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07-04-2005, 10:10 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 10
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Newbie here!
Greetings All! My name is Stephanie and my son, Christian, is profoundly deaf. He was born 16 weeks early. He was 1lb 6oz and 11" long. We aren't sure what "caused" his deafness as my husband and myself are both hearing. We think it was the low birthweight, extremely premature and length of ventilation (14 1/2 weeks). Anyways, they caught it at the newborn hearing screen. He was announced as profoundly deaf last August (he was born 2-15-04). After this, we decided on a cochlear implant for him. We knew the sooner he was implanted, the sooner he'd be able to hear and speak. So, he was implanted this April, turned on May 25th and after only 3 mappings can hear at 25 dB! It's amazing! He received the Clarion body worn (since he's small). Anyways, he goes to an oral school (Desert Voices) and is already impressing the teacher! He can mimick the lenght of words already (after only 3 hearing classes).
Please do not attack me because I chose this for my son, just wanted to introduce myself. But, do ask any questions that you have reguarding my son's prematurity or his deafness, I do not mind answering questions. Thank you, Stephanie PS, my son's website is www.geocities.com/s_lynne_flores/Christian.html |
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07-04-2005, 10:48 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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So NOT a Princess!
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Trebekistan
Posts: 6,685
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Hey Stephanie,
I don't think you'll find too many anti-CI militants here....Attitudes towards CI are SLOWLY but surely changing in the Deaf community. I do know that some people think that some parents are being a little too hasty with the CI, but it sounds like your son definitly needed the CI. Just a word of advice....I'm really not trying to attack you. I definitly think that oral skills are a good thing to have (and I know many people here are glad they can hear and speak). However, please don't a) Make therapy a lifestyle. There are too many dhh adults who grew up with every single waking moment a therapy session. You want your child to remember a fun childhood, not a childhood filled with therapy. You don't want your child to see you as more of a therapist then a mother. Some parents get a little carried away with the therapy mentality of going oral. b) Be anti-Sign. Too often oral parents are bombarded by messages that Sign is bad or "special needs." Yes, oral skills are good....but being oral-first does not mean that you have to be anti-Sign. Hope I didn't offend you or anything.... |
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07-05-2005, 12:12 PM
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#4 (permalink) | |
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Guest
Posts: n/a
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Quote:
Greetings  My sister in law is a teacher at Desert Voice. I think youve picked an excellent school for your son Best of luck with his new journey
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07-05-2005, 10:02 PM
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#7 (permalink) |
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♥"Concrete Angel"♥
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 19,088
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 Hello there,Welcome to AD and enjoy your stay here, and that's great to hear that you and your hubby had decide to have CI on your son.... Btw, don't worry I won't attack you! 
__________________
"When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is brought in our life, OR in the life of another." ~ Helen Keller |
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07-06-2005, 12:07 AM
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#9 (permalink) |
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~AngelOfRoses~
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 263
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Hello Stephanie,
Welcome to AD! I am a mother and I have a 16 months old daughter. She was born prematurely. I was 33 weeks pregnant with her. She was supposed to be born in April but she was born in Feb. The reason I had her early was because my blood pressure was so high. I was forced to have induced so it could save my daughter's life and my life. She was born at 4 lbs 4 oz. She stayed in NICU for 2 weeks (she was supposed to stay there for 2 months at her due date but she fought so hard to get better to go home with us). She is doing good so far. If you need someone to talk to, you can pm me. |
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07-06-2005, 12:27 AM
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#10 (permalink) |
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Guest
Posts: n/a
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 to our AD!I wont attack you...I think it is selfish for parents to put CI in baby's head...it is not fair to the child. It has to be child's decision. That's my opinion. I grew up wearing hearing aids, uses sign language and learned how to talk...I can speak very well..Im Adult now and ready to get CI for myself...I believe deafies have rights to decide if they want it or not. Please do not take away sign lanugage from your son...he deserved to know sign language and uses it at home and school. Oral School is not a good option for any deafies...Mainstreaming School is the best option...going to hearing classes with an interpreter is the best way to learn in education. Reading oral without sign language will lead your child more frustration. Please do not be selfish to take sign language away from your son. And remember, your son will always be deaf. He will never be hearing. Accept it!
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07-06-2005, 12:29 AM
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#11 (permalink) |
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my cute fish of the year!
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: land of 10,000 lakes and living by one of them
Posts: 4,627
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welcome to AD, enjoy your stay
 i'm glad to see many parents of deaf child joining this forum.. its awsome isn't it?
__________________
 Nucleus Freedom 04/18/05 activiated 05/16/05 |
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07-06-2005, 12:30 AM
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#12 (permalink) | |
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Guest
Posts: n/a
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I cant believe you support oral school... |
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07-06-2005, 02:37 PM
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#13 (permalink) |
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So NOT a Princess!
