Stuart 1 Madeline Stuart English 1010 Allison Fernley 26 November, 2013 Should Parents Choose a Cochlear Implant for

Their Child? Cochlear implants are electronic devices that are surgically implanted under the skin and connected to another device by a magnet. The implant picks up sound and transmits it directly to the brain. After the operation, the part of the cochlear implant called the sound and speech processor is programmed specifically for the patient due to the extent of hair cell damage or hearing nerve sensitivity. The operation is becoming increasingly less dangerous and the quality of the devices are improving as time goes by. In our society, most people come to the understanding that deafness is a disability, and that it should be treated as such. However, when parents give birth to a child that turns out to be severely deaf, and are told that there is a device that can give their baby hearing, without needing to learn sign language, they are faced with a tough decision. Should they invest in a cochlear implant and teach their child spoken language, or is there another way? If they do get the implant, should it be by the choice of the parents, or of the child? Most couples would immediately choose a hearing life for their child. It would make going to school and getting a job so much easier. They could be accepted into the hearing world. However, no matter how great implants sound, they are limited, and take a long time to learn with. If the child has a language that grounds them before they receive a cochlear implant, the process of learning English easier. Cochlear implants can be a great thing for allowing deaf people to hear. Depending on the individual patients situation, it could be detrimental to their

Stuart 2 ability to learn language. The greatest factors are the situation of the CI users family, how early they receive one, and if they are already grounded by a first language. This makes a huge impact on how helpful the implant will be. According to Laurie Boggs article, Speech and ASL Developmental Milestones, children who learn sign language from their parents sign their first word about 4 months earlier than a child whose parents speak to them would say their first word. Babies are already playing with their hands and fingers during their first months, so learning sign language comes easier than learning spoken language. Even using unintelligible gestures comes naturally to infants, whether theyre hearing or deaf. Boggs quotes another writer, saying, The phonology, syntax, semantics, morphology and pragmatic aspects of language are acquired around 4 years of age whether the parental input is in sign or spoken language. American Sign Language, or any other form of sign language, is a method of communication that its user can develop to express ideas. It is no less a language than English. Knowing this, if a parent uses just a few basic signs with their son or daughter, that can easily be understood by both parent and child, a cochlear implant may give the child the second language they need to get around and, for many, be successful. As stated in Lydia Denworths What Cochlear Implants Did for My Son, Denworth says, For too long, the implant was viewed rather simplistically as either miracle or menace. It is neither. It is an impressive piece of engineering that can open up the world of sound and spoken language and sometimes lead to better educational achievement. She is glad for the influence her sons implant has had on his ability to learn in class, but knows that it is a difficult way to learn English and is no equivalent to natural hearing. She appreciates that he can have conversations with his classmates so easily, as if he wasnt really deaf.

Stuart 3 Rachel Coleman, a woman in an identical situation, writes in her blog that her daughters success was due to her fluency in American Sign Language and in written English. Coleman claims that, We viewed the implant as another tool to help Leah communicate, not the only tool. She also made the choice on her own, and the family viewed signing as a way of communicating, like English, and treated it as such. They decided to focus on her strengths and provided her with various methods of communicating comfortably. Shehzaad Zaman, a man born deaf who received a cochlear implant before his senior year of high school, has a similar view. According to NPRs Cochlear Implants Redefine What It Means to Be Deaf, he grew up reading lips until he obtained an implant, and he says that he could now go to medical school and become a successful doctor because of his newfound hearing. He received his later than Denworths son, but Zaman claims he has nearly 100% hearing in both ears after receiving a second implant. In cases such as these, cochlear implants have been proven to not only work, but to give their users more opportunities than they could have had they not gotten one. Though the circumstances under which each child got their implant varied greatly, those children became fluent in English and could effectively communicate as needed. However, the differences between stories like Colemans and Denworths, and Zamans, are their opinions on whether this device is a miracle, or if it improves their ability to communicate in the hearing world. Zaman, who grew up reading lips and speaking, only knows the hearing world and sees English as his only means of communication. Denworth and Coleman see their children as bilingual, and being a part of both the hearing and deaf communities. This doesnt seem important, but to the members of the deaf community, it means the difference between someone

Stuart 4 who wants to communicate with people from the two cultures, and someone who wants to fix themselves, even though they arent broken. This is one reason why many refuse a cochlear implant. In one such instance, that of Kathleen Hoppe, Hoppe states that she chose not to give her son an implant because, The major advantage for us as parents is that by learning this language, there is nothing we will not be able to discuss with our son We will not spend years agonizing over whether he will be successful as a hearing person. We know that with sign language, he will be a happy person. Hoppe decided that being deaf didnt stop her son from living a fulfilling life, or from being happy. Though this blog post is over a decade old, her concern for her sons wellbeing is the same as any parent now. She didnt want to see her sons deafness as burdensome and decided it was not something that needed to be repaired. Hoppes blog explains that cochlear implants arent perfect. They could get interference from other electronic devices, and only last for a few years, after which they need to be replaced, which includes another surgery for each new implant. This has improved over time, though, so it isnt as much of a worry today. One issue with cochlear implant use that Hoppe brings up still exists today is the necessary speech therapy. Hoppe fears that her son would need endless hours of auditory training, for a device that may or may not be successful. In Steven Partons letter to the editor, Implants Wont Help All Deaf Children to Hear, he says that children who are born deaf or are deafened shortly after birth benefit from cochlear implants the least. However, having the knowledge of ASL or another sign language can help implant patients learn using the device. Nonetheless, the fact that 20% of early deaf children with an implant have success that he mentions is rather outdated. Now, the device has been improved and sounds closer to natural hearing than ever.

Stuart 5 Hearing so many success stories about cochlear implants, calling the device a miracle and praising surgeons and physicians who develop cochlear implants and perform the surgery to give children hearing, people tend to forget that cochlear implants are meant to provide its user with the language skills they need to prosper. Subjecting children to learning a language that they can hardly hear without first giving them knowledge of another form of communication causes failure more than anything else. The decision to get a cochlear implant for your child is difficult, and depends on ones ability to adapt to either their childs deafness, or their new hearing and the work that goes with it. The most important thing is that the child finds some form of communication that they are comfortable with and can express what they need to with ease.

Stuart 6 Sources Cited Boggs, Laurie. "Speech and ASL Developmental Milestones." Language Acquisition. ASL University, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. "Cochlear Implants." KidsHealth. KidsHealth From Nemours, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. Coleman, Rachel. "My Two Cents: Cochlear Implants." Web log post. Strong Enough to Be. Rachel Coleman, 07 Sept. 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. Denworth, Lydia. "What Cochlear Implants Did for My Son." Editorial. The Wall Street Journal, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. Hoppe, Kathleen. "Cochlear Implants: One Family's Decision for Their Deaf Child." Web log post. Why Not Cochlear Implants? Kathleen Hoppe, Apr. 1997. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. NPR Staff. "Cochlear Implants Redefine What It Means To Be Deaf." Cochlear Implants Redefine What It Means To Be Deaf. NPR, 08 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. Parton, Steven "Implants Won't Help All Deaf Children to Hear." Editorial. The New York Times 6 Oct. 1992, Opinion sec.: n. pag. 06 Oct. 1992. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.