discovery channel: deafblind triplets

Hear Again said:
No, I don't think it's okay that the triplets "act blind." Blind children are capable of learning appropriate behaviors. When they exhibit blindisms, all it does is reinforce the negative stereotype that we are unable to act just like any other sighted child. There's no excuse for Zoe or Emma to eye poke or rock. Their blindisms can be stopped and their attention drawn to other things. When a sighted person sees a blind child acting in this way, it encourages the notion that blind children are children to be pitied when this isn't true.

As far as "acting deaf" is concerned, I believe that Deaf children can learn how to behave without making utterances (for lack of a better word -- sorry) even if they can't hear. The only exception to this would be is if a Deaf child is signing and speaking at the same time, but their speech is unclear. I'm referring to random utterances that have nothing to do with trying to speak.

I hope I haven't offended anyone by what I've written, but if I had a Deaf, blind or deafblind child, I wouldn't permit any of these behaviors.
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Interesting perspective
 
faire_jour said:
Interesting perspective
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Why do you say that? Just curious.

As someone who was born totally blind, I understand the importance of blind children fitting into the norms of society as much as possible.

Blindness (or deafblindness for that matter) is no excuse for a child to look and act blind. (By this, I mean shuffling their feet, walking with their hands outstretched, swinging their head from side to side or flapping their fingers in front of their face.)
 
Hear Again said:
Why do you say that? Just curious.

As someone who was born totally blind, I understand the importance of blind children fitting into the norms of society as much as possible.

Blindness (or deafblindness for that matter) is no excuse for a child to look and act blind. (By this, I mean shuffling their feet, walking with their hands outstretched, swinging their head from side to side or flapping their fingers in front of their face.)
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I have had zero contact with the blind community and I have always been interested in the differences between their perspectives towards their children vs. the Deaf communities view of theirs.
 
Hear Again said:
I believe Sophie weighed more at birth than Zoe and Emma.
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I believe you're right about that. But still, the size difference between her and her and her sisters is shocking. Zoe and Emma are tiny, like the size of 5 year olds.

I've also read that the two of them (Zoe and Emma) still are not fully potty trained. I wonder how long it will take them to master that. :hmm:
 
society's_child said:
I've also read that the two of them (Zoe and Emma) still are not fully potty trained. I wonder how long it will take them to master that. :hmm:
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It depends. It would be nice if Lindsey could work more intensively with Zoe and Emma on their potty training. Some congenitally blind children take longer to learn these skills because they can't see. Remember also that Zoe and Emma are deaf as well, so communication also needs to be taken into consideration. Since they are deafblind, Liz or Lindsey need to physically show Zoe and Emma the place where they will be potty trained, demonstrate what kind of behavior is expected of them and explain what the behavior means. I'm curious to know if Liz uses schedule/object boxes with Zoe and Emma. Many deafblind children use them to know what will happen from one moment to the next.
 
faire_jour said:
I have had zero contact with the blind community and I have always been interested in the differences between their perspectives towards their children vs. the Deaf communities view of theirs.
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Blind parents have high expectations of their blind children just like Deaf parents of Deaf children do.

If truth be told, the expectations of a blind parent may be higher only because a blind child needs to be physically shown how to behave and perform daily living skills. (taking a bath/shower, brushing one's teeth, combing one's hair, dressing, eating, etc.)

A Deaf child, on the other hand, can learn all of these behaviors by observation.
 
repetition is so vitally important for deafblind children. having an intervenor come over once a week every 1-2 months just doesn't cut it.
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ditto, especially in THIS case where there's very little vision...like they're not legally blind. They are BLIND!
 
A relative of Sophie, Zoe and Emma's (I can't remember what his relation was -- I think it was their father) posted a message here on AD, but I don't know what happened to him. It's a shame he left because he could have offered an interesting perspective as far as how the triplets are continuing to progress.
 
I'd like to make a comment about Sophie, Zoe and Emma's developmental progress.

While they may be language and psychomotor delayed, it does not mean this will always be the case. I didn't talk or walk until I was 3 and doctors say this was due to my blindness.

I was also misdiagnosed as having a learning disability in first grade.

It wasn't until my junior year of high school that I fought the system in order to enter the school's Honors program and participate in the Academic Decathalon.

When I was given a test to determine whether or not I had a learning disability during my freshman year of college, the test was negative. It showed that I was performing at least 3 years above grade level in all subjects and I was categorized as being gifted. My writing equated to that of a college graduate, my skills in history and science were similar to someone who has been out of college for two years and my math skills mirrored a college senior's.

