Why adults choose CI's for their children

Status
Not open for further replies.
LadySekhmet said:
May hear sounds differently - OF course it does. To me, everything sounds perfectly natural. I have a lot more clarity and high frequency abilities. I can hear crickets...where I couldn't before. This is where all the training comes in.

May lose residual hearing - for someone who has a CI, may not care too much about having residual hearing (I know there's some CI users that is grateful for that). I still have residual hearing in both ears and they're the same level as pre-CI.

May have unknown or uncertain effects - This is pretty rare. I know someone who had a perfect implant yet it didn't work just right...she got reimplanted and she's happy.

May not hear as well as others - that is all has to do with previous experiences with HA's. For someone who never wore HA's may have a harder time because there's sound all over the place. For someone who was hearing for a long time and suddenly became deaf, will have a much easier time. So, it varies from person to person. That is why we always say, "Low expectations, High hopes." Some of the CI users I know hasn't really reached the full potential of having the CI, so they don't care too much about anything but hearing so they don't bother doing the training and trying out different programming.

May not able to understand language well - again, this kind of falls in the drive and motivation to learn. If you don't learn or have the drive, then you won't be as successful. It also has to do with previous experiences pre-CI.

May have to have it removed - This is true, but again, it's RARE!
Implant failure - again - RARE...and many are willing to get it reimplanted.

May not be able to upgrade - Cochlear's products has been backward compatible for years, and the newest processor can be used on a 10 year old implant, even 15 year old implants. AB's products in the current state will be backward compatible (implant users 10 years ago cannot use the Harmony currently, but it seems that AB is working on it or something). Same goes for Med-El.

May not have some medical examination - The doctors will have to find other ways around getting the tests done. There are people with pacemakers, titianum rods in their bodies, etc...so there *are* other ways. We can still go under MRI, but we just need to have a simple surgery to remove the magnet (NOT the implant). It would be very rare for any of us to have the implant removed because a specific medical examination MUST be used.

Will depend on batteries - nope. Only Cochlear has disposable batteries in BTE (Body worn processors for all three companies take regular AA batteries). How is this any different than having HA's?

May Damage their implant - Protection Protection Protection
May Find them expensive - that's what insurance are for. For someone who loves their CI will find a way, no question about it.
Lifestyle changes - I find it funny if i do set off the alarms. To this day I haven't set off any alarms...shucks. you do not need to "turn off CI" for Airplane rides. People do it anyways because it can wipe the map, but that's not even a big deal. It doesn't ruin the CI.

Static Electricity - all it does it has the potential to ruin the programming. I live in such a dry state and I get static electricity all the time, I have not yet experienced any problems. I think it's just an issue for children and plastic slides...I don't know.

Less ability to hear - this is where all the fancy programming takes place. We get used to the programming that our head needs 'more input'.

May develop irritation - it does happen, but I think if someone used a better magnet (weaker), it won't be irritated.

Can't let external parts get wet - AB and Cochlear is water resistant.
May hear strange sounds - Same thing goes for HA's. It's not CI specific.

I hope you learned some things and facts. I'm not trying to sugar coat CIs. I respect people's opinions about them and will not tell them otherwise, but if they do not know all the facts and just look at sources like these and say, OMG look at all the risks...it's really not. That's why everyone MUST do the research beforehand and learn about the CI before getting it. I also am not saying that there's NO risk at all. The article you mentioned has all the risk that people should know beforehand, because if they get the CI then say, "Oh I didn't know that!!", they rather know every little thing. I'm just merely stating why there are risks, how it can be avoided, and when it's really not a huge risk.
Click to expand...
Excellent post - from an expert!
 
Byrdie714 said:
.........
Secondly I been around this debate since the CI was introduced and the long term effects are now starting to show up with undesirable consequences from the first CI users as some are now reporting tinnitis and greater hearing loss.
Click to expand...
Reporting tinnitis, that happens. Also, CI is used to get rid of tinnitus.. Succcesfully.

But "greater hearing loss"....????
How does that work... Cannot hear with a HA, chooses for CI, and in the long term you have greater hearing loss.??? :hmm:
From what I hear, people with CI hear better and better with age.!
 
Cloggy said:
Reporting tinnitis, that happens. Also, CI is used to get rid of tinnitus.. Succcesfully.

But "greater hearing loss"....????
How does that work... Cannot hear with a HA, chooses for CI, and in the long term you have greater hearing loss.??? :hmm:
From what I hear, people with CI hear better and better with age.!
Click to expand...

Guess it's not for everyone.
 
I just wanna say that you've made some excellence posts here, LadySekhmet. I've learned something from you. :ty:
 
Byrdie714 said:
Good post LadySekhmet.

The other thing is that what would the hearing parents do when their CI child becomes of age and decides that they don't want to wear their CI's anymore.

