Peer Relationships of Children With Cochlear Implants

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shel90 said:
I just want more mainstreamed programs to value and understand these deaf children's deaf needs and teach them about Deaf culture especially the history behind it and the role models. I never knew ANYTHING about the history of Deaf culture or been taught that there were many great Deaf role models. All of the history and role model that were taught to me were all hearing-based so I felt I was going to grow up so dependent on others cuz of my deafness.

That is all I want...the respect and sensitivity to deaf children's deaf needs and ASL.
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Exactly. If the mainstream was providing what these kids needed, it would be a whole 'nother story.
 
JennyB said:
I am not against cochlear implants for children. Never said I was. Unless you are assuming because I don't have one I am against it.

I can slip into the hearing world very easily if that is what I wish to do. I can speech read, and speak very well. My oral skills are amazing actually. Just because I have them doesn't mean I want to always use them. I prefer ASL for myself and that is my choice. I don't force that on the families I work with. Nor do I tell them no to go the CI route.

I am actually with a family right now who has a son with a profound hearing loss. He is 7 and his first language is ASL. He was in intensive AVT and it wasn't working so they recently dropped it as it only made him miserable. Now he will be starting in a local deaf school in the fall. They just had a second child, two weeks ago, and she is also profoundly deaf. When the parents asked me about cochlear implants I told them that as long as they implanted early and commited to the therapy. Of course ASL will be a part of her life because that is her brothers method of communication. When they asked me about implanting him I was honest and said it may not be worth it now that he is 7 and clearly has chosen ASL as his method of communication.

I work with another family that has two kids with CI's and the mother has a CI her self. I do only spoken language development with the kids and we do not sign at all. I am open to anything as long as the child isn't jeopardy. Parents are biased. They are always biased, it is impossible not to be. I am lucky to have families that realise that and let the workers communicate with one another and let the workers go to meetings at the school, with SLP's, audies and all other professionals. It is the only way we can work as a team and get the best possible thing for the children. I hate the parents that are dictators and think they know best. Those are the ones who really don't. You know the old saying that it takes a villiage to raise a child...
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Another well stated post!
 
JennyB said:
I am not against cochlear implants for children. Never said I was. Unless you are assuming because I don't have one I am against it.

I can slip into the hearing world very easily if that is what I wish to do. I can speech read, and speak very well. My oral skills are amazing actually. Just because I have them doesn't mean I want to always use them. I prefer ASL for myself and that is my choice. I don't force that on the families I work with. Nor do I tell them no to go the CI route.

I am actually with a family right now who has a son with a profound hearing loss. He is 7 and his first language is ASL. He was in intensive AVT and it wasn't working so they recently dropped it as it only made him miserable. Now he will be starting in a local deaf school in the fall. They just had a second child, two weeks ago, and she is also profoundly deaf. When the parents asked me about cochlear implants I told them that as long as they implanted early and commited to the therapy. Of course ASL will be a part of her life because that is her brothers method of communication. When they asked me about implanting him I was honest and said it may not be worth it now that he is 7 and clearly has chosen ASL as his method of communication.

I work with another family that has two kids with CI's and the mother has a CI her self. I do only spoken language development with the kids and we do not sign at all. I am open to anything as long as the child isn't jeopardy. Parents are biased. They are always biased, it is impossible not to be. I am lucky to have families that realise that and let the workers communicate with one another and let the workers go to meetings at the school, with SLP's, audies and all other professionals. It is the only way we can work as a team and get the best possible thing for the children. I hate the parents that are dictators and think they know best. Those are the ones who really don't. You know the old saying that it takes a villiage to raise a child...
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:gpost:
 
JennyB said:
I am not against cochlear implants for children. Never said I was. Unless you are assuming because I don't have one I am against it.

I can slip into the hearing world very easily if that is what I wish to do. I can speech read, and speak very well. My oral skills are amazing actually. Just because I have them doesn't mean I want to always use them. I prefer ASL for myself and that is my choice. I don't force that on the families I work with. Nor do I tell them no to go the CI route.

I am actually with a family right now who has a son with a profound hearing loss. He is 7 and his first language is ASL. He was in intensive AVT and it wasn't working so they recently dropped it as it only made him miserable. Now he will be starting in a local deaf school in the fall. They just had a second child, two weeks ago, and she is also profoundly deaf. When the parents asked me about cochlear implants I told them that as long as they implanted early and commited to the therapy. Of course ASL will be a part of her life because that is her brothers method of communication. When they asked me about implanting him I was honest and said it may not be worth it now that he is 7 and clearly has chosen ASL as his method of communication.