I also qualify for MENSA as well (although I choose not to participate) given my IQ. I don't mention this to brag -- only to point out how deafblind and blind children can improve their skills in various areas despite being delayed in terms of their language and physical development.

I believe that Sophie, Zoe and Emma have the potential to do very well in life provided they receive the intense one-on-one attention that is crucial for their ability to fully participate in a sighted-hearing world.
 
Hear Again said:
A relative of Sophie, Zoe and Emma's (I can't remember what his relation was -- I think it was their father) posted a message here on AD, but I don't know what happened to him. It's a shame he left because he could have offered an interesting perspective as far as how the triplets are continuing to progress.
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Oh wow...yeah, too bad he ducked out. :|
 
That's true. I was disgusted with Emma and Zoe played with their eyes poke and rocks. I noticed that Liz didn't teach girls how to learn sign language like ABC. I felt bad for these girls. If I were there for them. I would use a sign tactile to communicate. That's good thing for your mom taught you correct unlike Liz did to them. I hope Lindsey can teach Emma how to sign with ABC. And also I hope for Emma and Zoe will able to communicate with their hands sign tactile together.

Why not you meet the deafblind triplets someday??? :) I don't mind to meet them and you in a person. :lol:

Hear Again said:
No, I don't think it's okay that the triplets "act blind." Blind children are capable of learning appropriate behaviors. When they exhibit blindisms, all it does is reinforce the negative stereotype that we are unable to act just like any other sighted child. There's no excuse for Zoe or Emma to eye poke or rock. Their blindisms can be stopped and their attention drawn to other things. When a sighted person sees a blind child acting in this way, it encourages the notion that blind children are children to be pitied when this isn't true.

As far as "acting deaf" is concerned, I believe that Deaf children can learn how to behave without making utterances (for lack of a better word -- sorry) even if they can't hear. The only exception to this would be is if a Deaf child is signing and speaking at the same time, but their speech is unclear. I'm referring to random utterances that have nothing to do with trying to speak.

I hope I haven't offended anyone by what I've written, but if I had a Deaf, blind or deafblind child, I wouldn't permit any of these behaviors.
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Hear Again said:
A relative of Sophie, Zoe and Emma's (I can't remember what his relation was -- I think it was their father) posted a message here on AD, but I don't know what happened to him. It's a shame he left because he could have offered an interesting perspective as far as how the triplets are continuing to progress.
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It was their real dad name is Francis Dunn from in England. Liz got divorced when the triplets were babies. That what I am talking about their real dad is so shamed for not heart to deafblind triplets. Geez!
 
Hear Again said:
I'd like to make a comment about Sophie, Zoe and Emma's developmental progress.

While they may be language and psychomotor delayed, it does not mean this will always be the case. I didn't talk or walk until I was 3 and doctors say this was due to my blindness.

I was also misdiagnosed as having a learning disability in first grade.

It wasn't until my junior year of high school that I fought the system in order to enter the school's Honors program and participate in the Academic Decathalon.

When I was given a test to determine whether or not I had a learning disability during my freshman year of college, the test was negative. It showed that I was performing at least 3 years above grade level in all subjects and I was categorized as being gifted. My writing equated to that of a college graduate, my skills in history and science were similar to someone who has been out of college for two years and my math skills mirrored a college senior's.

I also qualify for MENSA as well (although I choose not to participate) given my IQ. I don't mention this to brag -- only to point out how deafblind and blind children can improve their skills in various areas despite being delayed in terms of their language and physical development.

I believe that Sophie, Zoe and Emma have the potential to do very well in life provided they receive the intense one-on-one attention that is crucial for their ability to fully participate in a sighted-hearing world.
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That's interesting. I have a question. Do you think Emma has a learning disability or just both Emma and Zoe? Sophie is 8 years old. She is in 1 or 2 grader. It pretty late for her to go school.


How old did you start to potty train??
 
~♥~Pinky~♥~ said:
That's true. I was disgusted with Emma and Zoe played with their eyes poke and rocks. I noticed that Liz didn't teach girls how to learn sign language like ABC. I felt bad for these girls. If I were there for them. I would use a sign tactile to communicate. That's good thing for your mom taught you correct unlike Liz did to them. I hope Lindsey can teach Emma how to sign with ABC. And also I hope for Emma and Zoe will able to communicate with their hands sign tactile together.

