Abstract of Project Funded for FY 2000
Pediatric Cochlear Implants: Implications for Gallaudet University and Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (Completed) John Christiansen, Ph.D. Pediatric cochlear implants have become an increasingly controversial issue during the 1990s. Many people in the deaf community oppose such implants, while many otologists, audiologists and other health professionals support them. Given the strong feelings on both sides of the issue, there is an urgent need for a more balanced and objective evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of pediatric cochlear implants. The primary goal of this research project was to focus on how parents and families that, include children with cochlear implants deal with a variety of implant-related issues'. "Phase One" included approximately 25 interviews of parents of children with implants, primarily in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore metropolitan areas. These interviews were conducted summer 2000 by John Christiansen and Irene Leigh of the Psychology Department. An analysis of some of the quantitative data GRI collected from parents of children with implants was also part of "Phase One" of this project. "Phase Two" focused primarily on interviewing an additional sample of parents outside this area as well as extensive writing for a book (Cochlear Implants in Children: Ethics and Choices by John B. Christiansen and Irene W. Leigh with contributions from Patricia E. Spencer and Jay R. Lucker) that will be published by Gallaudet University Press, December 2001. Because pediatric cochlear implants are likely to continue to be available and will continue to improve technologically, it is apparent that Gallaudet University will need to come to grips with the question of how to respond to an increasingly diverse deaf and hard of hearing population. |