which is better?

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they are VERY useful!
this sounds mean..and i have been pondering this all day..but if the hearing aids arent working, what about teaching him sign language, learning it myself and sending him to a school for deaf children? i honestly think i would rather him develop the best he can and not push something that might have mediocre results..but then i wonder if that would be cruel, to deny him the right to hear things..i just dont know.
 
In Britain he would be unlikely to be considered for a CI without first undergoing a lengthy trial with HAs, especially if his hearing loss is severe rather than profound. Those of us with severe hearing loss can do extremely well with HAs. I suspect that there is some kind of financial incentive involved here which is encouraging your doctor in the direction of CIs, I understand that in the US it is easier to get funding for CIs than HAs, so I would advise proceeding down that route with caution and getting a second, and possibly third opinion, from an unbiased physician.
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VERY good point! Yes, again if he maxes out on HAs, go for a CI. But I do think that parents of deaf kids who may be implant eligable have to be SUPER careful, especially since they've loosened the implant canidacy.
It's almost like they are selling it to you....but it's basicly just a high power hearing aid, for those who can't get enough power from a HA.
 
I grew up using hearing aids..no CI. Only regret was that I never had the opportunity to learn ASL and meet Deaf adults and children. I can't give you the answer on which is better as far as HAs and CI go but whatever you decide, pls pls expose him to the Deaf community and ASL. Good luck
 
but if the hearing aids arent working, what about teaching him sign language, learning it myself and sending him to a school for deaf children? i honestly think i would rather him develop the best he can and not push something that might have mediocre results..but then i wonder if that would be cruel, to deny him the right to hear things..i just dont know.
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I know two deaf women of my generation, whose hearing parents did exactly that.
I can and do understand the thinking behind that. And I do kinda envy kids like that, since they didn't have to deal with speech therapy, and stuff like that. But on the other hand, I know of voice off kids, who wish they had oral abilty.
Here is the way I think. Bilingalism is best. Oral skills SHOULD be tried, but they should NOT be the sole focus of a dhh kid's life. In "A Deaf Adult Speaks Out" Leo Jacobs says that he thinks that the development of oral abilty should "be a delightful game, and fun." It IS possible for a dhh kid to develop both languages...even at a school for the Deaf. Jillo's son developed really decent oral skills, and so have many other kids.
 
Frankiesmom,

I would like to give you a different perspective from others who have posted here. I was born profoundly deaf and received my first cochlear implant in 1989 at the age of 2 and a half when it was not yet approved by the FDA. Thus, I was part of the clinical trials. Then, at the age of 17 years old, I received my second CI for my other ear. I was raised with the Auditory-Verbal approach, an approach where parents teach their deaf children to learn the language through hearing and speaking. I am forever grateful for my parents' decision to choose to get me cochlear implants. I can hold conversations on the phone with ease, listen to music and even understand the lyrics, watch TV without closed captions, and listen to the radio. I can also have conversation with ease with a large group of people by hearing and speaking. I am also able to enjoy conversations in noisy situations such as loud cafeterias.

I have a website, Cochlear Implant Online at Cochlear Implant Online and it includes several stories written by cochlear implant recipients who shared their experiences of utilizing them. I also have a collection of videos of recipients sharing their experiences. You can see them here - Speaking Up For Themselves | Cochlear Implant Online

According to various research studies, it is best to get deaf children implanted as young as possible so that they can be fully exposed to full and complete listening and spoken language. The longer we wait to implant children, the harder it is for them to learn the listening and spoken language.

Also, you may want to join CICircle, a listserv for parents of deaf children with cochlear implants - cicircle : Pediatric Cochlear Implant Circle Parents will be happy to share their experiences of choosing to get their children cochlear implants and teaching them the language through hearing and speaking.

Please do not hesitate to contact me privately. My e-mail address can be found on the website by clicking on "Contact."
 
shel90 said:
I grew up using hearing aids..no CI. Only regret was that I never had the opportunity to learn ASL and meet Deaf adults and children. I can't give you the answer on which is better as far as HAs and CI go but whatever you decide, pls pls expose him to the Deaf community and ASL. Good luck
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oh absolutely..i found the city deaf community group thing and they have all sorts of groups and special events and such..i want him to be around people who will understand where he is coming from, and as for sign language, my husband and i both want him to learn that so he will always have a way to communicate. if he learns to talk, well that is great! if he just communicates through sign language, that is fine too..whatever make him happy and comfortable.
 