I work with another family that has two kids with CI's and the mother has a CI her self. I do only spoken language development with the kids and we do not sign at all. I am open to anything as long as the child isn't jeopardy. Parents are biased. They are always biased, it is impossible not to be. I am lucky to have families that realise that and let the workers communicate with one another and let the workers go to meetings at the school, with SLP's, audies and all other professionals. It is the only way we can work as a team and get the best possible thing for the children. I hate the parents that are dictators and think they know best. Those are the ones who really don't. You know the old saying that it takes a villiage to raise a child...
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What is your line of work?
 
deafdyke said:
Neither am I. I think that there should be a continuum of placements from straight mainstream with minimal accomondations to residental schooling.
Yes, it's good to say "Oh I think that kids should be raised by their families"
But not every family structure is "healthy"....there are tons of dysfunctional families out there. Not nessarily social services involvement dysfunctional.....but there are still many dysfunctional families where it might be better if kids went away to school.
I am just saying that I disagree with the attitude that mainstream school (ie regular classes, regualr school) is the best for ALL kids with disabilties.
It's too one size fits all.
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Also not every family is unhealthy. Just because they choose to raise a child differently then you believe, does not make them dysfunctional. Many families are just doing the best they can. Believe it or not, many parents really love their children and want what is best for them.
 
vallee said:
What is your line of work?
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I am a support worker so my role differs from family to family. However, most of the time I am brought in to work on language development and life skills. I work closely with the audiologists, SLP's, OT's, PT's, and other professionals to ensure that therapy is being continued properly in the home. I also have set up programs for language development in more of a play therapy style and followed them through with other support workers/professionals.

I don't only work with kids with hearing loss. I also work with autism, downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, ADHD, ODD, and anything else you can think of.

I work in the families home, in schools, and in the community.

I hope that makes sense :D
 
JennyB said:
I am a support worker so my role differs from family to family. However, most of the time I am brought in to work on language development and life skills. I work closely with the audiologists, SLP's, OT's, PT's, and other professionals to ensure that therapy is being continued properly in the home. I also have set up programs for language development in more of a play therapy style and followed them through with other support workers/professionals.

I don't only work with kids with hearing loss. I also work with autism, downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, ADHD, ODD, and anything else you can think of.

I work in the families home, in schools, and in the community.

I hope that makes sense :D
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That sounds like very interesting work. Parents need a professional to assist with all the mountains of people they work with.
 
vallee said:
Also not every family is unhealthy. Just because they choose to raise a child differently then you believe, does not make them dysfunctional. Many families are just doing the best they can. Believe it or not, many parents really love their children and want what is best for them.
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And believing they are doing what's best does not make them any less dysfunctional, either.

Just ask any deaf individual who was raised in an "oral only" environment because their parents thought it was "best" for the child. Then make a list of all the dysfunction they tell you about.
 
vallee said:
That sounds like very interesting work. Parents need a professional to assist with all the mountains of people they work with.
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It's so true! In meetings with the professionals I am there to fight for what the child needs, and to provide moral support to the parents. Some support workers work only with the children. I work with the whole family and the whole community that works with the child. I will go to school with the kids when they have a new EA and ease transitions, I will go with the kids to new doctors and other professionals. It is my job to support them and the parents through transitions, and therapies to ensure the growth and well being of the child and the whole family.

I love it!
 
jillio said:
And believing they are doing what's best does not make them any less dysfunctional, either.

Just ask any deaf individual who was raised in an "oral only" environment because their parents thought it was "best" for the child. Then make a list of all the dysfunction they tell you about.
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I don't know that I agree that any deaf individual raised "oral only" has had issues. In fact I have seen comments from some members of this board state otherwise. My knowledge in this area may be limited but I have conducted a fair amount of personal research and have listened to both sides of this issue and I am left with the conclusion that it's not as cut and dry as some may lead you to believe. As I have said many times ... One size does not fit all. While the oral only approach has caused problems in some there are others that would not have it any other way and have stated they are happy they were raised that way. So perhaps it's in the approach. :dunno:
 
rockdrummer said:
I don't know that I agree that any deaf individual raised "oral only" has had issues. In fact I have seen comments from some members of this board state otherwise. My knowledge in this area may be limited but I have conducted a fair amount of personal research and have listened to both sides of this issue and I am left with the conclusion that it's not as cut and dry as some may lead you to believe. As I have said many times ... One size does not fit all. While the oral only approach has caused problems in some there are others that would not have it any other way and have stated they are happy they were raised that way. So perhaps it's in the approach. :dunno:
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Well, oral only is oral only, and that in and of itself, for a deaf individual, is limiting. And when we talk about difficulties, you have to look across domains. I've yet to find a single one, even on this board, that has not suffered negative consequences in at least one domain that can be traced back to their linguistic environment.
 
And believing they are doing what's best does not make them any less dysfunctional, either.

Just ask any deaf individual who was raised in an "oral only" environment because their parents thought it was "best" for the child. Then make a list of all the dysfunction they tell you about.
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Thank you jillo!
 
jillio said:
And believing they are doing what's best does not make them any less dysfunctional, either.

