2 parents with newly diagnosed deaf baby

julesallen · 01-05-2010, 05:58 PM

Hi

Myself and my partner have a beautiful 4 month old baby boy. We were told today that he is deaf. We have to see a specialist but that may take a few weeks. It has been quite a shock and we are full of questions and fears. We are reaching out our hands into your forum hoping to find some understanding.

Thanks

Julian & Kerri

**Lissa** · 01-05-2010, 06:00 PM

Welcome to AllDeaf, nice to see you here!

Frisky Feline · 01-05-2010, 06:12 PM

Welcome to AllDeaf.

Hope you guys enjoy reading and surfing around lots of threads here.

Happy posting .

**Bottesini** · 01-05-2010, 06:16 PM

Hi

Loghead · 01-05-2010, 06:55 PM

to Alldeaf, Julian & Kerri. I hope you find all of the answers to your questions here.

julesallen · 01-05-2010, 06:59 PM

We as parents are at the beginning of our journey. Our biggest question right now is what are the questions we should be asking of the health care professionals?

**shel90** · 01-05-2010, 07:09 PM

I am not sure what kind of questions you will need to ask. All I know is that most medical professionals will probably recommend CIs for your child which should be your decision. If you dont feel comfortable with that and they push you into it by saying the window of opportunity for language development will close, it is not true because many deaf children acquire language through sign language and spoken language without CIs but according to many people who have experienced getting CIs say that developing spoken language is easier.

Since I am not a parent of a deaf child, I cant really tell you what's the best way to go but as a deaf person who grew up without sign language, in my opinion giving your child both spoken and sign language is probably the best avenue to take so your child can have the option of either going oral only, sign-only, or both which in many cases most tend to go with both.

Exposure to other deaf children especially those who sign would be beneficial so your child can know that there are other children like him and feel secure with his deafness instead of trying to be like his hearing peers.

Also, deaf role models are great if you have any deaf organizations in your area. You and your child will be welcome with open arms.

Just a heads up...if you decide to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the Deaf community. Ignore them..they do not represent the whole community.

If you decide not to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the medical field as my friend who has two deaf sons went through.

There are many of us who are deaf here...culturally Deaf, deaf, deaf with CIs, deaf who wear HAs and deaf who dont wear any listening devices, and late deafened people and most of us have lived fulfilling and happy lives.

Good luck!

Bebonang · 01-05-2010, 07:54 PM

to AllDeaf forum. The only thing I really hate about CI for very young children like babies is that the babies are way too young to have CI. The medical professionals and other audists think that babies will learn how to hear the words (listening) at a very young age and also on the road to oral langauge. I would prefer very young children to wait until they are old enough to understand if they want to have CI or not. Never force on the child to get the CI. CI is not a miracle like hearing aid or any other devices. Some of the Deaf members dream about having a stem cells and that would not work anyway.

As of now, I hope you can find lots of information here about deafness, Deaf Culture and ASL (or other sign langauge in other countries). See you around here.

01-05-2010, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shel90

I am not sure what kind of questions you will need to ask. All I know is that most medical professionals will probably recommend CIs for your child which should be your decision. If you dont feel comfortable with that and they push you into it by saying the window of opportunity for language development will close, it is not true because many deaf children acquire language through sign language and spoken language without CIs but according to many people who have experienced getting CIs say that developing spoken language is easier.

Since I am not a parent of a deaf child, I cant really tell you what's the best way to go but as a deaf person who grew up without sign language, in my opinion giving your child both spoken and sign language is probably the best avenue to take so your child can have the option of either going oral only, sign-only, or both which in many cases most tend to go with both.

Exposure to other deaf children especially those who sign would be beneficial so your child can know that there are other children like him and feel secure with his deafness instead of trying to be like his hearing peers.

Also, deaf role models are great if you have any deaf organizations in your area. You and your child will be welcome with open arms.

Just a heads up...if you decide to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the Deaf community. Ignore them..they do not represent the whole community.

If you decide not to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the medical field as my friend who has two deaf sons went through.

There are many of us who are deaf here...culturally Deaf, deaf, deaf with CIs, deaf who wear HAs and deaf who dont wear any listening devices, and late deafened people and most of us have lived fulfilling and happy lives.

Good luck!

the only thing that I would add is; no matter which route you decide to take, you should start signing now.

