Cochlear Implant for kids

I have fitted many children whose hearing loss was deteriorating and later had a cochlear implant.
I have seen the CI resutls to be pretty beneficial for children.

Is there a way that you can combine a hearing aid and a cochlear implant? Has anyone ever done this?

There are instances that a cochlear implant can be combined with a hearing aid; however, I do not know why someone would want a hearing aid after an operation was done unless the operation wasn't a success.

I am against the idea of cochlear implants for babies. Cochlear implants should not be performed on babies. It is not right. Babies can not speak for themselves. It should be there decision whether they want to have it done to them or not.

Also, there could be more complications of cochlear implants with babies.

I believe that a child developments is imperative of the cochlear implants. Parents want what is best for their child and I believe that they want their child to be able to hear- just like them. Doing it earlier is just going to make things easier with learning how to speak. If it isn't done earlier, speech can be very far behind (this from experience)and could affect abilities in school.

Cochlear implants are not to be performed on a child until he or she is at least eight years of age. I think parents want what is best for their child; however, if it means complications then no doubt will they not have the procedure done. But then again, if they knew all complications were to be avoided then they would do cochlear implants to their child as young as they can in order for them to live a normal life.

As parents, we must take responsibilities for our children to make their lives as wonderful as we possibly can. For years, we choose what they eat and where etc... Something as big as the possibility of being deaf, we must take matters into our own hands and do what is best. It amazes me that some will wait until the child is old enough to decide. I highly doubt that a child will want to be deaf when he or she grows up around people who don't speak with their hands.

Events could take place that a child would say, " I wish I wasn't deaf then so and so wouldn't have happened." We can prevent that if it is safe to perform a procedure like this on babies.

There are MANY things our kids wish we would have done as a child. Try to prevent those thoughts.

Cochlear implants are a life-changing event to patients with hearing losses that recieve no benefit from traditional hearing aids. Implant users are able to understand speech better in the everyday world which is tremendous. Some patients complain of the machanical sound of the implant, but as time goes by you adapt to it and it could eventually start sounding normal.

Cochlear implants will be beneficial to young children who are still developing speech skills. This implant allows them to not fall behind and be able to learn the same way and same academia of their peers.

I strongly believe that infants and babies should not be allowed to recieve this operation.

I am a parent of a deaf baby. I think people miss the point on the debate of cochlear implants are babies. The baby that is born deaf is not broken nor needs to be "fixed". I feel parents want to do the surgery simply because it would make the child normal. Being deaf and hearing still makes you you and no one is less normal than the other.

What if a child was born with down syndrome? Is the baby that doesn't have downs better than the one that does. Every child's needs and desires are different in society. Their purposes are different. No matter what they look like or what their lifestyle is, no child is less normal than the other.

I agree with what you're saying about no child is less normal than the other. I think that is a beautiful thing to say. However, look at it from a different point of view.

Bullying and cruelty are at any school and it usually begins in elementary school. Say you didn't give your child a cochlear implant as a baby but had the chance to. Seven years later, another child is bullying your child and he comes home crying asking why did this have to happen for him. That's what hurts the most knowing I could have done something.

Grant it, some deaf children/adults are very proud of their lifestyle and will live it to the fullest and that is great, but there are some that will struggle and think they are different. This is where we come in as parents and choose what we think will be best for our child in the future.