faire_jour
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
- Messages
- 7,188
- Reaction score
- 3
My daughter has been wearing HAs since she was 4 months, in speech therapy since 5 months and has been doing auditory-verbal therapy since 6 months. She has been, and will continue to be, given every opportunity to speak other than CI. There's nothing that says she can't still speak. She's only 2, a very stubborn and independent 2 at that.
Right now, she is signing and developing beautifully.
I just don't think spoken language is important enough to warrant something as invasive as CI implantation.
I just think that the ability to communicate freely in all circustances, is worthwhile.
You clearly state that she is already delayed in her spoken language, at only age 2, after tons of intervention. That shows that she isn't able to access and use spoken language via her hearing aids. Why leave her unable to? Why not give her more? She is only going to get further behind as normal language grows. Can she catch up? Maybe. Most don't.
I am not saying that you shouldn't focus on ASL. I think is it far more important to give accessable language, right from the start. But to NOT give a CI IS making the decision to disallow easier, clearer listening ability. Don't kid yourself and believe it is a decision that can be made later. If you wait you are absolutly making it a much longer, harder struggle, by choice.