Frisky Feline · 01-05-2010, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shel90

I am not sure what kind of questions you will need to ask. All I know is that most medical professionals will probably recommend CIs for your child which should be your decision. If you dont feel comfortable with that and they push you into it by saying the window of opportunity for language development will close, it is not true because many deaf children acquire language through sign language and spoken language without CIs but according to many people who have experienced getting CIs say that developing spoken language is easier.

Since I am not a parent of a deaf child, I cant really tell you what's the best way to go but as a deaf person who grew up without sign language, in my opinion giving your child both spoken and sign language is probably the best avenue to take so your child can have the option of either going oral only, sign-only, or both which in many cases most tend to go with both.

Exposure to other deaf children especially those who sign would be beneficial so your child can know that there are other children like him and feel secure with his deafness instead of trying to be like his hearing peers.

Also, deaf role models are great if you have any deaf organizations in your area. You and your child will be welcome with open arms.

Just a heads up...if you decide to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the Deaf community. Ignore them..they do not represent the whole community.

If you decide not to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the medical field as my friend who has two deaf sons went through.

There are many of us who are deaf here...culturally Deaf, deaf, deaf with CIs, deaf who wear HAs and deaf who dont wear any listening devices, and late deafened people and most of us have lived fulfilling and happy lives.

Good luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockdrummer

the only thing that I would add is; no matter which route you decide to take, you should start signing now.

Well said.

WeeBeastie · 01-05-2010, 09:18 PM

Welcome!

My first bit of advice - Early Intervention services. If you're in the States, these are available through your county's Human Services department. Don't wait for a doctor to tell you about it... call tomorrow.

Sign. Even just a little bit to begin with. Milk is a great first sign for a wee one. Don't expect results right away, but don't be surprised if you see 1-2 signs in the next few weeks if you are persistent.

Find support. Some areas have playgroups/support groups for families of newly identified children. If you are religious, find a local church with signed/interpreted services. They're a great place to make contacts.

Do not let yourself be pushed to make any decision for your child. Everyone has their own opinion, but he's your son. Your opinion trumps all.

If you have a hard time finding info, try contacting your state's Hands & Voices chapter. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Also, a TON of excellent info on their site.

Hang on tight! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!

**Bottesini** · 01-05-2010, 09:19 PM

So he passed the newborn screening?

Malfoyish · 01-05-2010, 09:37 PM

Hello Julian and Kerri! Welcome to All Deaf!

I think the first thing to do here is to gain a better understanding of your son's capabilities. Have his hearing tested on a regular basis...your son's audiologist may be able to best advise you as to what route to take as far as language is concerned. My personal recommendation is for you both to learn to sign and to instill signing skills into your son immediately. This will enable all of you to become more active in the deaf community (and even if you guys don't particularly interact with a lot of deaf people, your son very well may as he grows up!) and will also make life easier for you as a family unit.

This is not to say your son will not speak - I broke just about every rule as far as that goes. I was diagnosed as deaf at four months old myself, and my mother's only "mistake" was insisting that I learn to speak and sign language was not an option. As a result, I became someone who didn't quite fit into the deaf community OR the hearing world. I was stuck in the middle for a very long time and still am. I could not carry on a conversation with someone who was fluent in ASL...and even though my lip-reading skills are extremely advanced, I still miss a LOT.

I'm 31 years old now and cochlear implants were not available when I was a baby, but I did get implanted at the age of 24. I believe them to be a decision that your son is entitled to make when he is old enough to make such a choice - it is a highly intrusive procedure and there is a LOT of training required in order to reap every benefit from the cochlear implant. You are the parents and the choice is yours to make as long as your boy is a minor, but please think it through - there's no rush.

There's plenty of time for that, and I'm sure technologies will be further advanced in the next decade or two!

You guys are more than welcome to PM me if you need or would like to talk.

By the way, don't listen to the others about my reputation. I'm not as much of a biter as they all say I am.

Malfoyish

overthepond · 01-06-2010, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shel90

I am not sure what kind of questions you will need to ask. All I know is that most medical professionals will probably recommend CIs for your child which should be your decision. If you dont feel comfortable with that and they push you into it by saying the window of opportunity for language development will close, it is not true because many deaf children acquire language through sign language and spoken language without CIs but according to many people who have experienced getting CIs say that developing spoken language is easier.

