A former favorite student of mine, Maggie, asked me to make this public. Here is the essay for which she won first place :
“My opinion about Cochlear Implants”
My
opinion about Cochlear Implant is important because I experienced it myself. As
child five years old, I was not involved in deciding to get my Cochlear
Implant. My parents decided that. I believe that they should not implant a
child under 5 years old because I think they need to wait until the child gets
old enough to decide.
The American Speech and Language Association explains,“ Children and adults with a severe
to profound hearing loss who cannot be helped with hearing aids may be helped
with cochlear implants. This type of hearing loss is sensorineural, which means
there is damage to the tiny hair cells in the part of the inner ear called the
cochlea. Because of this damage, sound cannot reach the auditory nerve. With a
cochlear implant, the damaged hair cells are bypassed, and the auditory nerve
is stimulated directly.”
People
think that getting a Cochlear Implant will make it easy for understanding
speech. False! Maybe they can hear sound but that does not mean they can
understand the words. They need a lot practice. I experienced that. I went to
speech everyday in school. I tried
hard! I never felt successful. I
did not understand all, only some.
I felt mostly frustrated.
People
think that a Cochlear Implant will make it easy to talk. False! I couldn’t say “K”. Saying syllables was really hard
for me. Sometimes I felt successful. Sometimes I felt angry and frustrated. I
experienced this from five years old to now. I want to practice so that I can
communicate better with my hearing family and friends but I can’t be hearing.
If
a baby is born deaf parents should wait until the child is older and then ask
them if they want a Cochlear Implant.
The child needs to understand about speech and hearing practice and that
it is hard. They need to be involved. Please, do not give small babies Cochlear
Implants!
