인공와우(CI) 이식 아동의 재활과정에 대한 질적 사례 연구

A Qualitative Case Study on process of (Re)habilitation Children with Cochlear Implant

Research to the auditory physiology and the development of the modern medical engineering, a cochlear implant has been providing an auditory capacity for the severly, profoundly hearing impaired that can't hear even with hearing aids. The cochlear implant has changed the condition of an aural (re)habilitation a lot better because it helps people hear by stimulating an auditory nerve with an electrode inside the cochlear. In the process, the sound energy is turned into an electronic one. So now we are trying to find out whether the deaf children's lives have been changed in a better way socially and emotionally as well as lingually and auditorily after the treatment. For the purpose of this study, the researchers themselves participated in the clinical activity which is for the three children getting an aural (re)habilitation after the cochlear implant. The children with CI in this study videotaped, observed and made recordings of the children's reaction in the natural setting, carrying out their roles with the children's own therapists. Besides, participation's collected the data by having interviews with the children's parents. In the result, if pre-lingually infants get an operation at an early age, they turn out to be more competent in speaking and hearing than others. It is because the implanted cochlear help them hear, speak exactly and they have much time to get used to it. Still, whether the operations is successful or not depends on people. It is definite that a lot of patients and their family members have gone through big change in their life. In this study, we reported that nothing can be sure and positive unless the parents are willing to join this activity. That is because we decide on the every (re)habilitation process following their opinions. It is undeniable, however, for the deaf children to have difficulty in speaking and hearing even if they function more properly than before with the help of the cochlear implant. We should try to have a social and cultural system to give them a sense of self identity as a member of the deaf community.