Am I Like Brain Damaged?

Doug5 · 09-05-2008, 07:36 PM

My hoh wasnt discovered until I was 6y/o. Naturally, it affected my language ability. I was diagnosed with delayed language ability or whatever they call it.

Is there permanent effects on language skills from this? I always had a hard time in english classes and classes that required a lot of writing.

Is there anything I can do to improve my verbal skills?

KristinaB · 09-05-2008, 07:57 PM

My HOH wasn't discovered until I was 7 so I know what you mean. The school and my father (who was also HOH) had me read aloud into a tape player and read aloud each night to them. My father's hearing loss was a result of high fevers from malaria during the Korean War. I was born with a calcium deposit on an eardrum and blew out my other eardrum with headsets. The calcium deposit over the years spread and "deformed" the eardrum and the nerve damage spread like wildfire. I went from being only 20% deaf to a total 100% deaf in 37 years. CI's will not work for me, and when I had HA's, the audiologist said they actually were what caused the last of my hearing to go.

You're not brain damaged - you just need to practice a lot and I agree with my parents that reading aloud is good. I even read to my dogs and cats. I must have really educated them because the poodle/scottie loved it when I read the Greek Mythology to her. The cat preferred the poetry and Shakesphere.

Doug5 · 09-05-2008, 09:47 PM

Im just being funny saying Im brain damaged. When I talk its like Im dyslexic. I have a tendency to mix up the order of phrases. One quote I remeber saying, "I remembered I forgot my shoes" wtf

KB, Im sorry for the loss of your hearing. Im losing a little bit more of mine and its scary. Thats a great idea your father had. I need to get me an audience and do that.

lumbingmi · 09-05-2008, 10:49 PM

Nope. All you need to do is read a lot of books and u ll be fine.

Liza · 09-05-2008, 11:44 PM

Doug, I saw a special on feral children -- ofc, they were hearing. They had serious issues with speech development since they did not have early exposure to verbal language. Experts on this show said there is a period that children can learn verbal skills, and when that expires.. it is harder or near impossible for the kids to acquire verbal language, since that thing in our brain is withered from lack of use and stimulation. I'm sure you can find more information on this. This show was presented on TLC channel last week. Perhaps this applies to some deaf people who did not have exposure to learning verbal skills, and the window of opportunity closed on them like it did for some of these feral children.

Doug5 · 09-06-2008, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liza

Doug, I saw a special on feral children -- ofc, they were hearing. They had serious issues with speech development since they did not have early exposure to verbal language. Experts on this show said there is a period that children can learn verbal skills, and when that expires.. it is harder or near impossible for the kids to acquire verbal language, since that thing in our brain is withered from lack of use and stimulation. I'm sure you can find more information on this. This show was presented on TLC channel last week. Perhaps this applies to some deaf people who did not have exposure to learning verbal skills, and the window of opportunity closed on them like it did for some of these feral children.

thats what Im afraid of but luckily I wasnt completely deaf. I just missed a lot

jillio · 09-06-2008, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liza

Doug, I saw a special on feral children -- ofc, they were hearing. They had serious issues with speech development since they did not have early exposure to verbal language. Experts on this show said there is a period that children can learn verbal skills, and when that expires.. it is harder or near impossible for the kids to acquire verbal language, since that thing in our brain is withered from lack of use and stimulation. I'm sure you can find more information on this. This show was presented on TLC channel last week. Perhaps this applies to some deaf people who did not have exposure to learning verbal skills, and the window of opportunity closed on them like it did for some of these feral children.

Not just verbal language, but any language. That is why it is so important to provide language input in a mode that can be accessed completely to deaf infants and children.

It is not these feral children cannot acquire any language skills, as they most certainly can. But their language skills are very rigid, as they have not been able to internalize the function of language during that optimal period. They will never be able to progress to a level equal to their age expected performance, because of the deprivation suffered in early childhood.

Doug5 · 09-07-2008, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillio

Not just verbal language, but any language. That is why it is so important to provide language input in a mode that can be accessed completely to deaf infants and children.

