Consensus is that I had my head up my A**. I apologize.
K.L.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Research Links
For those of you who love links and research publications. Many of you frequently ask for the links to the research articles we talk about regarding cochlear implants. And many more of you are asking for research that has already been published. The links below are mostly links to links. If you have links to other research articles, please add them in the comments section. Two of the three are overviews of multiple research articles, so you will have to dig further to read the actual research. I have not reviewed most of the research below, and do not hold an opinion on it. I am simply providing links for those of you who want them.
http://www.childrenshearing.org/custom/research_articles.html#psy
http://ccdam.gallaudet.edu/pdf/referencelist.pdf
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/130/5/547
http://www.childrenshearing.org/custom/research_articles.html#psy
http://ccdam.gallaudet.edu/pdf/referencelist.pdf
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/130/5/547
Friday, June 19, 2009
Where is the Line?
In my last blog, I was talking about tolerance and respect between people with different viewpoints and opinions. The comments took a decided turn, after Melissa commented about the threats she and her daughter had received. Those threats were turned over to the police. There is a line between free speech and threats of violence. At first it seemed that those threats were isolated incidents, but more commenters came out saying that they too had received threats.
What constitutes threats? Is it ok to say you want to kill somebody if you don't really mean it? How much can or should we tolerate in the name of free speech? How should the D/deaf community respond when someone else threatens violence in the blog comments?
Please say your piece, but please be respectful while doing it. Thanks.
What constitutes threats? Is it ok to say you want to kill somebody if you don't really mean it? How much can or should we tolerate in the name of free speech? How should the D/deaf community respond when someone else threatens violence in the blog comments?
Please say your piece, but please be respectful while doing it. Thanks.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Enough with the CI Blogs?
I read a blog post recently that basically stated that they were tired of the Cochlear Implant updates. No more surgery posts, IEP updates, mapping news or anything else of that sort. They wanted posts about Deaf Experiences. More emphasis on the whole person, not just their technologically enhanced hearing experience. Most of the comments were in full agreement.
I understand that Deaf Read was originally designed by and for Culturally Deaf people. But is it really advantageous to limit all perspectives but our own? If everybody is of the same opinion, there is no growth. No learning. No thinking. It is through the exchange of ideas that bridges are built and connections are made. Our Founding Fathers knew this. They made the free exchange of information part of our Constitution.
I will take things a step further. I believe that diversity is absolutely necessary, required and designed into us by God. We NEED to be unique. We NEED to have different opinions and ideas. God needs us to learn from each other, grow with each other and help each other. I believe that one of the biggest things we need to learn is tolerance. How do we engage in conflict resolution in a peaceful and respectful manner? We start by respecting and tolerating different people and different ideas.
Does anyone really have the right to say that since they no longer want to read or discuss something, that nobody else should blog about it? These are blog posts people. You have the complete choice on what you click on and what you don’t. If you don’t want to read about someone’s implant surgery, don’t read it. I guarantee that someone else is interested in it and is glad that post was put up.
Diversity, tolerance and respect demand that we try our best to allow each other room for expression. Yes, that blogger has the right to her opinion. She also has the right to tell us about it. I have the right to think that was disrespectful of her. I also have the right to keep blogging about the things that are important to me. And I strongly hope that her negative opinion does not deter other bloggers from putting up the posts they feel strongly about.
K.L.
I understand that Deaf Read was originally designed by and for Culturally Deaf people. But is it really advantageous to limit all perspectives but our own? If everybody is of the same opinion, there is no growth. No learning. No thinking. It is through the exchange of ideas that bridges are built and connections are made. Our Founding Fathers knew this. They made the free exchange of information part of our Constitution.
I will take things a step further. I believe that diversity is absolutely necessary, required and designed into us by God. We NEED to be unique. We NEED to have different opinions and ideas. God needs us to learn from each other, grow with each other and help each other. I believe that one of the biggest things we need to learn is tolerance. How do we engage in conflict resolution in a peaceful and respectful manner? We start by respecting and tolerating different people and different ideas.
