The pattern of results suggests that cochlear implants may be effective in improving deaf children's communication and social skills.

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1981) posits that members of minority groups achieve positive social identity by (a) attempting to gain access to the mainstream through individual mobility or (b) working with other group members to bring about social change. Some people may use a combination of both strategies. Through the use of cluster analysis, the existence of three identities associated with these strategies was discerned in a sample of 267 deaf adults: culturally hearing identity, culturally deaf identity, and bicultural identity, each comprising about a third of the sample. A subset of 56 people were interviewed in depth; excerpts are presented to illustrate the identity types. Qualified support was found for the prediction that people with culturally deaf and bicultural identities would have higher self-esteem.

The number of children who have received cochlear implants (CIs) has increased dramatically in the past two decades. In view of potential concerns about their psychosocial adjustment, our aim was to assess the effect of implants on the adolescents' psychosocial functioning among a group of 57 deaf adolescents with and without CIs, using published and validated measures completed by the adolescents themselves, their parents, and teachers. Adolescents with CI tended to be more hearing acculturated, whereas those without CI tended to be more Deaf acculturated. Despite some differences in background characteristics between the two groups, there were no differences between them on the psychosocial variables assessed in this study, regardless of the reporting sources. Rather than having a direct effect on the psychosocial outcomes assessed in this study, it is through the mediating effect of acculturation and school setting that CI status exerts an influence over many of this study's outcomes. Recommendations for future research are made in light of our findings.

Previous research on children with cochlear implants has focused mostly on their speech perception and production. With the growing numbers of children who use the implant, it is important to assess other aspects of these children's functioning. This article offers a qualitative and quantitative analysis of interviews with parents who described their children's communication skills and peer relationships before they had the implant and afterward. Results show that the implant has the potential to improve deaf children's relationships with hearing peers. Nonetheless, children with implants still face communication obstacles, which impede their social relationships with hearing peers. Results are discussed in light of the different points of view of various "stake holders" regarding cochlear implants in children.