Why not you meet the deafblind triplets someday??? :) I don't mind to meet them and you in a person. :lol:
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I would love to meet Sophie, Zoe and Emma someday. :) I really do feel like they have so much potential, but I also think it can only be achieved if they have regular intervenor services from Lindsey.

Emma does know sign. Lindsey has been working with her on that.

I think it would be wonderful if Zoe and Emma could communicate with each other. They're still at the point where they are learning sign, but once they develop a sizeable vocabulary, they could always have each other to communicate with.

I also think it would be a good idea if the triplets learned print on palm/POP (i.e. tracing block letters into the palm of one's hand) since this would allow them to communicate with any sighted-hearing person.

Pinky, I would love to meet you as well! :)
 
I believe that Sophie, Zoe and Emma have the potential to do very well in life provided they receive the intense one-on-one attention that is crucial for their ability to fully participate in a sighted-hearing world.
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Reason why I said that the family needs help! I just didn't know how to express myself but you put the words better down than I do (probably because it is easier for you to relate yourself to them...) <shrug>

One thing I am curious about... (I haven't caught up with ALL of the thread yet...) You said your mother was teaching you, which I am grateful for! How? I mean... did she know how to use tactile sign? I know you could hear until a certain age but don't remember until when...

<hug> Jamie
 
~♥~Pinky~♥~ said:
That's interesting. I have a question. Do you think Emma has a learning disability or just both Emma and Zoe? Sophie is 8 years old. She is in 1 or 2 grader. It pretty late for her to go school.
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I don't know if Emma or Zoe have a learning disability, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were misdiagnosed as having one because this is exactly what happened to me. School professionals failed to take my blindness and mild hearing loss into consideration.

It's never too late for Sophie to go to school. As long as she receives the intervention/services she needs, she has the potential to excel in her studies.
From what I've heard, Sophie is doing very well in school.
 
JamieLynn said:
One thing I am curious about... (I haven't caught up with ALL of the thread yet...) You said your mother was teaching you, which I am grateful for! How? I mean... did she know how to use tactile sign? I know you could hear until a certain age but don't remember until when...
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<hugs back>

My mother taught me how to eat, dress, take a bath, brush my teeth, comb my hair, etc. by using a combination of hand-over-hand technique and oral communication.

I was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss at age 3, but didn't start to wear hearing aids until age 15 even though they were recommended for me (in addition to ear surgery) at age 3. For reasons I do not know, my parents' health insurance would not cover the cost of either.

My hearing loss became severe-profound by age 24 which is when I started having alot of difficulty understanding speech. It was at this time that I started learning tactile sign (PSE, SEE, ASL) and other communication techniques for the deafblind.

I had severe-profound hearing loss for 10 years prior to receiving my CIs.
 
Oh right I remember now telling me about the insurance *grumble* !!!! btw, your story is all printed out... I still get to read it though... life is tooooo busy. In two weeks time (I think) I am off for one week YAY! So I'll have time catching up with it. (can't wait!!!)

I think your mother deserves a gold medal or something... :D If ever my baby happens to be either blind/deaf or both, I think I'd be lost... raising a child is already a lot of work... I just can't see myself struggling with a toddler over and over again. It's going to be fun...

Maybe I could get you to fly in and hire you as a nanny? *grin*

Jamie
 
Hear Again said:
No, I don't think it's okay that the triplets "act blind." Blind children are capable of learning appropriate behaviors. When they exhibit blindisms, all it does is reinforce the negative stereotype that we are unable to act just like any other sighted child. There's no excuse for Zoe or Emma to eye poke or rock. Their blindisms can be stopped and their attention drawn to other things. When a sighted person sees a blind child acting in this way, it encourages the notion that blind children are children to be pitied when this isn't true.
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Wait, so, as an autistic person who -can- stop rocking and hand flapping, I should because -society will no longer think I'm stupid- if I do? WTF ever happened to educating people? Opening doors and perspectives and all that?

I should change myself for the sake of a world not yet ready to accept that I'm not helpless? I should set out to please every ignorant clod to discount me based on how I look, how my hands move? What next, are you going to say that blind people with visible eye abnormalities should wear sunglasses as to not scare the public?

That really sets my blood on fire. I think you are in the drastic wrong- manifestations of who we are cannot be treated as behaviors to get corrected. If it's a blind child eye poking or a deaf child babbling. They do it because it serves a purpose and how DARE you take it away because you think that we need to put on a show for the non-disabled world?
 
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