Hello from Virginia! (757)

Hello! I'm a fulltime college student at TCC in Chesapeake, VA. I'm currently taking 5 courses: ASL 101, College Skills, Child Psychology, Working with Deaf/Heard of Hearing, and a Deaf Culture/History course. I also waitress at a bar/grill in the Norfolk Airport and have a fulltime 4 year old daughter

My daughter is who got me interested in ASL, she has a speech delay and her speech therapist is who first taught us ASL to communicate when she was younger. I've seen how much it can improve someone's life and was so intrigued by ASL that I decided to go back to college and become fluent. I am following an ASL Interpreter's Program but I'm not sure if I want to Interpret, there's other careers I'm learning about working with the Deaf/HH so Im planning to keep an open mind and see what crosses my path.

My father and his father are both HH (occuring later in their lives) so its been great to be able to share with my dad about Deaf culture and history, and although he learned some signs to communicate better with my daughter he's now very interested in becoming fluent in ASL too.

Please feel free to contact me if youre in the area or new to the Hampton Roads area, I'd be more than happy to let you know and share some websites that list local happenings within the Deaf community here.

to AllDeaf Forum. You will be able to learn about our experience as d/Deaf or hard of hearing people surrounding the topics on AllDeaf. I hope you enjoy reading and posting here. See you around here.

Welcome. Now I'm thinking of Doumar's waffle cone.

thank you everybody. ive actually been visiting and reading for the past couple months and finally signed up so I can reply So many threads that Ive read and some questions Ive had.

Doumars! Love that place. I did a photoshoot there bout 4 years ago, I loved the retro look, had a few people from a classic car club come out also to add to the 1950s diner background.

Hampton Roads? Oh that answers the question....There used to be a school for the Deaf and Blind that was very strongly multihandicapped, which is why you got that speech therapist. How cool! Does your daughter have apraxia or is it more intellectucal disability related speech delay?

Is Chesapeake, VA near the Cherrystone camping resort?

shel90 said:

Is Chesapeake, VA near the Cherrystone camping resort?

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Just across the bay, around Norfolk.

deafdyke said:

Hampton Roads? Oh that answers the question....There used to be a school for the Deaf and Blind that was very strongly multihandicapped, which is why you got that speech therapist. How cool! Does your daughter have apraxia or is it more intellectucal disability related speech delay?

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She has Digeorge Syndrome, it's a chromosome disorder that has all sorts of complications ranging from mild to severe, from physical deformities (heart complications is common, thankfully hers was very mild) to learning delays and psychological disorders. She's been to all sorts of specialists mostly to rule out common symptoms, so physically she's pretty healthy besides two very small murmurs which she sees a heart doctor once a year for.

Intellectually, children with Digeorges experience delays, but typically "catch up" with their peers, but may have some learning disabilities. Speech wise, communicative delays/disorders is common, one specialist diagnosed her for Apraxia very early on while her speech therapist says she doesn't think she has it. But I've also been warned from other parents with children that have Apraxia that they were reassured too that their child just had a delay and was misdiagnosed, so along with common symptoms such as hearing loss in half the children with Digeorges, I'm encouraging her to learn and communicate with speech and ASL, its also too soon to rule out hearing loss, so her developmental specialist and geneticist wrote another script for the ENT and to have another hearing test done.

JuJuBean said:

She has Digeorge Syndrome, it's a chromosome disorder that has all sorts of complications ranging from mild to severe, from physical deformities (heart complications is common, thankfully hers was very mild) to learning delays and psychological disorders. She's been to all sorts of specialists mostly to rule out common symptoms, so physically she's pretty healthy besides two very small murmurs which she sees a heart doctor once a year for.

Intellectually, children with Digeorges experience delays, but typically "catch up" with their peers, but may have some learning disabilities. Speech wise, communicative delays/disorders is common, one specialist diagnosed her for Apraxia very early on while her speech therapist says she doesn't think she has it. But I've also been warned from other parents with children that have Apraxia that they were reassured too that their child just had a delay and was misdiagnosed, so along with common symptoms such as hearing loss in half the children with Digeorges, I'm encouraging her to learn and communicate with speech and ASL, its also too soon to rule out hearing loss, so her developmental specialist and geneticist wrote another script for the ENT and to have another hearing test done.

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Oh that's awesome! This is actually a population that CAN and does strongly benefit from ASL/Sign....it sounds like DiGeorge kids tend to have expressive spoken language issues that don't match up with their intellectucal abilty.Like not physical apraxia, but it's the best category they fit into..... Did you know St Rita's (School for the Deaf in Ohio) has an apraxia program? http://www.srsdeaf.org/Apraxia.aspx There's also a program in MA for kids with other disabilities that use ASL/Augmentive and Alternative communication.http://cccbsd.org/ It's not totally unknown for hearing children with other high functioning disabilities (tracheostomies, apraxia) to use ASL or even attend Schools/programs for the Deaf.
It's hard though right? Most language alternative programming is for kids/people with really severe issues, and there's not a lot of stuff for kids who while they have expressive spoken language issues, they are not severely mentally affected. (high functioning nonverbal CPers face the same issues)

And actually it would work out really well if she DID turn out to be HOH....She could just attend a School for the Deaf, and you wouldn't have to deal with the headache of dealing with a mainstream school......One of the problems with inclusion (the only educational option for kids with all sorts of disabilities available nowadays) is that even kids who are mildly intellectucally disabled or who are more on the "grey area" of nereologically affected tend to really fall through the cracks......They can and do learn (especially early on) but when it gets to be the upper grades/middle/high school, things get tough. Not to mention it's really tough socially and emotionally, especially with the mentality that kids with all sorts of disabilities just should "function like a normal child" and magically assimulate into the mainstream......I know a lot of parents of higher functioning mildly affected and grey area kids who have said that if their kid was dhh or blind/low vision they'd take advantage of specialized schooling oppertunties for them in a FLASH, b/c they're so sick of dealing with the mainstream.....also b/c Deaf Schools can be academic but not "strongly competitive college bound" academic..........

