Research that benefits Children and Families---Uplifting Stories

There are two research that I am very familiar with, especially its effects on the deaf community.

Numerous of researches study the association between hearing loss and language development. Here is one of many research examples that focused on the precise issue:   http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/106/3/e43.full.pdf+html.

It is important to acknowledge that at estimate of 90 percent of deaf children have hearing (normal hearing ability) parents.  Generally, parents often find themselves unsure about what communication mode to communicate with their "deaf" children and this lead to delayed language developments. Some parents place their children at deaf residential school by the time they are three or four year old. Parent-child relationship becomes distant and difficult for some. Many research like this one demonstrate the significant impact on language development by identifying hearing loss, communication mode, and family involvement level at certain ages. The younger the child is, the better his/her language development is when parents are involved in child's learning experience (ie: early childhood program placement, communication mode selection, and family involvement). When the child has all positive influentials, child has a higher reasoning ability and vocabulary by age of 5.

Another type of research has been very effective and unbelievably amazing is called genetics of EVA. This research has been around for some time and National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders is well known for genetics research. Please go to  http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/genetics.asp for further exploration. This research institute discovered that there are more than about 60 identified genes leading to hearing loss. There are approximately 10 percent deaf children born to deaf parents and several deaf generations.  From my experience, there are good number of people who do not know how they became deaf at birth. This genetic tests help these people identifying the causes. One of my good friends became deaf at age of 4 unknowingly and to normal hearing parents. Years later, his daughter was born hearing, but she lost her hearing unexpectedly at age of four.  Finally, they went to take genetics screening to identify the causes. The father and daughter learned that they have this particular genes that cause them to lose their hearing at age of four without illness of any kind.  This is truly a mystery.

NIDCD helps children and families identifying the problems to receive services earlier to prevent severe language development delays.

Some of you may wonder how I became deaf. I was born a normal hearing baby, but measles attacked me at age of 8 weeks old and damaged my hearing.  Measles typically cause a very high fever, which would be considered dangerous for a 8 week old infant. Fever itself burned my cochlea nerves.  My parents did not know what to do with me at first. Fortunately, a good physician referred them to speech and hearing center where I learned to speak and to sign at age of four months old. I was also placed in early childhood education program full time at age of 2. I was taught to write and read at age of 2. Even though I had early interventions, I continued to struggle with language development because there was not much of family involvement and my family is hearing. The family often forgot I was deaf.  These are normal incidents, but greatly effected my developments.  Regardless the obstacles, I am fortunate to have parents who were willing to learn to sign and give up their  dreams so that I could have high quality education.

I strongly believe that the earlier, the better is a way to go. Research do help us all in many ways.