LapCI regularly publishes articles on hearing loss and hearing intervention, and personal stories written by our member families. Some of these articles can also be read in English:
Early information and hearing loss rehabilitation: Ada’s story
Ada’s mum Piret shares the story of their hearing journey: from Ada’s hearing loss diagnosis to receiving CIs, and to Ada thriving as a happy and chatty 4-year-old. Ada’s family is multilingual, and she is able to converse fluently in both Finnish and Estonian.
The power of peer support
The kind of peer support one needs can vary greatly depending on the person: their age, their stage in life, and their interests. For some, the right kind of peer support is getting to talk openly and face-to-face with peers, and for others it is all about doing things together, be it chatting while cooking or playing football. LapCI aims to bring families from all walks of life together and help everyone find the type of peer support that suits them best.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Theory of mind in day to day conversation
In this article AV therapist Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz explains the theory of mind and its importance in brain development. Theory of mind (TOM) is a crucial aspect of human interaction that is interwoven with all the connections and communications we have with other people. It allows us to be competent human beings in the social context, and to understand our own thoughts and behaviour, as well as that of others, in ways that ensure our relationships are satisfying and reciprocal.
Opinion: Paradigm shift to a new CI identity
Ali Ghiasi is father to a young CI user. In this article, he expresses his views on some polarizing conversations that have been ongoing in the CI community regarding the CI recipients’ experiences. The discourse surrounding the CI and negative experiences of some CI users often seems focused on pitting the hearing and the deaf against each other. Ali argues that we should, instead, look at the experiences of CI users as indicative of a completely new identity forming in between the two worlds.
Kuuloavain.fi is a website aimed for parents of children with hearing loss and for specialists who work with the families. In addition to articles on topical subjects, the website serves as a portal to information and services offered by other operators in the field. In cooperation with various organisations, Kuuloavain.fi works to create networks for children with hearing loss and their families. The aim is to strengthen the cooperation between the different parties to better support the child with hearing loss and their family.
The MED-EL blog is an excellent source of information for the everyday rehabilitation of children and young people using cochlear implants. The blog is regularly updated with new tips on how to easily incorporate rehabilitative exercises into daily conversations, playtime, chores, and challenging situations. It also features articles on various situations in working life. The tips are insightful and are illustrated with videos. An excellent article for multilingual families is How Do I Help My Child With a CI Learn More Than One Language?. Also worth checking out is the Rehab at home series on MED-EL’s YouTube channel.
Shirai, K., Kawano, A., Ohta, Y. ja Tsukahara, K. (2023) Reading comprehension skill in English as a second language of Japanese middle school students with cochlear implants. Cochlear Implants International 24(1), 6-13
Simpson, M. ja Mayer, C. (2023) Spoken Language Bilingualism in the Education of Deaf Learners. American Annals of the Deaf 167(5), 727-744
Novogrodsky & Meir (2022) Multilingual children with special needs in early education. Handbook of Early Language Education, 669-696
Beere-Scheenstra, R. J., Azar, A. R., Heinzmann, S., Stieger, C., Kompis, M., Caversaccio, M., Bodmer, D., Huber, A., Lehnick, D., Candreia, C. ja Linder, T. (2020) Multicenter Study Investigating Foreign Language Acquisition at School in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Uni- or Bilateral Cochlear Implants in the Swiss German Population. Otology & Neurotology 41(5), 580-587
Bunta, F., Douglas, M., Dickson, H., Cantu, A., Wickesberg, J. ja Gifford, R. (2016) Dual language versus English-only support for bilingual children with hearing loss who use cochlear implants and hearing aids. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 51(4), 460-472
Bunta & Douglas (2013) The effects of dual-language support on the language skills of bilingual children with hearing loss who use listening devices relative to their monolingual peers. American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association
Guiberson, M. (2013) Bilingual skills of deaf/hard of hearing children from Spain. Cochlear Implants International 15(2), 87-92
Thomas, E., El-Kashlan, H. ja Zwolan, A. (2008) Children with cochlear implants who live in monolingual and bilingual homes. Otology&Neurotology 29(2), 230-234
McConcey-Robbins, A., Green, E. ja Waltzman, S. (2004) Bilingual Oral language Proficiency in Children With Cochlear Implants. Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery 130(5):644-7
Waltzman, S., McConcey Robbins, A., Green, E. ja Cohen, N. (2003) Second Oral Language Capabilities in Children with Cochlear Implants. Otology&Neurotology 24(5):757-63
Levi, A., Boyett-Solano, J., Nicholson, B. ja Eisenberg, L. (2001) Multilingualism and Children with Cochlear Implants. https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/implants-bone-conduction/cochlear-implants/multilingualism-and-children-with-cochlear-implants
