Why - Why the Medical Society constantly pressure on the Parents?

[Drew's Dad]

Cochlear implants do not help Deaf children learn how to speak like hearing people.

If cochlear implants are not "helping deaf children learn to speak like hearing people", then what is it about these children with cochlear implants that is allowing many of them them to speak with no noticeable speech difference from that of hearing persons?

(Or perhaps I don't understand your statement)

 

[Drew's Dad]

Should we really be blaming the doctors?

It's the parents that mold the children's future.

If the parents don't want their children to get cochlear implants, all they have to do is say... "no".

If the parents do allow their children to get cochlear implants, but still want their deaf children to maintain their deaf identitiy... then they simply ensure that their children are well taught on deaf culture.

I didn't see a great deal of pressure, so I can't speak much from experience here. However, while it seems to me that doctors receive far too much blame, I do agree that there is a significant portion of our population that needs something that you could call "protection from themselves, "babysitting" or something else.

These are the people that won't research anything on their own and will literally follow the first opinion they receive. If they talk to someone who sells hammers, they'll buy a hammer to fix their problem. If the drill salesman got to them first, they would've bought a drill to fix that same problem.

I believe that every family who has a child that fails the newborn hearing screening should receive a sheet that lists resources including where to find information about hearing aids, cochlear implants, sign language, as well as the doctors and schools around the area with at least a short explanation that there are many different routes to take and things to explore within the world of "hearing loss" or "hearing impairment" or whatever term you'd like to use. At least then if someone chooses to ignore those resources it is obviously their problem and not that of the doctors or medical communities.

While I personally agree with the quoted statement above, I do recognize that there are many out there that simply will hear whatever they want when a cochlear implant surgeon describes the CI surgery to them...and that means that even if the surgeon states alternatives such as signing and dangers of the procedure, they will hear "this will fix my baby...guaranteed". I don't know that there is a way to fix that issue, but at least letting them where the information is would be a good first step - in my opinion.

Everything lies in the hands of the parents in the end.

 

[rick48]

originally posted by rick48


originaly posted by jillio



Semantics again, as well as another out of context statement. :roll:

loml,

You beat me to the punch.

 

[rick48]

I didn't see a great deal of pressure, so I can't speak much from experience here. However, while it seems to me that doctors receive far too much blame, I do agree that there is a significant portion of our population that needs something that you could call "protection from themselves, "babysitting" or something else.

These are the people that won't research anything on their own and will literally follow the first opinion they receive. If they talk to someone who sells hammers, they'll buy a hammer to fix their problem. If the drill salesman got to them first, they would've bought a drill to fix that same problem.

I believe that every family who has a child that fails the newborn hearing screening should receive a sheet that lists resources including where to find information about hearing aids, cochlear implants, sign language, as well as the doctors and schools around the area with at least a short explanation that there are many different routes to take and things to explore within the world of "hearing loss" or "hearing impairment" or whatever term you'd like to use. At least then if someone chooses to ignore those resources it is obviously their problem and not that of the doctors or medical communities.

While I personally agree with the quoted statement above, I do recognize that there are many out there that simply will hear whatever they want when a cochlear implant surgeon describes the CI surgery to them...and that means that even if the surgeon states alternatives such as signing and dangers of the procedure, they will hear "this will fix my baby...guaranteed". I don't know that there is a way to fix that issue, but at least letting them where the information is would be a good first step - in my opinion.

Everything lies in the hands of the parents in the end.

Likewise we experienced no pressure from doctors to have our daughter implanted nor did any of our friends, if anything, our doctor and our implant team downplayed what we could expect from the cochlear implant.

It is the parents obligation to get themselves informed about the various options and choices that are available to their child. There are some who do not but the overwhelming majority of parents do and act in the best interests of their child, whatever the choice they make is.
Rick

 

[shel90]

Kalista, u might want to read this. Very interesting article relating to your topic.

Falling on Deaf Ears

 

[vallee]

I understand how you feel, I feel the same way when they personal attacked me for the sign language I use (SEE) !!

No one should attack anyone for there choice. Hug back!

