Actually my hearing loss was probably moderate during my school years. I got hearing aids when I was about 13 I think. Even after getting those things that some people think are so great I still spent alot of time in my own little world. LOL I still don't get how people with severe/profound losses can think they get great benefit from HA's.
But to answer the question above. I have to agree that either way the parent makes a choice. I'd error on the side of giving the chance to hear at the earliest age possible. While I've seen kids pick up ASL quickly when immersed into it, Speech is much more complicated then signing, one is visual and you can see it, the other requires learning how to use the vocal cords, shaping the mouth, adjusting volume thus it's something best learned from a young age.
One can always choose not to use the implant when older. A parent should not rely on the feelings of others, not those who have grown up in deaf culture or those like me who havn't. They need to decide what they want to give their child and then research the best ways to do it. Studies show the best results come when implanted early. Do you wait? or do you research/read the studies and make an informed decision. There are no guarentees in life and there are no guarentees with a CI. That's life.
