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From: Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Robin Chronister)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Cochlear Implants
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Date: 11 Apr 91 04:37:53 GMT
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[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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