 

[vallee]

Of course its an opinio, vallee. The opinion is the bolded portion in my origninal post. It very plainly says that CI has the potential to cure deafness. That has to be an opinion, because it sure as heck isn't fact. But the important thing is, it is the opinion of a "professional", and it was presented at a prestigious university, which means that opinion is given credibility through situation. So to say that the opinion doesn't exist is absurd.

Who stated this opinion. I wanted to know the person who stood up at Harvard and said this.

 

[vallee]

I am sorry, you feel this way. I have no against you or other adults's make the decision. I do respect your wishes, I am talking about the hearing parents who make the decision for their babies like 6 months old to 13 years old.

Why do you feel that I was a personal attack your desicison? Did I mention adult's cochlear implants?

I put all cochlear implant people together. To make a comment about one group, goes against all of them. We can't pick and choose the set within the group we are going to discrimante against.

 

[vallee]

Do you know what.... My son was interact with other teenager Deaf children who have cochlear implants at the organization few months ago. My son shocked because their pronounce aren't properly. He wonder why the parents put cochlear implants when they were babies. Cochlear implants do not help Deaf children learn how to speak like hearing people. CI would never never cure for the Deaf children to be normal hearing like YOU.

Sorry, if you feel this offense. I am sick of hearing parents do not look other side bright what we have achievement in our education and career. hello??? It is very frustrated many other hearing parents did not try very hard to approach into Deaf Community. Why why they look at doctors than Deaf people ??? Tell me why?

That statement says volumes. We are still deaf, we still have issues with sounds we hear and sounds we can say. It is not magic and it goes away.

When are a small group of people going to give parents credit!

 

[shel90]

Should we really be blaming the doctors?

It's the parents that mold the children's future.

If the parents don't want their children to get cochlear implants, all they have to do is say... "no".

If the parents do allow their children to get cochlear implants, but still want their deaf children to maintain their deaf identitiy... then they simply ensure that their children are well taught on deaf culture.

Read the article "Falling on Deaf Ears" that I posted for Kalista to read..it mentioned a Deaf mother who got taken to court in 2002 for neglecting her children because she did not get them implanted. I was like when I read that.

Here is a portion of the article

Consider the case of Michigan resident Lee Larsen, the deaf mother of two deaf sons whose custody dispute became an internationally publicized Deaf rights case in 2002. Larsen landed in court after school officials claimed she was neglecting her children, and a year later, court-appointed advocate Joseph Tevlin petitioned the Michigan court system to order implants for her two sons, asking, “Is it neglect not to have a cochlear implant when the bulk of the research shows everyone benefits?”

If hearing parents want their rights to choose then Deaf parents should have the same. I cant believe that such a case went to court.

 

[Drew's Dad]

If hearing parents want their rights to choose then Deaf parents should have the same. I cant believe that such a case went to court.

Point taken, but keep in mind that I can sue you for using the screen name "Shel90" if I want. That doesn't mean my case has any validity behind it. If the court made a ruling that there was neglect in that case, then I would be uncomfortable with that.

 

[Angel]

Read the article "Falling on Deaf Ears" that I posted for Kalista to read..it mentioned a Deaf mother who got taken to court in 2002 for neglecting her children because she did not get them implanted. I was like when I read that.

Here is a portion of the article

Consider the case of Michigan resident Lee Larsen, the deaf mother of two deaf sons whose custody dispute became an internationally publicized Deaf rights case in 2002. Larsen landed in court after school officials claimed she was neglecting her children, and a year later, court-appointed advocate Joseph Tevlin petitioned the Michigan court system to order implants for her two sons, asking, “Is it neglect not to have a cochlear implant when the bulk of the research shows everyone benefits?”

If hearing parents want their rights to choose then Deaf parents should have the same. I cant believe that such a case went to court.

Link please?

 

[shel90]

Point taken, but keep in mind that I can sue you for using the screen name "Shel90" if I want. That doesn't mean my case has any validity behind it. If the court made a ruling that there was neglect in that case, then I would be uncomfortable with that.