It is not these feral children cannot acquire any language skills, as they most certainly can. But their language skills are very rigid, as they have not been able to internalize the function of language during that optimal period. They will never be able to progress to a level equal to their age expected performance, because of the deprivation suffered in early childhood.

what are the most important ages? 1-3yrs?

KweenSasha · 09-07-2008, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug5

My hoh wasnt discovered until I was 6y/o. Naturally, it affected my language ability. I was diagnosed with delayed language ability or whatever they call it.

Is there permanent effects on language skills from this? I always had a hard time in english classes and classes that required a lot of writing.

Is there anything I can do to improve my verbal skills?

My hearing impairment was discovered when I was 3 years old. It was tuff at first but as I got older, like 8 and up, I had to work hard pronouncing properly. It got better as I got older.

samanthasmom · 09-07-2008, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug5

When I talk its like Im dyslexic. I have a tendency to mix up the order of phrases. One quote I remeber saying, "I remembered I forgot my shoes" wtf

My daughter (8 yrs old, deaf since birth, bi-lateral CIs) does that. My favorite is when she asks where the "sharpener pencil" is.

I guess with time it will get better, if not I don't care cause it's awful cute when it happens!

jillio · 09-07-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug5

what are the most important ages? 1-3yrs?

0-3 for the acquiring of liguistic skills. That includes not just learning the language but developing an unconscious understanding of it's rules for use and it's purpose.

jillio · 09-07-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samanthasmom

My daughter (8 yrs old, deaf since birth, bi-lateral CIs) does that. My favorite is when she asks where the "sharpener pencil" is.

I guess with time it will get better, if not I don't care cause it's awful cute when it happens!

It sounds like she relies on visual cues a lot. The way she phrased it would indicate that she put the words in the order of the way she would see things.
Like, she would see the sharpener first, and then put the pencil in.

Its hard for a lot of kids to grasp English phrasing because it is linear, and visual processing is sequential.

samanthasmom · 09-07-2008, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillio

It sounds like she relies on visual cues a lot. The way she phrased it would indicate that she put the words in the order of the way she would see things.
Like, she would see the sharpener first, and then put the pencil in.

Its hard for a lot of kids to grasp English phrasing because it is linear, and visual processing is sequential.

Exactly. So wouldn't that translate to not at all brain damaged, just a different style of processing that may never change?

jillio · 09-07-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samanthasmom

Exactly. So wouldn't that translate to not at all brain damaged, just a different style of processing that may never change?

Absolutely!

Mainstream teachers not familiar with Deaf Ed will probably tell you that she has problems with sequencing too, but that is because they are basing her answers on auditory processing instead of visual processing. The fact is, she probably does not have problems with sequencing, but she does it in a visual manner.

deafdyke · 09-07-2008, 08:15 PM

Doug, that's weird that you have spoken language issues, but you don't have written language issues. As everyone else has said, it's very common for oral deaf kids to say stuff like "how many spiders have legs for "how many legs do spiders have?"

Doug5 · 09-07-2008, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafdyke

Doug, that's weird that you have spoken language issues, but you don't have written language issues. As everyone else has said, it's very common for oral deaf kids to say stuff like "how many spiders have legs for "how many legs do spiders have?"

I proof read everything I write. I spend a lot of time correcting mistakes and try to give it a nice flow. When I write off the top of my head a lot of it comes out differently than what I intend. Im a good speller. For some reason I have a good memory on spelling words.

jillio · 09-07-2008, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug5

I proof read everything I write. I spend a lot of time correcting mistakes and try to give it a nice flow. When I write off the top of my head a lot of it comes out differently than what I intend. Im a good speller. For some reason I have a good memory on spelling words.