Since I am not a parent of a deaf child, I cant really tell you what's the best way to go but as a deaf person who grew up without sign language, in my opinion giving your child both spoken and sign language is probably the best avenue to take so your child can have the option of either going oral only, sign-only, or both which in many cases most tend to go with both.

Exposure to other deaf children especially those who sign would be beneficial so your child can know that there are other children like him and feel secure with his deafness instead of trying to be like his hearing peers.

Also, deaf role models are great if you have any deaf organizations in your area. You and your child will be welcome with open arms.

Just a heads up...if you decide to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the Deaf community. Ignore them..they do not represent the whole community.

If you decide not to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the medical field as my friend who has two deaf sons went through.

There are many of us who are deaf here...culturally Deaf, deaf, deaf with CIs, deaf who wear HAs and deaf who dont wear any listening devices, and late deafened people and most of us have lived fulfilling and happy lives.

Good luck!

Brilliant post... Sign is the best way to start anyway for any babies, it reduces funstrations when the baby is trying to commuicate. My cousin's little boy is of same age as yours knows milk and more, he's hearing and very happy little chap.
Don't let anyone pressurise you to take drastic action, give it good thought, take advice, seek second advice if not sure.

Other thing, love you child like any kid, don't wrap him in a cotton wool or let him get away with things. He's just deaf normal kid not fragile.

I am profoundly deaf (since birth), I had HA's all my childhood and early adulthood and now have Cochlear implant. My parents treated me like normal child but with sign lang at first until I discovered my voice at 5. I am now Teaching Assistant trainee at oral deaf school, My speech is very good for a profoundly deaf and it was developed quite late. My colleagues at my old retail job forgets that i am deaf, they give me the phone and i look at them and said you'll need to relay for me, we do see the funny side of it but deep inside i wished they remembered. I still sign these days with friends. I am glad i had an access to both language.

***~SG~*** · 01-06-2010, 07:41 AM

Welcome to AllDeaf!

Malfoyish, new members would need to make 50 posts then the PM features will be enabled.

Berry · 01-06-2010, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeeBeastie

Welcome!

Sign. Even just a little bit to begin with. Milk is a great first sign for a wee one. Don't expect results right away, but don't be surprised if you see 1-2 signs in the next few weeks if you are persistent.

Hang on tight! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Note:

Please don't try to learn signs from a book alone. Videos are better. Someone who signs is best. Even someone familiar with signing can have a difficult time trying to figure out how to form a new sign from a book alone.

Remember your baby won't make "perfect" signs for a while. The sign for milk might at first look as though the baby is scratching his ear, reaching for a star, or bopping himself on the head. Still you can tell the difference between a random gesture and a deliberate attempt to mimic your sign.

Don't try to correct the babies signing: Do be happy and encourage each improvement.

And don't be afraid. Think of it as an adventure into a wonderful new world.

overthepond · 01-06-2010, 09:53 AM

There's lady on website/youtube who teaches her daughter (her name is firesse or something) and she's hearing... I think it's called... Signhands??

xsuperchick · 01-06-2010, 10:16 AM

Welcome, Julian & Kerri!

Congrats for your new baby, I bet you will find a lot of info here. Got to tell you, this people is awesome!

FxAvatar · 01-06-2010, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berry

Note:

Please don't try to learn signs from a book alone. Videos are better. Someone who signs is best. Even someone familiar with signing can have a difficult time trying to figure out how to form a new sign from a book alone.

Remember your baby won't make "perfect" signs for a while. The sign for milk might at first look as though the baby is scratching his ear, reaching for a star, or bopping himself on the head. Still you can tell the difference between a random gesture and a deliberate attempt to mimic your sign.

Don't try to correct the babies signing: Do be happy and encourage each improvement.

And don't be afraid. Think of it as an adventure into a wonderful new world.

I found the "Signing Time" video series to be a good start. I hit the video section of the kids’ area at my local library and checked out the videos. They did not have them all, but had a good amount of them to try out. The baby signs version could be a good start too.

**Lissa** · 01-07-2010, 07:55 AM

What country are you from?

deafdyke · 01-07-2010, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Find support. Some areas have playgroups/support groups for families of newly identified children. If you are religious, find a local church with signed/interpreted services. They're a great place to make contacts.

A good resource for support is the state school for the deaf or one of those formal programs specificly for dhh kids.

Quote:

Do not let yourself be pushed to make any decision for your child. Everyone has their own opinion, but he's your son. Your opinion trumps all.