According to the article, the school officials took the mother to court. To me, that is frightful...if I had a deaf child and didnt implant my baby, would I have to worry about being taken to court by school officals?

I am just quoting what I read. Not my words.

The results of that case is mentioned at the end of the article.

BTW..good posting u made before.

I just wonder why the critera for implantation is getting lowered? Isnt that risky considering the validity of the hearing tests or the unknown of infants' success with HAs? Just my concern.

 

[shel90]

Link please?

see post #68

 

[shel90]

shel90- It is out of context. The fact is you do not have the entire presentation to read. You are not aware of content of the entire presentation. It is one sentence from a presentation that was never been published. You nor I were there.

Want to focus on the words or

Ah, I see your point now.

 

[rick48]

According to the article, the school officials took the mother to court. To me, that is frightful...if I had a deaf child and didnt implant my baby, would I have to worry about being taken to court by school officals?

I am just quoting what I read. Not my words.

The results of that case is mentioned at the end of the article.

BTW..good posting u made before.

I just wonder why the critera for implantation is getting lowered? Isnt that risky considering the validity of the hearing tests or the unknown of infants' success with HAs? Just my concern.

FYI the case was ultimately dismissed as the court ruled in favor of the parents and the parents' right to make decisions on behalf of their child. It is a decision with which I totally agree and consistent with what I and many other parents have maintained--that we have the right, the responsibility and the obligation to make decisions on behalf of our children.

 

[shel90]

FYI the case was ultimately dismissed as the court ruled in favor of the parents and the parents' right to make decisions on behalf of their child. It is a decision with which I totally agree and consistent with what I and many other parents have maintained--that we have the right, the responsibility and the obligation to make decisions on behalf of our children.

Yea, as I told Drew's Dad, the result of the case was mentioned at the end of the article.

 

[rick48]

Yea, as I told Drew's Dad, the result of the case was mentioned at the end of the article.

Sorry, missed that.

However, points out the inherent hypocrisy of certain Deaf advocates who simultaneously trumpet the right of the deaf mom to choose NOT to implant her child but would seek to deny her the same exercise of her parental rights if she had chosen TO implant her child.

Apparently, they feel that a parent only has the ability to exercise their parental authority when they agree with the parent's choice for their child.

 

[rick48]

That statement says volumes. We are still deaf, we still have issues with sounds we hear and sounds we can say. It is not magic and it goes away.

When are a small group of people going to give parents credit!

vallee,

Agree, probably never with that ever dwindling small group but the better way to look at it is that the much larger group does give credit to the parents! Thanks for your support!

Rick

 

[jackiesolorzano]

Oh not again, here we go with "it will destory the deaf culture"
NO it won't, because CI is only for severe/profound hearing loss that receive little or no benefit from hearing aid, get that through your head. There is very small percentage of people having severe-profound hearing loss while there's 1 in 10 (I think, don't bash me if I'm wrong but I remember it was high number) of people having any kind of hearing impairment. So how can ci destroy the culture and ASL when there's million others that's not deaf enough for CI? Plus I believe deaf culture and asl is biggest it ever been today than it ever was before, and asl is 4th most popular language in usa, how is that "destroying the culture" and "forcing us to accompany with hearing people instead of them try to with us deaf people" oh please this is hearing world don't expect every one of them learn asl just to take care of small percentage of population that's like you'll learn how to be gay for small percentage of population being homosexual. You just simply don't learn their way or other. So everyone will have it their own way and learn to ignore the difference, pride, identity, any kind difference to respect them and attempt to interact instead of bashing, judging, look down to people, tell them they're wrong and horible people or horrible thing they chose to do or to be and many things. Just STOP and leave it alone and accept it, get over it and be respectful and its not any of your business to say anything about other person choice or any of it but respect and get along please!
And remember CI is for severe/profound to be able to hear, exactly same how hearing aid is for hard of hearing (from mild to severe) to be able to hear. Its not any difference in how it help them to hear and it doesn't destroy the identity at all, its mere a metal device in your head that send sound to brain, like hearing aid doesn't destroy the identity either they are just amplification device sit in your ear.

RIGHT ON