Does anyone really have the right to say that since they no longer want to read or discuss something, that nobody else should blog about it? These are blog posts people. You have the complete choice on what you click on and what you don’t. If you don’t want to read about someone’s implant surgery, don’t read it. I guarantee that someone else is interested in it and is glad that post was put up.
Diversity, tolerance and respect demand that we try our best to allow each other room for expression. Yes, that blogger has the right to her opinion. She also has the right to tell us about it. I have the right to think that was disrespectful of her. I also have the right to keep blogging about the things that are important to me. And I strongly hope that her negative opinion does not deter other bloggers from putting up the posts they feel strongly about.
K.L.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Survey for Adult Signers with CIs
Survey for Adult Signers with Cochlear Implant
Dear Respondent:
You are invited to participate in a survey on how deaf adult signers
experience cochlear implant. This project has been approved by the
Institutional Review Board of Gallaudet University. It will take
approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
Through your participation we hope to provide a descriptive summary of
common as well as unique experiences among deaf adult signers who wear
cochlear implant(s). We believe that the results of the survey will be
useful for other deaf adults who are contemplating cochlear
implantation. The results will be summarized and interpreted in a book
chapter.
Thank you very much for your time and support. Please start with the
demographics and survey now by clicking on
http://cochlearimplantsurvey.questionpro.com .
Sincerely,
Khadijat Rashid, Ph.D.
Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D.
Raja Kushalnagar, J.D.
--
Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator, Texas site
Quality of Life - Deaf/HOH Youth Research Project (
https://depts.washington.edu/projhql/ )
Department of Health Services
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington
poornak@u.washington.edu
Dear Respondent:
You are invited to participate in a survey on how deaf adult signers
experience cochlear implant. This project has been approved by the
Institutional Review Board of Gallaudet University. It will take
approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
Through your participation we hope to provide a descriptive summary of
common as well as unique experiences among deaf adult signers who wear
cochlear implant(s). We believe that the results of the survey will be
useful for other deaf adults who are contemplating cochlear
implantation. The results will be summarized and interpreted in a book
chapter.
Thank you very much for your time and support. Please start with the
demographics and survey now by clicking on
http://cochlearimplantsurvey.
Sincerely,
Khadijat Rashid, Ph.D.
Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D.
Raja Kushalnagar, J.D.
--
Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator, Texas site
Quality of Life - Deaf/HOH Youth Research Project (
https://depts.washington.edu/
Department of Health Services
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington
poornak@u.washington.edu
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Is it Speech or Language Therapy?
As I read different blogs and comments, I keep running into a similar comment. ASL teaches the child language. Speech therapy teaches kids to parrot sounds. ASL involves brain development. Speech therapy revolves around voice and ears only.
I would like to clearly and distinctly refute that claim. First off, I fully agree that teaching ASL teaches language. No question there. But speech therapy today must be way different than 20+ years ago. At least it is for kids learning language with a cochlear implant. Before we go any farther, I want to stress that I believe ASL and verbal language can and should compliment each other. Deaf kids should be taught both. But there is a reason that speech therapy is so important for implant recipients.
The determination of success (or failure) of the cochlear implant comes down to how well the person can make sense of sound. One of the shortcomings of hearing aids is that if there are no residual hair cells in the cochlea, no amount of amplification can get sound through the cochlea to the auditory nerve, and on to the brain. With the implant, if you have a functioning auditory nerve, and can get a good insertion of the electrode array into the cochlea, sound WILL get to the brain. The question really is how well can the brain make sense of the sounds it is now receiving? Think of it like a projector that is out of focus. The sound coming in from the implant is fuzzy. The brain has the ability to make the sound quality better and clearer. In effect, it focuses the projector to sharpen the image. How well the brain can focus the sound is the key to the implant’s success.
In the “olden” days, speech therapy consisted of trying to teach a deaf person how to imitate a sound that they may or may not even be able to understand. It focused on teaching the person how to speak clearly enough to be understood. Many of the sounds they learned to make, they never learned to understand.
With the implant, the key is to understand the sounds you are hearing. Verbal language is all about putting meaning to the sounds you are hearing. Yes, speech articulation is part of it, but the majority of the emphasis is on learning to understand the sounds you are hearing. It is all about the brain. 100%. You learn to make sense of sound, put meaning to words, paraphrase what you see and hear, initiate and reply to conversations. In short, you are learning verbal language. The success of the implant rests on how completely you learn language. And how well you learn language rests on how well your brain is able to interpret the sounds the implant is giving you. Meaningless parroting has no place here. It is all about brain development. Speech therapy is the way the brain learns to focus the sound, so the sound has meaning. I really think it is no longer appropriately named. Maybe calling it speech therapy was what was happening in the “olden” days.
As a parent who has been intimately involved with my daughter’s speech therapy over the years, first with her initial implant and now with her second bilateral implant, I can tell you that there is one thing I know well. It may be called speech therapy. What she is getting is NOT speech therapy. It is LANGUAGE therapy.
K.L.
I would like to clearly and distinctly refute that claim. First off, I fully agree that teaching ASL teaches language. No question there. But speech therapy today must be way different than 20+ years ago. At least it is for kids learning language with a cochlear implant. Before we go any farther, I want to stress that I believe ASL and verbal language can and should compliment each other. Deaf kids should be taught both. But there is a reason that speech therapy is so important for implant recipients.
The determination of success (or failure) of the cochlear implant comes down to how well the person can make sense of sound. One of the shortcomings of hearing aids is that if there are no residual hair cells in the cochlea, no amount of amplification can get sound through the cochlea to the auditory nerve, and on to the brain. With the implant, if you have a functioning auditory nerve, and can get a good insertion of the electrode array into the cochlea, sound WILL get to the brain. The question really is how well can the brain make sense of the sounds it is now receiving? Think of it like a projector that is out of focus. The sound coming in from the implant is fuzzy. The brain has the ability to make the sound quality better and clearer. In effect, it focuses the projector to sharpen the image. How well the brain can focus the sound is the key to the implant’s success.
In the “olden” days, speech therapy consisted of trying to teach a deaf person how to imitate a sound that they may or may not even be able to understand. It focused on teaching the person how to speak clearly enough to be understood. Many of the sounds they learned to make, they never learned to understand.
With the implant, the key is to understand the sounds you are hearing. Verbal language is all about putting meaning to the sounds you are hearing. Yes, speech articulation is part of it, but the majority of the emphasis is on learning to understand the sounds you are hearing. It is all about the brain. 100%. You learn to make sense of sound, put meaning to words, paraphrase what you see and hear, initiate and reply to conversations. In short, you are learning verbal language. The success of the implant rests on how completely you learn language. And how well you learn language rests on how well your brain is able to interpret the sounds the implant is giving you. Meaningless parroting has no place here. It is all about brain development. Speech therapy is the way the brain learns to focus the sound, so the sound has meaning. I really think it is no longer appropriately named. Maybe calling it speech therapy was what was happening in the “olden” days.
As a parent who has been intimately involved with my daughter’s speech therapy over the years, first with her initial implant and now with her second bilateral implant, I can tell you that there is one thing I know well. It may be called speech therapy. What she is getting is NOT speech therapy. It is LANGUAGE therapy.
K.L.
Monday, May 18, 2009
New Documentary about a Deaf Family with CIs
The Stark family of Chicago: a deaf, ASL using family with cochlear implants. Jeffrey (almost 3 years old) has had a CI since he was 17 months old and and 7 month old Melissa who will get a cochlear implant soon. Their mother, Jill, will get a cochlear implant this month. The documentary will be released soon. Here's the link to the ABC story on this documentary and click here to go to the documentary's website.
A nice quote from the documentary: "(Cochlear implants) doesn't stop them from being deaf."
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