I plan to tackle this issue from an educational perspective and hope remain as objective as possible.
That's where you come in.
I am curious to know...
- How are cochlear implants impacting the education of young children?
- What information are parents given to help them make informed decisions about the procedure?
- What expectations do parents have regarding the outcome of the procedure?
- How do classroom teachers educate children with cochlear implants?
- What types of training is given to these teachers?
And of course, I would love to read your opinions about cochlear implants for children in general.
Thanks!
3 comments:
I have worked with several students with cochlear implants. They were all different. For the most part, the ones with informed and supportive families were very successful. In terms of providing support for them in the classroom (mainstreamed), it is not much different than providing support and services for deaf/hh students who are not implanted. It varies; some use sign language interpreters while others do not. It really depends. The ones whose implant did not work for them unfortunately, did not come from ideal family situations or were not provided enough support in auditory rehabilitation because their parents never followed up with their doctors. Usually with the right support and information, the cochlear implant device can be very successful. Currently, I am working with a few students with CIs. Thus far, they are doing very well in school.
To answer your questions:
"How are cochlear implants impacting the education of young children?"
I would not know. I don't have enough information or experience to know how cochlear implants impact the education of young children, overall.
"What information are parents given to help them make informed decisions about the procedure?"
It would be best for the parents to answer this one.
"What expectations do parents have regarding the outcome of the procedure?"
Most parents seem to be most concerned about their child being able to communicate with their family and the general population using spoken language and listening skills. Like most parents, they just want their children to be happy and productive members of society.
"How do classroom teachers educate children with cochlear implants?"
They can ask the deaf/hh student to talk to the class about their cochlear implant device and how it impacts him or her. Or a deaf/hh teacher can talk to the class about it. Also it would be neat to have outside visitors who are implanted to talk about their experiences.
"What types of training is given to these teachers?"
I would assume the deaf/hh teacher or specialist would go over accommodations (as mentioned in the IEP), how these accommodations help, how the child hears in a number of situations, talk about the device, how it works, what to do if the device stops working, etc.
If anyone knows an effective way to train classroom teachers, please let me know!
(e
(e - Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and thoughts. I appreciate it. I have gotten some wonderful information from you and from friends on FB and at school. It has gone so well you can bet I'll be putting out another call when it comes time to recruit participants for my doctoral survey. (I already know you are on board - thanks!)
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