Just a word of advice. I know it's difficult to figure out which methodology to use. I would use a child centered approach and offer him a variety of approaches. Meaning get him speech therapy but also teach him Sign too.
Oh, and you may be under the impression that Deaf people are against CIs. CIs for kids who require them right off the bat are being a lot more accepted then in the past. Heck, many Deaf folks here have gotten implanted. In five or ten years, they'll be accepted across the board!

faire_jour · 01-10-2010, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julesallen

Hi

Myself and my partner have a beautiful 4 month old baby boy. We were told today that he is deaf. We have to see a specialist but that may take a few weeks. It has been quite a shock and we are full of questions and fears. We are reaching out our hands into your forum hoping to find some understanding.

Thanks

Julian & Kerri

I am the mother of a 6 year old Deaf daughter. She is bilingual in ASL and spoken language. She hears with a cochlear implant.

Do you have any more information? Is he deaf or hard of hearing? You are going to have quite a journey ahead of you! I would recommend you start learning some baby signs, so you can start communicating now. You can do that before you have to make any other decisions. You will have a lot of appointments and opinions ahead of you, but the most important thing is loving your baby, following his lead, and providing language.

Good luck!!

Kateweb · 01-11-2010, 10:58 AM

welcome to the forms the specialists are going to overload you with information so it may take a bit of reading after you are done try to not make any quick decisions, you will have to learn sign regardless of weather or not you chose CI's as the sound from them is no ware near what it is like for a normal hearing person the more tools your child has the better of they will be , ( im not a big fan of CI's ) but like I said you will be overloaded let it all sink in .

on another note depending on ware you live you may be able to get free sign language classes for yourself and your child and those can go a long way as far as temper tantrums most are those are caused by " i cant tell them what I want so i'll cry till they figure it out" anyway we are all here for you.

faire_jour · 01-11-2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kateweb

welcome to the forms the specialists are going to overload you with information so it may take a bit of reading after you are done try to not make any quick decisions, you will have to learn sign regardless of weather or not you chose CI's as the sound from them is no ware near what it is like for a normal hearing person the more tools your child has the better of they will be , ( im not a big fan of CI's ) but like I said you will be overloaded let it all sink in .

on another note depending on ware you live you may be able to get free sign language classes for yourself and your child and those can go a long way as far as temper tantrums most are those are caused by " i cant tell them what I want so i'll cry till they figure it out" anyway we are all here for you.

This post is patently untrue. Hearing with a CI is very very good. Most children with CI's hear in the "normal" range and don't lipread. Also, the vast majority grow up learning no sign, but instead listen and speak.

I recomend ASL for many reasons, but NOT because CI`s don't work.

Lighthouse77 · 01-11-2010, 03:33 PM

FJ, she never said it doesn't work. She said it is not perfect as natural hearing. CI children still required alot of AVT, FM systems, visual aids, etc if they are going to go to the spoken English route with no sign languages.

I think you giving people too much high expectation from CI.

Bebonang · 01-11-2010, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lighthouse77

FJ, she never said it doesn't work. She said it is not perfect as natural hearing. CI children still required alot of AVT, FM systems, visual aids, etc if they are going to go to the spoken English route with no sign languages.

I think you giving people too much high expectation from CI.

faire_jour · 01-11-2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lighthouse77

FJ, she never said it doesn't work. She said it is not perfect as natural hearing. CI children still required alot of AVT, FM systems, visual aids, etc if they are going to go to the spoken English route with no sign languages.

I think you giving people too much high expectation from CI.

I think that people here have a way too low expectation for a CI. My daughter was a terrible candidate for spoken language with a CI, but she has done well.

A study from Children's hospital of Oakland says:

24.05% become fully caught up to their hearing peers and no longer need therapy. They are the "stars" who catch up very quickly and without huge interventions.

46.70% become fully caught up within the three years, but continue to need therapy. They are on a slower track but still reach all the milestones. They are also fully auditory learners, but many use visual cues such as lipreading.

24.90% never become auditory-verbal communicators. They are primarily visual language users, and never go beyond the word level with spoken language.

4.35% are non-users or gain no benefit.

**shel90** · 01-11-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lighthouse77

FJ, she never said it doesn't work. She said it is not perfect as natural hearing. CI children still required alot of AVT, FM systems, visual aids, etc if they are going to go to the spoken English route with no sign languages.