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Trebekistan
Posts: 6,685
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Coloravalache, private oral schools(or oral schools in wealthy suburbs) are the only option for dhh kids whose parents want them to talk......most other programs either don't concentrate enough on speech therapy or they don't have skilled teachers/therapists.
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07-06-2005, 02:41 PM
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#15 (permalink) | |
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Guest
Posts: n/a
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Quote:
Im not out of my mind. You have no right to judge me. I do not judge others who went to school for the Deaf or were taught ASL first before spoken English, etc. We are all different but we can embrace each other with compassion and respect. Sorry but that is my opinion. No need to criticize me. I was raised in an oral school. It was an excellent school for me. I have no regrets for my background. My parents did their best in their time before there were a wide variety of options in educating a deaf child. I have every right to believe that Desert Voice is an excellent school. I know some of the staff there personally and a few parents there too. My neice graduated from there and she is now a 6th grader at a regular school and knows ASL now. |
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07-06-2005, 03:56 PM
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#17 (permalink) |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,090
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Hello and welcome to Alldeaf miraclemama! That's great and must be a joy to 'see' the significant improvements and accomplishments he is gaining....I do wish all the very best for him and sure looks like you and your husband will be doing whatever is possible for him throughout his journey in this life.
Also, hope you'll enjoy your stay here in AD!! (Mod Note: Please let's keep our indifferences in regard to Ci's out of this 'Introduction Thread' and not resort to personal views/rants that really has no bearing to this thread, for those views, there's another specific forum here in AD where these sort of discussions and debates, etc. can be placed in--thank you!!) |
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07-08-2005, 01:07 PM
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#22 (permalink) |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 10
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Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I want to say that I am using some basic sign with my son. He doesn't have the cochlear implant on all the time (like when he's sleeping or in water *swimming or bath*). He will eventually be mainstreamed, but not yet. He is going to an oral school because they have a birth to three program where I can give him a headstart in learning. When he is 2yrs 9mos, he can go to a preschool. I really do want what is best for him. In my husband and my opinion, what we are doing is what is best for him. While I respect everyones opinions, I hope that you respect mine and not criticize myself or my husband for choices we have made.
Again, thanks for the warm welcome! |
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07-08-2005, 04:06 PM
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#23 (permalink) | |
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So NOT a Princess!
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Trebekistan
Posts: 6,685
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Quote:
I don't think anyone's really criticizing you.....We're just bringing up concerns and our experiances. Many of us here grew up oral-only,(and some of us here are oral sucesses! ) and many of us know that the oral option is often promoted as a utopia or a perfect solution with no real downsides. Many of our parents were told a lot of the same things that hearing parents of dhh kids today are told! I know that you think that you're doing what's best way for him......but many of our parents in retrospect say that they should have gone with BOTH ASL and speech. We don't want you to have to look back in ten or fifteen years and say "I should have done this...should have done that." Again, there's nothing wrong with going oral-first. Oral skills ARE important! Just don't fall into the trap of thinking that oral skills are gonna be enough, or that ASL/Sign and Deaf Culture don't really offer anything of value. Oh, and also PLEASE PLEASE monitor your son's progress VERY carefully! He may still need Sign. I know that for example apraxia (a nereological disorder which inhibits spoken language production) is very common in dhh kids. So even if your child has good hearing responses, he may still have difficulty with production of speech. I know too, that while complete oral failure is pretty rare, there are still kids who need TC programs who started out in oral programs. I actually think that oral-first is a legitimate option, as long as a) progress is carefully monitored...you don't want to take the risk that your child might be behind in language b/c you've focused so much on speech and that b) ASL is introduced as a second language early on. Don't make the mistake of letting your son discover Sign on his own. The reason why many of us are anti-oral, isn't b/c we are anti-hearing world or are Deaf extremists is but b/c oralism is pushed in a very ablist-/audist manner. It is not pushed as "Your child can have an extra valuable life skill to commuicate with the hearing world without an interpreter eternally by their side." but, rather as " Your child won't need Sign!" If oral education wasn't anti-Sign, then I doubt that there would be so many orally educated late to Sign Deafies against it. Do you see now? Thing is ASL/Sign is promoted as "special needs" and not a real language. I wonder how many parents would choose oral-only for their kids if knowledge of Sign was promoted/pushed as bilingalism! |
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07-13-2005, 10:25 PM
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#25 (permalink) |
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Cranston, Rhode Island
Posts: 2,767
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Hello Miraclemamma and welcome to Alldeaf. I hope you have enjoyed your stay here with us. What a story about Christian!!! Being that small and fighting to survive. You and your husband must be so proud to see how much he has grown in the last year. How is Christian doing now? All the best to you and hubby on your little guy Christian!!! Look forward to your postings, take care and God Bless!!! 
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