Samantha Redman, "Listening to the Deaf"
Allie was the perfect baby girl, or at least that was her parent’s opinion despite the fact that she was born with hearing loss. On the same day that this blonde haired, blue eyed sweetie was born, the doctors pronounced her with significant hearing loss. Her parents were devastated, but they were determined to stay positive. Despite the fact that the expensive hearing aids that she needed were not covered by insurance, her parents had her fitted for a pair as soon as possible. Everything seemed to be finally working out. Allie could develop and enjoy life like a “normal” baby. However, soon after her second birthday, Allie’s progress came to a screeching halt. She was no longer responsive and her speech stopped developing. At Allie’s next doctor appointment, the audiologist delivered some grave news- Allie’s hearing loss had progressed past the point that hearing aids could help. Allie’s parents had two options: allow their precious baby girl to never hear for the rest of her life or try cochlear implants.
Chris Edwards, author of “Broken Chords,” says that a cochlear implant is a device that has to be surgically implanted into the user’s skull. It has an external part that looks similar to a hearing aid, this component contains the sound processor and microphone, attached to a wire that leads to a small circular piece on the side of the skull, which functions as the transmitter system. Cochlear implants also contain internal parts that attach to the cochlea, part of the inner ear, to simulate the auditory nerve (36). Anat Zaidman-Zait, M.A. and Tova Most, Ph.D., explain that since the implants must be surgically emplaced, they can never be removed. They can, however, be turned on or off, but the piece implanted into the skull is permanent unless severe complications occur and the piece has to be surgically removed (131). While most patients experience fragmented signals and have to rely on context clues to construct logical language, cochlear implants do a superb job of giving the gift of sound to the severely hearing impaired (Edwards 38).
According to Abbey L. Berg who works in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Program Department of Biology & Health Sciences at Pace University, cochlear implants have a wealth of benefits, especially in children. A child that receives cochlear implants before the age of 5 shows long term improvement in the areas of understanding and producing speech, production of language, reading, and writing. Recent research also shows that implantation by the age of 2 proves to be even more effective for producing speech and language than by age 5 (14). Linda J. Spencer, Ph.D. an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo informs that deaf children who receive cochlear implants have higher test scores in the areas of speech perception and production as opposed to children who have hearing aids (8).
While cochlear implants are miraculous devices, they are not a quick fix for hearing impairment. This belief often gives parents unrealistic expectations for their child and leads to frustration for the parent and child alike (Berg 14). Abbey L. Berg explains that, “Not all children will achieve intelligible speech, and the quality of even intelligible speech is variable. Those parents who expect their child to speak like a hearing child after the implant will be disappointed.” In fact, it can take a child, on average, three years to develop moderate “speech-recognition abilities” (14). These unrealistic expectations that the parents have are actually leading more and more professionals to postpone the cochlear implant process, so the parents can have more time to become informed about their child’s needs (Zaidman-Zait 130).
Since the child has a better chance of developing intelligible speech the younger the cochlear implant(s) are emplaced, the average age of implantation continues to drop. The average age of implantation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics dropped from about 8 years in 1987 to about 2 years in 2007. Infants as young as the age of 1 are receiving implants in the hopes of losing no crucial developmental time (Spencer 8). However, this is one of the big arguments against cochlear implants. Parents are making this choice for their children before the child can even have a say in it. Children with cochlear implants often struggle with their identity- they feel as if they are neither hearing nor deaf (Berg 14). It is comparable to the way that many “mixed” African American and Caucasian children feel, like they are not part of African American culture and not part of Caucasian culture.
While it is possible for health risks to arise and surgery complications to occur from cochlear implants, the controversy does not revolve around these subject areas. It is the concept that deafness is an impairment that needs to be fixed is what tends to so offend many people, specifically the deaf. According to Neil Levy, author of “Reconsidering Cochlear Implants: The Lessons of Martha’s Vineyard,” cochlear implants have sparked a huge outrage in the deaf community because implants are “Far from representing a significant aid to the deaf . . . the implants are nothing less than a form of cultural genocide” (135). Members of the deaf community feel that being hearing impaired is just part of who they are, part of their culture. They do not feel that it is something that needs to be, or should be, fixed. This results in feelings of hurt when doctors come up with devices to “cure” their disabilities. Hearing impaired people fear that the advancement of cochlear implants will diminish a community that they view as beautiful and unique (Levy 135-137).
Just the same as any major controversy, a complete resolution will never satisfy the demands of all parties. However, a compromise may prove to be a way to appease the majority of the total population. In this case, parents of deaf children need to be highly educated about cochlear implants and their child’s needs before they make any kind of decision. Parents should be required to attended workshops and meetings with specialists. They should also be required to follow up for at least 3 years after the implant surgery. This would alleviate some of the problems encountered with parents making rash decisions after the birth of their child and unreasonable expectations of the child after implants.
People of the deaf community also need to realize that no culture can ever be completely annihilated unless it is allowed. While cochlear implants may significantly reduce the population size of the deaf community, it will not completely disappear. The deaf community should be more understanding and sensitive to the desires of those wishing to hear or wishing for their children to hear. The hearing impaired can still keep their culture alive and should be aware that those with cochlear implants still have a place in this rich culture.
Cochlear implants are too wonderful of an invention to lose. While they are not a perfect cure all device, they provide a wonderful gift to many people: the gift of sound. They still have a long way to go and improvements are constantly being made on the devices to help them work more flawlessly and to provide the wearer with as much sound as possible. Thanks to cochlear implants and the patience of Allie’s educated parents, she can now hear the ocean waves, the laugh of her mother, and the sound of the stillness. Working together we can educate parents and hearing impaired alike about the many aspects of cochlear implants and we too can finally listen to the deaf.
Works Cited
Berg, Abbey L., et al. "Cochlear Implants in Young Children: Informed Consent as a Process and Current Practices." American Journal of Audiology 16.1 (2007): 13-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.
Edwards, C. "Broken chords [cochlear implants]." Electronics Systems & Software 4.5 (2006): 36-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.
Leo, John. “Deaf to Good Sense.” U.S. News and World Report 132.9 (March 2002): 43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.
Levy, Neil "Reconsidering Cochlear Implants: The Lessons of Martha’s Vineyard." Bioethics 16.2 (2002): 134. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.
Spencer, Linda. “Cochlear Implants in Infants and Toddlers.” ASHA Leader 14.8 (June 2009): 8-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.
Zaidman-Zait, Anat, and Tova Most. "Cochlear Implants in Children with Hearing Loss: Maternal Expectations and Impact on the Family." Volta Review 105.2 (2005): 129-150. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct 2009.