I think you giving people too much high expectation from CI.

faire_jour · 01-11-2010, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shel90

Does anyone have anything to back up that I am wrong, other than a distaste for CI's??

**shel90** · 01-11-2010, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faire_jour

Does anyone have anything to back up that I am wrong, other than a distaste for CI's?? :roll:

With a comment like that, you probably wont get a good response. People are entitled to their opinions of CIs so cant you just let sleeping dogs lie. One person said she wasnt a fan of CIs and you jumped on her. Just let it go.

The person that I am quoting is a CI user herself.

01-05-2010, 05:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
julesallen Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3	2 parents with newly diagnosed deaf baby Hi Myself and my partner have a beautiful 4 month old baby boy. We were told today that he is deaf. We have to see a specialist but that may take a few weeks. It has been quite a shock and we are full of questions and fears. We are reaching out our hands into your forum hoping to find some understanding. Thanks Julian & Kerri

01-05-2010, 06:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
Lissa Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 4,296 Blog Entries: 1	Welcome to AllDeaf, nice to see you here! __________________ lissa, 23, profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. http://bioniclissa.blogspot.co.uk/

01-05-2010, 06:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bottesini Joe's Friend Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: With Owl Sock Posts: 37,528 Blog Entries: 1	Hi __________________

01-05-2010, 06:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
julesallen Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3	Thanks We as parents are at the beginning of our journey. Our biggest question right now is what are the questions we should be asking of the health care professionals?

01-05-2010, 07:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
shel90 Let It Snow!!!! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: A place where crabs are popular Posts: 40,303 Blog Entries: 3	I am not sure what kind of questions you will need to ask. All I know is that most medical professionals will probably recommend CIs for your child which should be your decision. If you dont feel comfortable with that and they push you into it by saying the window of opportunity for language development will close, it is not true because many deaf children acquire language through sign language and spoken language without CIs but according to many people who have experienced getting CIs say that developing spoken language is easier. Since I am not a parent of a deaf child, I cant really tell you what's the best way to go but as a deaf person who grew up without sign language, in my opinion giving your child both spoken and sign language is probably the best avenue to take so your child can have the option of either going oral only, sign-only, or both which in many cases most tend to go with both. Exposure to other deaf children especially those who sign would be beneficial so your child can know that there are other children like him and feel secure with his deafness instead of trying to be like his hearing peers. Also, deaf role models are great if you have any deaf organizations in your area. You and your child will be welcome with open arms. Just a heads up...if you decide to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the Deaf community. Ignore them..they do not represent the whole community. If you decide not to go the CI route, you may get criticism from those in the medical field as my friend who has two deaf sons went through. There are many of us who are deaf here...culturally Deaf, deaf, deaf with CIs, deaf who wear HAs and deaf who dont wear any listening devices, and late deafened people and most of us have lived fulfilling and happy lives. Good luck! __________________ "Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it." --- Anonymous

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

01-05-2010, 06:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
Frisky Feline Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 20,239	Welcome to AllDeaf. Hope you guys enjoy reading and surfing around lots of threads here. Happy posting .

01-05-2010, 06:55 PM	#5 (permalink)
Loghead Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,677	to Alldeaf, Julian & Kerri. I hope you find all of the answers to your questions here.

01-05-2010, 07:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bebonang Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Manitoulin Island on Lake Huron in Canada Posts: 7,009	to AllDeaf forum. The only thing I really hate about CI for very young children like babies is that the babies are way too young to have CI. The medical professionals and other audists think that babies will learn how to hear the words (listening) at a very young age and also on the road to oral langauge. I would prefer very young children to wait until they are old enough to understand if they want to have CI or not. Never force on the child to get the CI. CI is not a miracle like hearing aid or any other devices. Some of the Deaf members dream about having a stem cells and that would not work anyway. As of now, I hope you can find lots of information here about deafness, Deaf Culture and ASL (or other sign langauge in other countries). See you around here. __________________ I HAVE BEEN DEAF SINCE BIRTH, AND IT IS STILL AWESOME TO BE . (thumb up) (very happy)

