Hello From WNY

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powerismine

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Good Morning Everyone,

I would like to say hello and introduce ourselves. Julie and I have a son who is 13 months. He has profound hearing loss. We are currently working with Early Intervention and we have hired a private tutor to help us with learning ASL. Our son is a very happy little boy. We work hard to try to teach him what we can and we are trying our tails off to learn as much as we can so when he points at something we can tell him what it is. I know when I was a kid I use to ask "why" and "what is that" all the time. This makes it a bit hard on me because he is constantly asking me what things are and I don't always have the answer, so I finger spell what it is. Its a start I guess. We plan on having him start at Rochester School for the Deaf as soon as he can. We have hung sign flashcards all over the house in hopes that we all can learn faster. I have been surfing this forum for a few months now, what a great site.

Thanks for all the info and I am sure I'll see you all in the forums.

Rich
 
LOL I was just like your son when my hearing loss started! (started 10 months old at Mild/moderate level)
but I was lucky I didn't go up to the profound level 2 fast. :D

enjoy the forum and welcome to AD!!!!!
 
Thanks all!

Our son was tested at the hospital when he was born and failed all tests, so at least we had a head start. We were told mixed stories about his hearing loss until we got more testing done. Thanks again for the forum and I am sure I'll be jumping in here and there.

Rich
 
Welcome Rich!!!!!! That is SO cool you have the option of Rochester School for the Deaf and the Rochester area !!! And you guys are starting out with your son signing! That is AWESOME!!!!!
I hope this doesn't sound intrusive or anything, but are you going "full toolbox" (meaning Sign AND speech and CI/HA?) Just wondering.
 
He does use his hearing aids, but we don't know to what degree they are working for him. Him primary language is going to be ASL. We are not doing the implants as that is not really our decision to make, only he can make that when the time is right. I know some people disagree with that decision but that is not my concern.

He is going to start with speech in November, we will have to see how he does. He does respond when the hearing aids are in, but nothing significant. He does know a bunch of signs, some he made up, lol.

So as far as the "full toolbox" yes we are trying without implants everything in our power to help him learn. I am confident that us as a family can all learn together and I am also fully aware that he will soon be teaching me more ASL then I will be teaching him. :D

Rich
 
Rich that's awesome! I do know it's fairly rare for hearing parents to opt for ASL first.
We DO have two moms who did ASL first with their deaf kids.(Wee Beastie and jillo)
You should have a lot of support seeing as you're in the capital of Deafness!
Word of advice with speech. It is possible that he has the kind of loss where more power =more abilty to hear. I wonder if maybe he might be able to hear more with a powerful body worn hearing aid? Especially since you don't seem all too enthusastic about CI (and we do understand your point of view. But maybe he can help decide when he's a toddler)
Also, do you know if the Rochester School for the Deaf's speech therapist is good at teaching profound kids to speak? You may have to opt for supplementation with a speech therapist from a private oral program (but then again you might get pressure to implant implant and implant) But most deaf kids DO get a hefty dose of speech.
 
powerismine said:
He does use his hearing aids, but we don't know to what degree they are working for him. Him primary language is going to be ASL. We are not doing the implants as that is not really our decision to make, only he can make that when the time is right. I know some people disagree with that decision but that is not my concern.

He is going to start with speech in November, we will have to see how he does. He does respond when the hearing aids are in, but nothing significant. He does know a bunch of signs, some he made up, lol.

So as far as the "full toolbox" yes we are trying without implants everything in our power to help him learn. I am confident that us as a family can all learn together and I am also fully aware that he will soon be teaching me more ASL then I will be teaching him. :D

Rich
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:gpost: :gpost: at the bold statement.

:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. This is the important way to find a full toolbox what he wants to learn and use it or them (bilingual). Never send him to the mainstream school unless there is an interpreter there for him. If the mainstream school refuse to pay for an interpreter for his classroom, then he will have a hell of a hard time to understand what is going on in the classroom. So help him by listening to him when he need something for his training at schools. You both have done a good job being his parents. Hurrah!!!! :D :cool2:
 
Hello powerismine, welcome to AD. I'm also from WNY area. I'm profoundly/severely deaf since birth and never had the cochlear implants (thank god for that.) My parents are both hearing. They knew sign language before I was born. I started schooling at a local deaf school by age of 16 months and ASL was my first language. But while growing up I was taught to use a bilingual in spoken/written English as well as SEE (Signed Exact English) and PSE (a kind of coded English language.) Of course, there does have a speech therapist at deaf school for kids from nursery to senior in High School and when I was 9 years old it was my decision to transfer to mainstreamed school throughout High School. I did have a speech therapy once a week after school from 4th grade until 7th grade. I didn't have to wear hearing aid all the time. I grew up just fine and now I'm still fine like normal hearing person is. I did even graduate from the university, I was the only Deaf student there and didn't have any problem at all. Don't take advice from DD's post over CI issue and don't listen. Listen to yourself. You did the right thing with decision you had made in the first place. If it wasn't for ASL along with an action of neglectness like lack of communication between the parents and a child and not teaching him to read the words and sentences each level in the book while raising him at home, he would be delayed with language in later life. It does happen to some children whose raised by hearing parents and the children who have had CI at an infant age but they have no access to ASL from the beginning because of hearing parents chose not to let them to learn sign language. Most of them hearing parents still believe that CI is a 'cure' but in reality it's not. You can find out to learn something about Eugenics on youtube or somewhere on here in AD. Sad but true.
 
Don't take advice from DD's post over CI issue and don't listen.
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:confused: Huh? I'm being supportive!!! I'm not being all " Get a CI!" I just said that I think that toddlers can help in deciding whether or not they want a CI. I fully support severe and profound kids being just aided. Even many DODA families aid their kids.
katz, did you have speech therapy too as an aided profound kid? Do you think it helped you?
Never send him to the mainstream school unless there is an interpreter there for him.
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Well it does sound like powerismine is going to send their son to Rochester School for the Deaf, which ROCKS!!!!!!
 
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