Educational Media Reviews Online

Twins: Children with Cochlear Implants is a brief but enlightening glimpse into the lives of two sets of twins; within each set of twins, one child is born hearing and the other born profoundly deaf. The twins, Peter and Christopher and Jessica and Rachel, are observed from the time they are one year old, the time when Peter and Jessica receive their cochlear implants, to their entry into preschool at four years of age. What transpires over time is remarkable, as Peter and Jessica are “switched on” to the hearing world and they gradually learn how to speak and interact with very few developmental delays. The viewer hears testimony from the twins’ families, watches the twins work through sessions with cochlear audiologists, and receives medical explanations from cochlear implant surgeon Dr. Simon Parisier and audiologist Dr. Pat Chute.

Twins does not debate the pros and con of cochlear implants or touch on the controversy associated with this procedure in the deaf community (Director / Producer Josh Aronson delves into these issues in his previous work, the Academy Award Nominated film Sound and Fury: The Communication Wars of the Deaf); rather, this film is a study of the work and dedication required, for the implant recipients and their families, to acquire language and socialization skills when living with a disability. The film is positive, concise and even uplifting, as Peter and Jessica progress to the point of being on the same developmental levels as their twins and being mainstreamed in the school system.

The film is appropriately closed captioned, and very well edited; the video and audio qualities are of good quality. Twins: Children with Cochlear Implants isrecommended and probably best suited for consumer health libraries, medical libraries that are open to the public and participate in patient education, and libraries that support academic programs in audiology, communication and speech disorders.