If deaf parents have deaf children, would they offer cochlear implants to them? Joash, 3, hears with an implant and he has deaf parents.
A growing number of members of the Deaf Community are giving their deaf infants cochlear implants, hoping that those children will become bilingual--being fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and in spoken English. That was what Daphne, 38, wanted for her deaf son, Joash.
"It happened when I saw a posting written by a Deaf mother who had two deaf children who hear with cochlear implants," Daphne said. "They are bilingual in ASL and spoken English."
Daphne was very wary about giving her son a cochlear implant since she heard so many false myths and stories from different members in the Deaf Community. For example, she heard that cochlear implants can make children mentally retarded, unable to do sports, and they could die in the operating room.
However, she did her own online research and talked with people before giving her son an implant. Additionally, Daphne was aware that since she communicates primarily in ASL. Therefore, she had auditory verbal therapists, hearing friends and speech therapists help to stimulate her son's development in spoken English.
"The first time I heard about this situation was on an online cochlear implant website where a posting by a Deaf mother caught my eye," Goodall said. "I have met other deaf ASL-speaking deaf parents who have children with cochlear implants who are also bilingual."
Joash and Daphne. Photo: Courtesy of Daphne
With the support of this "Bi-Bi" philosophy, Joash is doing well with both languages made possible by the cochlear implant team with the Carolina Children's Communicative Disorders Program at University of North Carolina .