Hi Franky,

I had mild-moderate in my left and severe-profound in my right and recently found my left is moderate-severe so they upped my hearing aid on the left and I am much happier (listening wise) and understand speech with my hearing aids. I am sure that with today's technology he will respond well with them. I do believe that ASL would still be good to do even if he never signs back due to development delays it would be good to have an alternative. Also, CIs don't restore to normal either and for the first year it can sound very robotic.
 
and as for sign language, my husband and i both want him to learn that so he will always have a way to communicate. if he learns to talk, well that is great
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! YAY!!!!!! That is AWESOME.....And please be very explict that you want him to talk and sign. You may have to go private for speech therapy, or move near a school that has a really good hoh style program. I know it's a bit too early to tell how much he's going to be affected mentally....and of course it is a little too early to tell about school and stuff right? But, a lot of Deaf Schools have really good special needs programs, specificly for kids with milder disabilties....
 
Wirelessly posted

i am the parent of a child with bilateral implants. I would recommend joining the yahoo group called ci circle. It is a group of 2000 families of kids who have or are looking into cochlear implants.
 
frankiesmom said:
i am in oklahoma.
i dont think it is an issue about money, it seems to be their standard way of doing things, and it was the same at the other clinic i have contacted. i am just trying to figure out what would be best beforehand, so we dont put him through an unnecessary procedure.
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I am Deaf - I can tell you upfront it is an unnecessary procedure.
 
frankiesmom said:
thanks for the advice, everyone. i do plan on proceeding with caution, definitely. i was under the impression that implants/hearing aids would basically make them able to hear almost perfectly..is that not the case? will he still need to learn sign language, or some other method of communicating? i have been reading my head off about all of this and there is so much conflicting information out there, i am not sure what to believe!
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Not the case at all. A lot of CI users still require other methods of accommodations. I know of a few people wanting explants (removal of CI's) currently.

Sign language is one of the best things (if not required) to offer, on top of whatever you choose to do (including CI's).
 
frankiesmom said:
they are VERY useful!
this sounds mean..and i have been pondering this all day..but if the hearing aids arent working, what about teaching him sign language, learning it myself and sending him to a school for deaf children? i honestly think i would rather him develop the best he can and not push something that might have mediocre results..but then i wonder if that would be cruel, to deny him the right to hear things..i just dont know.
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My god. Not even mean at all. I'm thrilled to hear you say that.

You're being very honest here.

My mom had me on hearing aids so that I could 'preserve' the hearing nerves (if that is true, I still doubt it) in the event I wanted to use my hearing when I grew up.

Two things though, I still haven't grown up, and I don't want to use my hearing. :)
 
frankiesmom said:
they are VERY useful!
this sounds mean..and i have been pondering this all day..but if the hearing aids arent working, what about teaching him sign language, learning it myself and sending him to a school for deaf children? i honestly think i would rather him develop the best he can and not push something that might have mediocre results..but then i wonder if that would be cruel, to deny him the right to hear things..i just dont know.
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That was the decision I made for my own deaf son. He is currently a graduate student at a major hearing university. He has no CI, and does not see how a CI could contribute anything to his life. He has a profound loss, yet was able to develop speech skills and communicates well using speech, but prefers sign.
 
do implant, any amount of hearing is beneficial,
the more the better,

but also make sure your child will be immersed in deaf world, deaf culture,
learn ASL
very like the bilingual parents' children does.

Fuzzy
 
Ask your AEA to hook you up with some families of kids with CI's. We saw kids who only had awareness of sound (due to poor auditory rehab post CI), and kids who were at or near the level of their hearing peers. Your AEA should be able to point you towards a group meeting of AG Bell, or a meeting of CI brand families where you'll see and have a chance to interact with lots of CI kids.
 
Audiofuzzy said:
do implant, any amount of hearing is beneficial,
the more the better,

but also make sure your child will be immersed in deaf world, deaf culture,
learn ASL
very like the bilingual parents' children does.

Fuzzy
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The more hearing, the better? Geez

Audist statement right there.
 
shel90 said:
The more hearing, the better? Geez

Audist statement right there.
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thats exactly what I was thinking when I read it... the only thing that doesn't 100% match up with the Audist view point is still wanting ASL... but the more hearing the better... yeah very Audist...
 
A lot of CI users still require other methods of accommodations. I know of a few people wanting explants (removal of CI's) currently.

Sign language is one of the best things (if not required) to offer, on top of whatever you choose to do (including CI's)
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Very true.
Exactly. There are superstars, but overall most pediatric implantees deal with virtually all of the same issues that audilogically hoh kids deal with.....and the range of accomondations varies tremendously. Hell, the superstars may still require oral 'terps and CART.
 
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