Hoh child of hearing parents.

[Lysander]

Give them everything!!!! ASL is a great second language for HOH kids.. Doesn't Harrisburg have a Deaf ed program? Basicly tell her to look into everything!

That's basically what I've been telling her. I think learning ASL would be beneficial even if she does decide on the BAHA. Harrisburg has almost no ASL education programs. It's sad. The local community college has a non-credit ASL 1 class. And they are just getting an ASL 2 started this coming spring. She has her kids in early intervention, but that's only for emergent situations. After they start school she will be able to do classes and other things through the intermediate unit in her county...but for now she can't get much assistance. And there really aren't many options as far as learning opportunities in this area.

 

[Tristen]

I can't stress enough to your friend how important doing her OWN research is. She is going to be told so many conflicting things, from so many different people, whether ENTs, audiologists, Deaf adults, Deaf school mentors, the list goes on and on. The best thing she can do is just her own research, and there's a ton out there. I read a lot of long term studies on kids with CIs, deaf kids without aids, deaf adults. I lurked on websites like this for months and months, trying to get a sense of the CI debate, ASL, TC, oralism, etc.

Doctors fundamentally think deafness is something to be cured. They're always going to be on that side of the fence. I was recently at my daughter's audiologist appointment (over 3 hours away too!) and they had a poster comparing a child growing up deaf compared to with hearing aids/CIs. It was total BS. But that's their world, they want to "fix" everything. At the end of the day, the audiologist isn't her only resource. Like the other posters said, there are so many other resources out there. Only when she decides what she wants to do, should she go to the audiologist. And when they push speech and spoken language and tell her to not teach ASL, she needs to say, Thanks for the info, I'll make my own decision. And be done with it. They don't matter, in the bigger picture of what she needs to worry about for her daughter.

 

[zeefour]

Well why can't they use the BAHA on a strap until they're old enough for surgery?

Yep it can. Sorry i wasnt clear. I know one problem people have with the CI is having a super invasive surgery on babies. BAHA is lesd invasive and the surgery cant be performed until age 5 minimum. Younger children (and even older i tried it with a headband pre surgery) can still benefit from using it without surgery.

 

[Tristen]

I'll play devil's advocate here. My daughter has CIs, and while I'm not minimizing surgery on a baby, she rebounded and healed tremendously well. I know not all cases are like that, but she was back to her happy, walking, playing self that same night after the surgery, albeit a little calmer and sleepy. She was 12 months, to the day, with her first implant, and 14 months with the second. The ENT used a facial nerve monitor to ensure he kept clear of it, as paralysis of the implanted side of the face is a risk, a very scary one. She has half-moon scars behind her ears, one's a little more wobbly than the other; I assume its because the ENT had a better hand on one side versus the other, like all of us. Her hair's growing back and covering the scars, though. Her surgeries were on a Friday and we were back to daycare and work by Monday. They're babies, they heal incredibly fast. Its unfortunate she couldn't tell us if she was in pain or had headaches or anything, but we gave her a small dose of liquid painkiller the first and second day, and regular children's Tylenol by Sunday. She nursed at the time, so I know that helped a lot with the comfort and her sleeping soundly.

If your friend wants to reach out directly to me, please let her know she can. PM me, email, facebook, whatever.

We did lots of research on both sides of the debate with her CIs. We are firm believers in ASL and deaf integration for her. The CIs are just a tool and when she's had enough for the day, we take them off and don't force her to wear them. There are some moms that INSIST their babes wear them 24/7; that's not us. If she decides not to wear them when she's older, that's fine with us, too. Its her body, her life. BUT, that being said, by waiting and not doing the surgery when she's pre-lingual, success rates plummet and while the kids make their own decision to get them when they're older, a lot of kids aren't happy and don't wear them, then they're a waste. CIs are much more effective and a valuable tool when the child is implanted before they acquire speech and while their brain is still developing. By not doing it before 3 years old and letting the kid decide when they're older, you are essentially making the decision for them.

All that being said, I can't stress enough, again, how important it is for her to do her own research.

 

[zeefour]

I'll play devil's advocate here. My daughter has CIs, and while I'm not minimizing surgery on a baby, she rebounded and healed tremendously well. I know not all cases are like that, but she was back to her happy, walking, playing self that same night after the surgery, albeit a little calmer and sleepy. She was 12 months, to the day, with her first implant, and 14 months with the second. The ENT used a facial nerve monitor to ensure he kept clear of it, as paralysis of the implanted side of the face is a risk, a very scary one. She has half-moon scars behind her ears, one's a little more wobbly than the other; I assume its because the ENT had a better hand on one side versus the other, like all of us. Her hair's growing back and covering the scars, though. Her surgeries were on a Friday and we were back to daycare and work by Monday. They're babies, they heal incredibly fast. Its unfortunate she couldn't tell us if she was in pain or had headaches or anything, but we gave her a small dose of liquid painkiller the first and second day, and regular children's Tylenol by Sunday. She nursed at the time, so I know that helped a lot with the comfort and her sleeping soundly.

If your friend wants to reach out directly to me, please let her know she can. PM me, email, facebook, whatever.

We did lots of research on both sides of the debate with her CIs. We are firm believers in ASL and deaf integration for her. The CIs are just a tool and when she's had enough for the day, we take them off and don't force her to wear them. There are some moms that INSIST their babes wear them 24/7; that's not us. If she decides not to wear them when she's older, that's fine with us, too. Its her body, her life. BUT, that being said, by waiting and not doing the surgery when she's pre-lingual, success rates plummet and while the kids make their own decision to get them when they're older, a lot of kids aren't happy and don't wear them, then they're a waste. CIs are much more effective and a valuable tool when the child is implanted before they acquire speech and while their brain is still developing. By not doing it before 3 years old and letting the kid decide when they're older, you are essentially making the decision for them.

All that being said, I can't stress enough, again, how important it is for her to do her own research.

Great story thank you so much for sharing! I don't want to sound anti-CI I'm definitely not. It's an individual choice between doctors and the parents, it's just important to get all the info. I think as long as CIs aren't forced as the only option and kids are prevented from learning sign or other ways to best communicate, CIs can definitely be the best choice for some children.