1. The gift of speech: why parents implant their children
- Author
-
Belinda Barnet
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,05 social sciences ,General Social Sciences ,Sign (semiotics) ,050905 science studies ,Developmental psychology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Language development ,0302 clinical medicine ,Nothing ,General Health Professions ,otorhinolaryngologic diseases ,Natural (music) ,Deaf community ,Deaf infants ,0509 other social sciences ,030223 otorhinolaryngology ,Psychology ,Cochlear implantation - Abstract
In Australia cochlear implantation of profoundly deaf infants, babies, and young children is approaching 100% saturation. Why do parents choose to implant rather than learn Auslan? What is the Deaf community’s reaction to this and how will it change Sign as a living language? In this article, the author is a Deaf parent who chose to implant her Deaf child. When she initially published in a news outlet on this topic the reaction was quite heated: how terrible a parent you must be if you are denying your child Sign! This article explains the reasoning behind that decision to implant, taking issue with the notion that giving a child an ‘extra ability’ of speech means that you do not love them as they are. Nothing is natural, but everything is acquired or augmented – in all children.
- Published
- 2017
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