiologist and maybe ask them if you can meet other kids with ci and hearing aids and see for yourself what it will be like
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I agrees with deafteen! I think u should meet other kids with ci, hearing aids, and deaf who dont use ci/hearing aids. All of three. Maybe easier for you to decide to pick which match ur daughter.
 
Richard how is it going buddy ?

I am sure you are being pushed and pulled. Keep in mind, a CI dont make a deaf child a hearing child. The chil will always have to deal with a hearing loss either way.

Since the holidays is coming up , enjoy the time with your child and family. Put the CI / HA decision aside till next year. Enjoy your family and Christmas !!!
 
It's a tough choice to make, and it takes a lot of deep thought, research and more research. But, whatever choice you do make, she will know it was made with love and nothing but concern for her.
As others have said, she will still be deaf, either way, and as long as you nurture that side, she won't lose touch with the d/Deaf community. Encourage her to keep up with her signing if you choose the implant as there are times she will still use it (swimming, bath/shower or just when she gets tired of wearing it at the end of the day, plus communicating with her friends she signs with now).
 
from what weve heard from people on here and people from our local area it seems most people that have had the implants have improved with there hearing and most of them have also improved there speach, looks like we made the right decision for her :D
 
amanda-jane said:
from what weve heard from people on here and people from our local area it seems most people that have had the implants have improved with there hearing and most of them have also improved there speach, looks like we made the right decision for her :D
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Thats fantastic, and wish you all the best of luck. do keep us updated.
 
Well hello Richard.. my name is Rosie and I have a daughter that's 3 1/2 yrs almost.. and she has a CI. She was born with a severe to profound hearing loss and they told us that the CI was the best thing for her because that way she would learn how to talk and not use sign language. So we stopped signing to her and got her in auditory verbal therapy(A.V) for like a year and half now.. I have to say that that hasn't worked for my daughter she's not speaking, she can only say "mama" "papa" "more milk" "bye" "no" not many words as you can see. So right now I have enrolled my daughter in preschool at this sign language elementary and I wish I had thaught her how to sign from the very beginning because now i dont have no communication with her since she doesnt understand sign language and she cant talk either. I personally think that the right choice is always have a type of communication no matter if its talking or signing.. I also have a 1 yr old son who's getting his CI on Jan 8 but with him we're going to start signing from the start ..(we sign to him now) even if they do never talk at least they'll have some access to sounds. I know audiologist will say to drop the signs but they cant guarantee they will learn how to talk because my daughter didnt. i dont even what her favorite color is.. Well Richard I hope my experience have helped u make a decision.. Just remember u cant return time
 
looks like were having the implants done , not sure if its gonna be for the best in the long run but been convinced its for the best now... opp date 18-03-09
 
These audiologists who r telling parents not to use sign language with their deaf children should have their licenses suspended or revoked. It is not in the realm of their profession to make advices about deaf children's language development like that. That's unethical but yet, they get away with it. :roll:
 
shel90 said:
These audiologists who r telling parents not to use sign language with their deaf children should have their licenses suspended or revoked. It is not in the realm of their profession to make advices about deaf children's language development like that. That's unethical but yet, they get away with it. :roll:
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I agree completely.
 
Most audiologists will say " get the CI" more money for them. Do your own research and make your own choices. Ask people you trust their opinons. ( dont't take the audiologist word for it ). And yes use sign language with whatever choice you make. It helps the child to develop language faster and feel more self confident.
 
SouthFella said:
Most audiologists will say " get the CI" more money for them. Do your own research and make your own choices. Ask people you trust their opinons. ( dont't take the audiologist word for it ). And yes use sign language with whatever choice you make. It helps the child to develop language faster and feel more self confident.
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CI centers lose thosands of dollars per CI. No one is promotting it to make money.
 
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faire_jour said:
There have been centers that have gone out of buisness. The average center loses $6000 per implant.

Check out this site:What Does Health Insurance Pay for Cochlear Implants?
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Well, let's look at this from another perspective. Just because an insurance company doesn't pay fee for service, but rather on a fixed amount as set by the insurance company doesn't mean that the clinic is loosing money. Clinics intentionally build into their fees a cushion, knowing that an insurance company is going to pay on a fixed schedule set by the insurance company. They bill the insurance company for their total fee, knowing already that there will be a big cut, and then a percentage paid after that cut is made.

For example, if an insurance company has a set fee of $50.00 for a particular procedure, and they pay 80% of the allowable fixed fee, and the doctor bills for $75.00 as their standard fee for that procedure, then the insurance company pays $40.00, leaving a patient balance after insurance of $10.00. Some doctors will tell you that they are accepting the insurance company's figures, leaving you to assume that they are discounting the $25.00. However, that $25.00 is later written off as a loss on their taxes. Or they can accept the $40.00 from the insurance company, and then bill the patient for the $35.00. Either way, they get their full fee, and their fee has been set knowing that the vast majority of insurance companies have a set allowable for any procedure.

Trust me, they aren't loosing money, or they would not continue to promote the procedure the way they do. Health care in the U.S. demands a profit, or the company cannot stay in business. In addition...do you know the amount the clinic paid the manufacturerer for the CI? That amount has been marked up a considerable amount before the patient is billed.
 
I am experience remove implant. I have happy be better less headache really lucky for me. I am happy I lucky I alive. my doctor told me I am lucky because go to doctor me i am frustrated I don't like cochlear implant
 
SouthFella said:
Most audiologists will say " get the CI" more money for them. Do your own research and make your own choices. Ask people you trust their opinons. ( dont't take the audiologist word for it ). And yes use sign language with whatever choice you make. It helps the child to develop language faster and feel more self confident.
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cant really trust anyones advice, dctors dont know her as the ones that recomended ci only met her once or twice so im just going with what her dad thinks is right and having it done
 
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smithtr said:
I am experience remove implant. I have happy be better less headache really lucky for me. I am happy I lucky I alive. my doctor told me I am lucky because go to doctor me i am frustrated I don't like cochlear implant
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why didnt you like the implants ?
 
amanda-jane said:
why didnt you like the implants ?
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The implant was causing more trouble than it was worth for smithr. Mind you, this is of those rare cases that it was just causing a lot of problems with his headaches. He also has other medical issues. So, he opted to have surgery to remove it.
 
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