Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Robin Chronister) (04/11/91)
Index Number: 14742
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
I have been reading with interest the discussion here about cochlear
implants in children, because we have a student in my classroom who has
had his implant for two years. He is now 10 years old, and it is my
understanding that he is one of only about 300 children in the country
to have received one.
My observations of this one child certainly don't give a definitive
picture of what the implant can and cannot accomplish, but I can
describe a few of the things we have seen with him.
This boy is free to run and play just like any other kid, and even
though the processor that he wears costs more than $16,000, it is very
sturdy and he wears it in the pocket of a vest under his clothing,
rather than clipped to his belt - this keeps it more secure for
activity.
The apparatus is lightweight, and does not seem to encumber him.
The implant consists of an electrode in the cochlea, which has 21
channels, I believe, and there is a receiver under the skin behind his
left ear. There is a small magnet which is worn on the outside (under
his hair) which fits directly over the receiver, and a wire running to
the processor in the pocket of his vest. There is nothing at all which
fits into his ear.
The problems that we have seen from the implant stem more from his
parent's expectations than from any other source. They truly believed
that the implant would restore the boy's hearing, and that he would be
able to hear and understand speech without difficulty. When this did
not happen, they were very distressed, and are only now coming to terms
with the fact that their son is still deaf, and most likely will always
be deaf. It has created some difficulties for the child, in that they
opposed signing, did not want him in a class for deaf kids, and felt
that he was not trying to use his hearing, preferring instead to "take
the easy way out" i.e. signing.
They are now beginning to accept that the implant did not
accomplish what they had hoped, and are working with what it did
accomplish. The child can now hear many environmental sounds, can
sometimes recognize his name when it is spoken loudly, and is no longer
frightened by most of the sounds that he does hear.
I don't know if this implant was the right choice for this child or
not, but I do know that his parents believed it to be the right one. I
think a great deal of the problem lay with the information they were
given by the experimental program, and the expectations that they were
encouraged to have. I don't know how well the implant has worked
with other children, or with adults, but if this were my child, I think
I would worked with what was available to give him language,
self-confidence, and love, and left the invasive procedures for a time
when he could help to make the decision.
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!275!429!Robin.Chronister
Internet: Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.orgJack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) (04/11/91)
Index Number: 14751
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
There has been so much emotional hysteria rattling around this echo
about cochlear implants that it occured to me that some SilentTalkers
might like to have a bit of factual information. If you happen to be
one of the many who value information over ignorance, write to:
Cochlear Corporation
61 Inverness Drive East - Suite 200
Englewood, CO 80112
Ask for a free copy of "Issues and Answers". You can even save a stamp
and call their toll free phone 1(800)458-4999 V/TDD or FAX your request
to (303)792-9025 [not toll free].
... Caveat Emptor!
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.orgRobin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Robin Chronister) (04/17/91)
Index Number: 15014 [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] > Well certainly in the US I think it's in the Doctor's best intrest > if they can convince some poor confused and worried family into a [A> REALLY EXPENSIVE procedure. I'm not sure if implants are covered by It isn't just the implant that I was referring to here. I think a lot of parents are pressured into using only speech and speechreading with their child, or Signed English, or Cued Speech, etc. It depends on who gets hold of them first, and what types of programs are available in their area. One of our students (the same one with the implant) has parents who met another couple who used cueing with their son, and convinced them that it was the only way to go - and they were very radical about it for a long time. They even wanted to put a video camera in the classroom to make sure that the teacher was using cueing in school. Between the other couple they had met when their son was first diagnosed, and a speech pathologist who was very interested in cueing, the boy was 6 years old before he was allowed to be exposed to sign language. Unfortunately, that 6 years of cueing gave only a few words of vocabulary, expressive and receptive, and he was way behind in language development. Finally, they began to accept that sign language might be an option, and now he is light-years ahead of where he was a couple of years ago. There are still difficulties - for one thing the family mixes sign and cueing, even within the same sentence - and he is just beginning to grasp abstract concepts, such as "more" and "tomorrow." I wish that the parents of these kids could have more information from the beginning, so that they can make better judgements about what might be best for their child. Robin -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!275!429!Robin.Chronister Internet: Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org
peters (Shirley Peters) (04/19/91)
Index Number: 15036 In article <18859@bunker.isc-br.com> Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org writes: >Index Number: 15014 > >parents who met another couple who used cueing with their son, and >convinced them that it was the only way to go - and they were very >radical about it for a long time. They even wanted to put a video >camera in the classroom to make sure that the teacher was using cueing >in school. ... I've wondered long enough.. What on earth is cueing? Thanx, Shirley -- +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Shirley Peters peters@dewey.udel.edu I'd rather be sleeping! +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Lana.Berrington@f424.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Lana Berrington) (04/24/91)
Index Number: 15107
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hi Jack!
In a message of <12 Apr 91>, Jack O'keeffe (1:129/26.0) writes:
JO>> who to trust - and no one can responsibly advocate an implant
JO>> for any individual, child or adult, without expert evaluation.
JO>> What's needed is some means of getting that expertise from a
JO>> source that does not have a significant financial interest in
JO>> the decision. How do we do that?
Hm.. perhaps this is one of those occasions where parent's REALLY
NEED to go for second and third oppinions. Something like. "Hi!
We live in a different city and the doctor there want's to do
this... If we get it done at all we're going to do it somewhere
else besides here.. what's YOUR oppinion on the validity, and
possible successfullness of this procedure??"
An Idea anyways.. I'm still not sure if it's covered by health care
up here in Canada. <Lana makes mental note to call Alberta Health
Care> <Lana instantly misplaces mental note with no hopes of ever
finding it again>
~ <*Lana*> ~
# Origin: The Point of No Return: Calgary, Alberta! (201:5500/55.4)
To respond netmail, use FSC-0038 DOMAIN lines or as 1st line of msg use:
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!424!Lana.Berrington
Internet: Lana.Berrington@f424.n104.z1.fidonet.orgJack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) (04/24/91)
Index Number: 15113
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
SP> I've wondered long enough..
SP> What on earth is cueing?
Shirley, the cueing that Robin was referring to is "Cued Speech"
or "CS", a system developed by Dr. Orin Cornett of Gallaudet as
sort of a supplement to speechreading. Many phonemes cannot be
distinguished by speechreading alone, so CS establishes a system
of "cues" (handshapes and positions) to help with the words that
can't reliably be discriminated by speechreading.
Gallaudet publishes a Cued Speech newsletter.
... Jack.
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org