Support or Against Cochlear Implants

[BradB08]

Faire Jour is a rare parent that sees the benefit in both, and does not accept the professional's recommendations that she stop signing with her daughter when she is implanted.

Exactly and people need to learn to not take things so seriously.

 

[jillio]

Exactly what I was thinking. I knew it was going to come to this: a debate between CI's and communication, as has just about every other CI / HA / Communication thread here. I even said this on page 1. I did not vote because I am not pro-CI, against CI, even neutral. As far as I'm concerned, it is a PERSONAL choice for every adult, and a parental choice for parents making this decision for their child. What language adaption that comes after (or even before, or during) a CI decision is an entirely different issue. As far as I see it, parents opting for a CI for their child doesn't mean that parent will determine their child will be oral-only, or ASL-only, or whatever JUST BASED on a CI. The two are NOT necessarily synonymous. I'm tired of all the "numerous research studies show ..." blah blah blah because, frankly, what works as a "whole" does not necessarily work for an individual. Right now, I am seriously considering a CI, but my thoughts/decisions on that are based on me, and me alone -- with others' feedback, of course, but ultimately, the decision is about me wanting to do this; it is not about what type of communication I already have, what may change with that after -- it is the same with parents making decisions on what seems to work best for their child (after tried and tested methods, as have been indicated by some parents here.) I have always been exposed to the total communication method and that worked well for me, but that had NOTHING to do with a CI. It had EVERYTHING to do with what my parents thought best for me. Me, as an individual.

How exactly, though do you separate the issues, when hearing parents of deaf children are being told by CI professionals that it will be harmful to sign to their child following implantation? The CI industry doesn't separate the two issues, the public school system doesn't separate the two issues, and the vast majority of parents don't separate the two issues.

 

[BradB08]

Also, how many deaf children get the choice whether to get a CI or not get one?

My parents trusted me enough to give me a lot of choices when I was younger, such as the choice to go to a deaf school, turn down a CI and learn ASL. I'm thankful to them for this.

 

[faire_jour]

Galaxyangel once posted information abt people's bad experience with CI - how CI ruined their life and make them more disabled than before. I will PM her to find if she cld find her old post. If not, I ll look it up myself.



Oh really. How come there's "follow up"? My friend who went under knife to get CI and she had to leave school for two weeks so she can "rest" her head on the pillow.

They told me she will probably be ready to go back to school on monday. She won't need weeks to recover.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

Galaxyangel once posted information abt people's bad experience with CI - how CI ruined their life and make them more disabled than before. I will PM her to find if she cld find her old post. If not, I ll look it up myself.



Oh really. How come there's "follow up"? My friend who went under knife to get CI and she had to leave school for two weeks so she can "rest" her head on the pillow.

The procedure has changed over the years. The incision is smaller now and usually done behind the ear in the crease instead of up on the head. That doesn't mean it was ever "major surgery". It also doesn't mean that there isn't follow up or there isn't pain. There always is follow up with even a minor surgical procedure, and there is also some pain involved. However, the surgeon always makes sure that the patient (whether adult or child) gets decent pain medication. How much pain there is afterward also depends on each person and whether or not they took the pain medication prescribed them.

You can't judge each person's experience with the surgery or it's recovery the same.

 

[~SG~]

Mod's Note:

This thread's locked for review as it is getting heated in here.