That is not really unusual in deaf individuals. They are good spellers because they recognize words as a whole shape, and when the word is misspelled, the shape doesn't appear right. Its part of that whole strength in visual processing thing.

deafskeptic · 09-09-2008, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug5

Im just being funny saying Im brain damaged. When I talk its like Im dyslexic. I have a tendency to mix up the order of phrases. One quote I remeber saying, "I remembered I forgot my shoes" wtf

KB, Im sorry for the loss of your hearing. Im losing a little bit more of mine and its scary. Thats a great idea your father had. I need to get me an audience and do that.

I tend to get my words mixed up as well and friends in two different guilds (one deaf guild and one hearing guild) in WoW have even quoted my mistakes in their notes on me. I edit a lot of my mistakes when I post so most people dont' realize that I do make mistakes.

imdeafsowhat · 09-09-2008, 01:31 PM

Remembering that you forgot is good.

It's like you're building your mind into a mind that helps you remember what you're forgetting. I don't have that ability to remember what I forgot. Once I forget, I have to think for 2 hours to remember.

09-05-2008, 07:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
Doug5 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 227	Am I Like Brain Damaged? My hoh wasnt discovered until I was 6y/o. Naturally, it affected my language ability. I was diagnosed with delayed language ability or whatever they call it. Is there permanent effects on language skills from this? I always had a hard time in english classes and classes that required a lot of writing. Is there anything I can do to improve my verbal skills?

09-05-2008, 10:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
lumbingmi Invigorated Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 4,263	Nope. All you need to do is read a lot of books and u ll be fine. __________________ Picard: Seize the time, Meribor, live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. Meribor: I love you, father.

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09-05-2008, 07:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
KristinaB Going nuts with teenagers Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eastern Missouri Posts: 190	My HOH wasn't discovered until I was 7 so I know what you mean. The school and my father (who was also HOH) had me read aloud into a tape player and read aloud each night to them. My father's hearing loss was a result of high fevers from malaria during the Korean War. I was born with a calcium deposit on an eardrum and blew out my other eardrum with headsets. The calcium deposit over the years spread and "deformed" the eardrum and the nerve damage spread like wildfire. I went from being only 20% deaf to a total 100% deaf in 37 years. CI's will not work for me, and when I had HA's, the audiologist said they actually were what caused the last of my hearing to go. You're not brain damaged - you just need to practice a lot and I agree with my parents that reading aloud is good. I even read to my dogs and cats. I must have really educated them because the poodle/scottie loved it when I read the Greek Mythology to her. The cat preferred the poetry and Shakesphere.

09-05-2008, 09:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
Doug5 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 227	Im just being funny saying Im brain damaged. When I talk its like Im dyslexic. I have a tendency to mix up the order of phrases. One quote I remeber saying, "I remembered I forgot my shoes" wtf KB, Im sorry for the loss of your hearing. Im losing a little bit more of mine and its scary. Thats a great idea your father had. I need to get me an audience and do that.

09-05-2008, 11:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
Liza Cranial protocologist Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 4,189 Blog Entries: 2	Doug, I saw a special on feral children -- ofc, they were hearing. They had serious issues with speech development since they did not have early exposure to verbal language. Experts on this show said there is a period that children can learn verbal skills, and when that expires.. it is harder or near impossible for the kids to acquire verbal language, since that thing in our brain is withered from lack of use and stimulation. I'm sure you can find more information on this. This show was presented on TLC channel last week. Perhaps this applies to some deaf people who did not have exposure to learning verbal skills, and the window of opportunity closed on them like it did for some of these feral children.

09-07-2008, 08:15 PM	#15 (permalink)
deafdyke So NOT a Princess! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Trebekistan Posts: 6,685	Doug, that's weird that you have spoken language issues, but you don't have written language issues. As everyone else has said, it's very common for oral deaf kids to say stuff like "how many spiders have legs for "how many legs do spiders have?"

09-09-2008, 01:31 PM	#19 (permalink)
imdeafsowhat Banned Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Golden Coast Posts: 1,654	Remembering that you forgot is good. It's like you're building your mind into a mind that helps you remember what you're forgetting. I don't have that ability to remember what I forgot. Once I forget, I have to think for 2 hours to remember.