Here's a good analogy...Remember when the Cox-2 inhibitors (Celebrex, Vioxx trademark names) hit the market? They were THE ANSWER for people with arthritic pain, right? Turns out, not so much. After being on the market a while we learn that there are also risks, potentially serious. Some people may take them forever and never experience these side effects...others, not so much.
The same with kids with CIs. Some may be mainstreamed and do quite well. Develop friendships, interact and excel academically. Hurray for them!! Others, not so much.
As data comes in, I think it will show that the ones doing so well are not the typical, mainstreamed students, but the overachievers. (Please do not attack me here, I also have one of those...sophomore, plans on attending Duke, becoming Interventional Radiologist)
When CIs first became popular, hearing people (and I am hearing) typically thought that by implanting a child you could make them a "hearing" child...Guess what?! You can, however, they are still deaf. They will always be different. (And, that's OK) But please do not tell me that because they are implanted they will now be the same/ form the same type of peer realtionships as their hearing classmates...I am witnessing this with my own eyes.