Then what?
Click to expand...
Can you provide a reason that you believe a child that has gained benefit from a CI would not want it anymore? If you give a reason perhaps it would be eaiser to answer the question. In reality if my child wanted it removed tha's the first question I would ask... Why?
 
rockdrummer said:
Can you provide a reason that you believe a child that has gained benefit from a CI would not want it anymore? If you give a reason perhaps it would be eaiser to answer the question. In reality if my child wanted it removed tha's the first question I would ask... Why?
Click to expand...

Self-Image?
 
Byrdie714 said:
Self-Image?
Click to expand...
Personally I blelieve the self image of a child comes from many factors. If people treat kids with CI's as though they were alians or some sort of Frankenstien then thay may have self image problems. That can be mitigated by a loving supoprtive family and peers, with support systems in place.

They will encounter people that view them diffently but I believe those people will be far and in between. Thats why I would make my child aware that there are going to be some in the D/eaf community that may treat them this way and to be prepared for it and also not to take it seriously and that there is nothing wrong with them because they are deaf and use a CI.
 
Byrdie714 said:
Have you thought about... holistically?
Click to expand...
I understand your point but to me the view on deafness as pathalogical or cultural is an overall view in which depending on which side you are on, may determine a holistic approach. I would say that people that view deafness as cultural would be more likley to take a holistic approach but that is not to say that people that choose a CI for their child wont take that same approach. It is possible to take a holistic approach even with a CI.
 
LadySekhmet said:
Honestly - No I will not implant my child. Even though I'm an advocate of CI's, but I'm even bigger on personal choices. If someone wants to implant their child, that's fine. It is their choice...if they made a mistake, that's their problem, not mine. Same applies for everything...politics, political controversial issues, picking a car, picking a school, etc etc....it's the person's choice. I do not go around preaching every parent that they should NOT implant their child. I *will* defend myself if a parent of an implanted child says something along the lines, "Now my child is hearing. He/She does not need ASL or any type of other language".

My fiance (who is hearing btw) agrees to the same thing, he also will not implant our child. If the child is old enough and knows the decisions (probably teens) and understanding about everything, then yes I would opt for it. That way it is my CHILD's choice, not mine.

I, most definitely will provide my child education that I had....with both oral and ASL language.

Mind you - this does NOT mean I am against children being implanted.
Click to expand...

:gpost::gpost::gpost:
 
rockdrummer said:
Can you provide a reason that you believe a child that has gained benefit from a CI would not want it anymore? If you give a reason perhaps it would be eaiser to answer the question. In reality if my child wanted it removed tha's the first question I would ask... Why?
Click to expand...


Perhaps because the parent's assessment of benefit gained is quite different from the child's assessment of benefit gained.
 
rockdrummer said:
I understand your point but to me the view on deafness as pathalogical or cultural is an overall view in which depending on which side you are on, may determine a holistic approach. I would say that people that view deafness as cultural would be more likley to take a holistic approach but that is not to say that people that choose a CI for their child wont take that same approach. It is possible to take a holistic approach even with a CI.
Click to expand...

How can they when the primary focus of CI is the ears and the mouth?
 
rockdrummer said:
Can you provide a reason that you believe a child that has gained benefit from a CI would not want it anymore? If you give a reason perhaps it would be eaiser to answer the question. In reality if my child wanted it removed tha's the first question I would ask... Why?
Click to expand...
Agree... still.. I wonder if that will happen.

If it does, going from "deaf, hearing with CI" to "deaf, hearing nothing" is an easier proces than "deaf, hearing nothing" to "deaf, hearing with CI".... if that's the desire.
 
jillio said:
Perhaps because the parent's assessment of benefit gained is quite different from the child's assessment of benefit gained.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. But that happens with all children.

However, the benefit might already have been there for years.
If the child decides that it wants to be deaf, that is the child's (by then teen-ager) choice. The parents have for filled their duty in providing the child with the best choices that are available. And the child will be able to chose between two good things.
 
rockdrummer said:
Most parents here that I have encounted that have opted for CI's for their children have said that they use sign language as well. I have seen the ugliness from the previous but I have yet to see on this board or in real life the latter. I am not saying it doesnt happen only that I have not encountered it.
Click to expand...

Most that have also admitted to dropping sign language as soon as their child started learning to speak. :roll:

Again, why drop sign? The child is still deaf.
 
rockdrummer said:
Personally I blelieve the self image of a child comes from many factors. If people treat kids with CI's as though they were alians or some sort of Frankenstien then thay may have self image problems. That can be mitigated by a loving supoprtive family and peers, with support systems in place.

They will encounter people that view them diffently but I believe those people will be far and in between. Thats why I would make my child aware that there are going to be some in the D/eaf community that may treat them this way and to be prepared for it and also not to take it seriously and that there is nothing wrong with them because they are deaf and use a CI.
Click to expand...

But why make it more pronounce by putting a CI on the child? It just alienates the child even more from the Deaf and Hearing world.

All that is doing is making people notice that child's CI more so than HA's or sign language.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top