Just ask any deaf individual who was raised in an "oral only" environment because their parents thought it was "best" for the child. Then make a list of all the dysfunction they tell you about.
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I am one of them and numerous of my deaf friends who grew up in an "oral-only" environement feel the same too. My and their parents thought it was the "best" for us when it was actually the "worst". Sure, we lied to our parents saying we were happy and didnt need to learn sign language. It was cuz we were ashamed of our deafness and didnt want to stand out being different. So, our parents were fooled big time. My mom was shocked when I told her my decision of moving to DC from AZ to go to Gallaudet University. She didnt understand why I wanted to go to a Deaf college when there were other universitites nearby. After 2 years of being at Gallaudet and discovering the Deaf community, she could see how happy I was finally and started to understand that it was something I desperately needed because I was living a life of constant frustration and isolation among my hearing peers. She told me that she regrets making the decision she has made and was very sorry for it.

I havent met a deaf person who said they are glad not to have ASL growing up. I would say 95% of them would have liked to have BOTH while the other 5% couldnt care less about having oral skills. I am one of the 95%. Why was I denied exposure to ASL and to Deaf culture??? Cuz I could speak well? I guess that was my "punishment" then. Yes, I am very bitter about it cuz my life was pure hell and I didnt get a well-rounded education. Yes, my English skills are good but there are a lot of other skills I lacked growing up which could have helped me a lot in college and as an adult. All of my hearing peers/friends had already developed those skills but not my best friend (another oral deaf) and I and who gave the so-called "professionals" the right to deny us equal access to language, communication, and education?????

U ask me why I feel so strongly about giving all deaf children the opportunity of both ..this is YOUR answer!!
 
jillio said:
And believing they are doing what's best does not make them any less dysfunctional, either.

Just ask any deaf individual who was raised in an "oral only" environment because their parents thought it was "best" for the child. Then make a list of all the dysfunction they tell you about.
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Just because a parent chose to raise their child in any other way then you have, they are dysfunctional. Sorry no game here. Alldeaf includes a small group of deaf individuals, not a majority.
 
shel90 said:
I am one of them and numerous of my deaf friends who grew up in an "oral-only" environement feel the same too. My and their parents thought it was the "best" for us when it was actually the "worst". Sure, we lied to our parents saying we were happy and didnt need to learn sign language. It was cuz we were ashamed of our deafness and didnt want to stand out being different. So, our parents were fooled big time. My mom was shocked when I told her my decision of moving to DC from AZ to go to Gallaudet University. She didnt understand why I wanted to go to a Deaf college when there were other universitites nearby. After 2 years of being at Gallaudet and discovering the Deaf community, she could see how happy I was finally and started to understand that it was something I desperately needed because I was living a life of constant frustration and isolation among my hearing peers. She told me that she regrets making the decision she has made and was very sorry for it.

I havent met a deaf person who said they are glad not to have ASL growing up. I would say 95% of them would have liked to have BOTH while the other 5% couldnt care less about having oral skills. I am one of the 95%. Why was I denied exposure to ASL and to Deaf culture??? Cuz I could speak well? I guess that was my "punishment" then. Yes, I am very bitter about it cuz my life was pure hell and I didnt get a well-rounded education. Yes, my English skills are good but there are a lot of other skills I lacked growing up which could have helped me a lot in college and as an adult. All of my hearing peers/friends had already developed those skills but not my best friend (another oral deaf) and I and who gave the so-called "professionals" the right to deny us equal access to language, communication, and education?????

U ask me why I feel so strongly about giving all deaf children the opportunity of both ..this is YOUR answer!!
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Another good example of the parent's perspective being very, very different from the child's perspective. That is exactly why the study cited is so limited. The self report is completed by the hearing parent, not the deaf child.
 
vallee said:
Just because a parent chose to raise their child in any other way then you have, they are dysfunctional. Sorry no game here. Alldeaf includes a small group of deaf individuals, not a majority.
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Those are your words, not mine. Dysfunction is decided on many more criteria than a difference in philosophy. But for a parent to expect a child to adapt to the parent, rather than the parent taking the adult role and adapting to the child, is most definately dysfunctional.

Likewise with a parent who refuses to recognize a child's attempts at communication because they involve gesture, or a partent who covers their mouth or turns their head in the name of AVT so that their child is denied the visual cues they so desperately need for understanding. That, as well, is done in the name of "what's best for the child." Just like their are parents who beat thier children in the name of what's best.
 
[Mod's Edit - Previous quote removed]

Where I work at, we do not allow anyone to force the kids to take their CIs off...that's silly and unethical.

Funny, at my school the kids who dont have CIs want them to be like their friends with CIs. I dont see any rejection going on simply because one has a CI. Maybe rejection for different kinds of social skills or language delays...but hearing kids reject deaf kids for being different so it happens at the hearing schools too. It is EVERYWHERE and it is our job to educate these kids not to discriminate.

Watch the movie "The Freedom Writers"...it is a true story about high school kids rejecting each other simply because of race.
 
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I can see that some people have a hatred of or look down on deaf schools. I guess that is gonna happen cuz of the stigma attached to it.

If u, haters, can come to the deaf school and observe with your own eyes and judge for yourselves instead of relying on a 3rd party.

Pinky...I am sorry that u had a bad experience and that is why things are much much stricter nowadays to ensure that no more children are being hurt. Not only at deaf schools but at public schools too hence all the background checks and so on, on...
 
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