hallo!

nice resume! unfortunately I am not in the area...
I hope for the best for your child

deafdyke said:

And actually it would work out really well if she DID turn out to be HOH....She could just attend a School for the Deaf, and you wouldn't have to deal with the headache of dealing with a mainstream school......One of the problems with inclusion (the only educational option for kids with all sorts of disabilities available nowadays) is that even kids who are mildly intellectucally disabled or who are more on the "grey area" of nereologically affected tend to really fall through the cracks......They can and do learn (especially early on) but when it gets to be the upper grades/middle/high school, things get tough. Not to mention it's really tough socially and emotionally, especially with the mentality that kids with all sorts of disabilities just should "function like a normal child" and magically assimulate into the mainstream......I know a lot of parents of higher functioning mildly affected and grey area kids who have said that if their kid was dhh or blind/low vision they'd take advantage of specialized schooling oppertunties for them in a FLASH, b/c they're so sick of dealing with the mainstream.....also b/c Deaf Schools can be academic but not "strongly competitive college bound" academic..........

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Yes, I've looked into it, I would prefer her to be in a classroom where she could communicate better, especially with her peers. I've talked to her teachers and expressed my concerns. Through her special ed class, I don't believe she is getting what she needs in terms of social/emotional development, I've been to her class multiple times, and I don't see her forming friendships or playing with other children, she seems like she's always a bystander, but I've seen her try to make friends, but kids this age don't have the patience or understanding of another child not being able to communicate with them like their other peers. I've asked about deaf/h.h. programs within her school, and explained to her teacher my reasoning I mentioned above and things you pointed out , but she said it would depend on her hearing test. I don't know if its a matter of not enough resources at the school or what, but I would at least like to see if she would do better in a deaf classroom with ASL instruction. I believe there should be some sort of option for kids with communicative delays/disorders, whether they be put in a deaf class or at least have peers in the same class that communicate the same way and a teacher or assistant that is fluent.

But thank you for the links, I have came across St. Rita's before, and wish so bad that there was an option closer to home like that, but so far I don't think there is, at least not in the school she's attending, unless I really push for it, probably could take the issue higher up, and if need be I would change schools if I found some sort of program in another city nearby (been told to inquire about Ocean Lakes in VA Beach) I have a lot of professors that are Deaf that have helped me, found me some numbers and made some suggestions, so going to do my research and see what I can find.

Yes... It's fairly rare that a kid has a pure expressive spoken language disorder, that is significant enough to require intense intervention. And those kids ARE well served in d/hh programs...
Your daughter's issues sound more like the type that kids with apraxia deal with, then the type that mentally disabled and autistic kids deal with....know what I mean? Like she seems to be in that weird little communication grey area.....Look into every and anything.... You may have to move, as this population is VERY low incidence... there's a lot of "speech and language" programs, but the overwhelming majority of those tend to be "euphanmisms" for kids who actually have much more complex problems. (usually intellectucally disabled or autistic kids)

Sorry its been a while, holidays then my classes just started up again (taking my first interpreting class so much info, sites and looking like travel too for workshops, but excited!) but yes, definitely know what you mean by that grey area! I totally agree with you on looking into everything as well, since she doesn't seem to fit perfectly. Virginia Beach seems to have more to offer when it comes to full communication access in the classroom, which is very close by...and don't mind living closer to the beach So very much considering that.

JuJuBean said:

Sorry its been a while, holidays then my classes just started up again (taking my first interpreting class so much info, sites and looking like travel too for workshops, but excited!) but yes, definitely know what you mean by that grey area! I totally agree with you on looking into everything as well, since she doesn't seem to fit perfectly. Virginia Beach seems to have more to offer when it comes to full communication access in the classroom, which is very close by...and don't mind living closer to the beach So very much considering that.

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YAY! And you're not one of those ..... well meaning but also *tries to put this nicely* One of those parents who is utterly convinced that their disabled child ABSOLUTLY has to be included in the mainstream at ALL costs, and that a mainstream upbringing will somehow be the biggest piece of the puzzle for life success for their kid...... My best advice... Keep an open mind as to all the possibilities for things like education and enrichment things like camps and social groups.....I think the key and the trick is to try to find the appropriate balance for her. Yes, try to have her experience typical experiances....and who knows? Maybe in some areas she might be high functioning enough for some strong academic classes and playing on sports teams and other kid stuff.......I'm glad to hear that the specialized educational system in VA hasn't been totally dismantled. I know a Gosharootie woman(I call her a Gosharootie woman b/c that's basicly her mentality in educating kids with disabilities in the mainstream....She thinks that social life for a disabled kid is like "Gosharootie! Let's go down to the malt shoppe for Bible study with Our Special Friend before the Big Game. I am not making this up or mocking her....that's pretty much exactly what her attitude is) who is SO hardcore about inclusion and works in special ed. She was the mom of an intellectucally disabled girl....and she just seems to think that inclusion is the thing that will SAVE ALL kids with all sorts of disabilities. She really doesn't have the most realistic concept of the downsides of inclusion......which are pretty much universal. MANY kids with all sorts of disabilities(intellctucal, LD, dhh, blind/low vision etc) do OK in the mainstream, initially and then start really struggling in all different areas......

Slt