01-05-2010, 09:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
WeeBeastie Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 189	Welcome! My first bit of advice - Early Intervention services. If you're in the States, these are available through your county's Human Services department. Don't wait for a doctor to tell you about it... call tomorrow. Sign. Even just a little bit to begin with. Milk is a great first sign for a wee one. Don't expect results right away, but don't be surprised if you see 1-2 signs in the next few weeks if you are persistent. Find support. Some areas have playgroups/support groups for families of newly identified children. If you are religious, find a local church with signed/interpreted services. They're a great place to make contacts. Do not let yourself be pushed to make any decision for your child. Everyone has their own opinion, but he's your son. Your opinion trumps all. If you have a hard time finding info, try contacting your state's Hands & Voices chapter. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Also, a TON of excellent info on their site. Hang on tight! It's gonna be a bumpy ride! __________________ WeeBeastie Hearing mom with a Deaf child 3y/o profound and aided Bi-bi student

01-05-2010, 09:19 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bottesini Joe's Friend Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: With Owl Sock Posts: 37,528 Blog Entries: 1	So he passed the newborn screening? __________________

01-05-2010, 09:37 PM	#13 (permalink)
Malfoyish Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 2,685	Hello Julian and Kerri! Welcome to All Deaf! I think the first thing to do here is to gain a better understanding of your son's capabilities. Have his hearing tested on a regular basis...your son's audiologist may be able to best advise you as to what route to take as far as language is concerned. My personal recommendation is for you both to learn to sign and to instill signing skills into your son immediately. This will enable all of you to become more active in the deaf community (and even if you guys don't particularly interact with a lot of deaf people, your son very well may as he grows up!) and will also make life easier for you as a family unit. This is not to say your son will not speak - I broke just about every rule as far as that goes. I was diagnosed as deaf at four months old myself, and my mother's only "mistake" was insisting that I learn to speak and sign language was not an option. As a result, I became someone who didn't quite fit into the deaf community OR the hearing world. I was stuck in the middle for a very long time and still am. I could not carry on a conversation with someone who was fluent in ASL...and even though my lip-reading skills are extremely advanced, I still miss a LOT. I'm 31 years old now and cochlear implants were not available when I was a baby, but I did get implanted at the age of 24. I believe them to be a decision that your son is entitled to make when he is old enough to make such a choice - it is a highly intrusive procedure and there is a LOT of training required in order to reap every benefit from the cochlear implant. You are the parents and the choice is yours to make as long as your boy is a minor, but please think it through - there's no rush. There's plenty of time for that, and I'm sure technologies will be further advanced in the next decade or two! You guys are more than welcome to PM me if you need or would like to talk. By the way, don't listen to the others about my reputation. I'm not as much of a biter as they all say I am. Malfoyish

01-06-2010, 07:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
*~SG~* Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 6,851	Welcome to AllDeaf! Malfoyish, new members would need to make 50 posts then the PM features will be enabled. __________________

01-06-2010, 09:53 AM	#17 (permalink)
overthepond Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Great Britain Posts: 2,023	There's lady on website/youtube who teaches her daughter (her name is firesse or something) and she's hearing... I think it's called... Signhands??

01-06-2010, 10:16 AM	#18 (permalink)
xsuperchick Registered User Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Peru Posts: 867	Welcome, Julian & Kerri! Congrats for your new baby, I bet you will find a lot of info here. Got to tell you, this people is awesome! __________________ I don't have my cool signature picture anymore Next goal: Become an Au Pair! BB pin: 237861A4

01-07-2010, 07:55 AM	#20 (permalink)
Lissa Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 4,296 Blog Entries: 1	What country are you from? __________________ lissa, 23, profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. http://bioniclissa.blogspot.co.uk/

01-11-2010, 10:58 AM	#23 (permalink)
Kateweb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 699	welcome to the forms the specialists are going to overload you with information so it may take a bit of reading after you are done try to not make any quick decisions, you will have to learn sign regardless of weather or not you chose CI's as the sound from them is no ware near what it is like for a normal hearing person the more tools your child has the better of they will be , ( im not a big fan of CI's ) but like I said you will be overloaded let it all sink in . on another note depending on ware you live you may be able to get free sign language classes for yourself and your child and those can go a long way as far as temper tantrums most are those are caused by " i cant tell them what I want so i'll cry till they figure it out" anyway we are all here for you. __________________ http://kateweb.org http://kateweb.deviantart.com

01-11-2010, 03:33 PM	#25 (permalink)
Lighthouse77 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 4,167	FJ, she never said it doesn't work. She said it is not perfect as natural hearing. CI children still required alot of AVT, FM systems, visual aids, etc if they are going to go to the spoken English route with no sign languages. I think you giving people too much high expectation from CI. __________________ Good thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode