Benefits And Drawbacks Of Cochlear Implants In A Classroom And Socially

Benefits And Drawbacks Of Having Cochlear implants in a classroom And Socially

There are many reasons why cochlear implants are important for children in academics and personally.

                                       A student wearing a cochlear implant in school

 Imagine being a child or anyone not able to hear. It would be frightening. Jamie Wenger is deaf, she got diagnosed as a newborn. It appeared to me that it never bothered Jamie. She always showed it was normal for her and never effected her. At 8 months old she started to hear with hearing aids. At 3 years old she received the surgery for cochlear implants. With having cochlear implants she was able to talk clearer and she was more happy with being able to hear better. Deaf children should have cochlear implants because it helps with their education and will allow them to have more normal social life with hearing and speech.

 A cochlear implant is an electronic device that wraps around the ear that provides a deaf person the ability to hear again. People have a choice to get cochlear implants or hearing aids. There are multiple differences in receiving cochlear implants and hearing aids. Hearing aids work best for children who have a slight minor hearing loss. The sounds are different with a hearing aid compared to cochlear implants. 

The cochlear implant has external and internal parts. The internal part is placed underneath the skin behind the ear in an outpatient surgery. A thin wire and small electrode lead to the cochlea. Electrodes stimulate auditory nerve endings which create some sound and vibration. The wire sends signals to the cochlear nerve which produces sound and sends it to the brain for hearing. The external part sits behind the ear and hears sound through a microphone then processes the sound and transmits it to the internal part of the implant. 

Students with cochlear implants are above average with their academic performances. Eli, another deaf student, goes to a public school he transferred and is doing amazing with academics and friends.

There is a study with twenty seven deaf children who have been since birth.  The study at the university of Iowa's hospitals and clinics included kids who received cochlear implants between ages two and twelve years. These children's speech perception and production skills were scored as strengths. There are over 20,000 deaf students or hard of hearing in college. This must show that these students can be successful.

Non implanted deaf students are recommended to stay at a private deaf school unless they have an interpreter.

With cochlear implants a deaf students social life increases. Having cochlear implants gives you the ability to have conversations without an interpreter. There is better quality and communication in conversations. Eli went to the same private deaf school called Childs Voice with Jamie. He is now in a public school, plays on a hockey team and has good friendships. He has been very successful after finishing up at Childs Voice. 

In a different study researchers used a questionnaire to compare the self esteem and the social well being of children with and without cochlear implants between ages 12 to 17 year old's. Cochlear implant children had scored equally or better than normal hearing children in the areas of social well being and self esteem. This showed that kids with cochlear implants scored better in independence, confidence, happiness and sociability. 

There are people who still have negative opinions about Cochlear implants. One reason is that after receiving the surgery for the cochlear implants there is still a lot of therapy and training in resolving the patient's speech impediments.

Another objection is that Cochlear implants are expensive and not all insurances can cover it. However, this article  provides some insurance providers that can help cover the cost. There are other resources such as some programs that help families with limited insurance and financial resources. Within the process of getting cochlear implants you have an audiologist. Audiologists are doctors that can help with hearing diagnosis. They can also help find other resources to cover the cost along. If there is a reason that there is not a way you can receive financial help you can pay over time. Even if its hard to pay over time its worth the outcome.

Some people say that the implants don't always work. With Cochlear implants there are some technology problems that can occur, but there are ways to fix them.  When Jamie's implants don't work she has to figure out what is not working. It could be the ear hood, the battery, or the processor itself. There is a lot of testing to figure it out. When you figure out the issue you call the vendor and they will send you new equipment after you send back the dysfunctional equipment.

Some say that getting the implant is not necessary because students can still learn without one. Being in a mainstream school as a deaf child is tough but it can happen. As long as the teachers don't move around a lot, it is possible for the students to read their lips. Schools will have accommodations such as a smaller classroom, interpreter, and front row seating. Schools wants all these kids to be successful but with the implants, the kids will be able to do things by themselves instead of relying on special accommodations.

Deaf children with cochlear implants improve their life skills so much more than without cochlear implants. Cochlear implants improve the kids' daily lives and are worth all of the surgery and expenses.