different thought

Lillys dad

Lillys dad

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While driving home from work tonight, I wasthinking about the thread which related to having a child, would you want the child to be born hearing or deaf. I had a thought which I found interesting and was wondering about what people thought.
Here goes,
If a deaf couple had a hearing child, would it be acceptable to raise the child as deaf. We all know the kid can hear, but his parents never teach him to understand what he is hearing, never teach him to talk. (excuse my spelling on this part) Assuming everyone agrees that science is correct when they say that the neuro pathways for speech are pretty much formed by the age of 5. And the kid has little or no interaction with the hearing world so his capacity for speech would be severly deminished. Would this be accpetable.
To summarize it, would it be ok to raise a hearing kid as deaf and never teach him to speak?

I am not trying to turn the tables on the whole CI debates, I'm just curious. As I said, it was just a thought that I had and am curious about everyones thoughts.
 
Ummm.... Well , I will typing when I have got more time as am busy at the moment ... ( meaning getting to do before go work).. :)
 
Well, it difficult to say like that ... well when I had my first baby he is hearing ... well I already knew my first baby is hearing before he was born ....we all I mean my family as mum/dad/ sisters they all are hearing .... we never doing like .. to remind my son that telling he is hearing not deaf as me and his dad ..... no nothing like that .. yet know my voice is not good as hearing lol ... lucky my family been good to supportive to help , but I does to always used my voice to speak my son when he was a baby, so he know who I am as his mum .... He just automaticed to knew that we are deaf, it hard to explain this .. hope you understand what I am try say ?
He often tugged my trousers or tapped on me like on my legs or my arms when he need my attention or asked me anything he need like that ... it just never thought to remind my son that he is hearing not deaf like me and his dad. no nothing like that ... he was very happy baby and grow up into manhood now .... all my families never treats me as different because am deaf .... and I have second son he is deaf, and my daughter is hearing ... I treat them all same ... because they are my life .... it important to treat them all the same .. no favourites... hope it does help to answer your qq?

:)
 
Well, I was raised in both worlds.

I come from hearing family and they exposed me to deaf school... That´s how I learn the difference between hearing and deaf worlds... I get use it because I accept in both worlds.

I know before I start a family that my children are hearing but it doesn´t bother me because they are my wish children.

I exposed my children to both worlds as well because they are hearing and their parents are deaf. It´s good for my children to accept what we are as same as we accept them what they are...

I don´t beleive to change everything for my children because they are hearing... I sign with voice to them since they were babies... My hubby´s family come to communicate with my children... I sign them... We send our children to childminder for speech development twice a week for 1 year until they were 3 years old then went to kindergarten.

Now my both sons are 13 and 10 years old and can sign like deaf to us and can speak like hearing when they communicate with hearing people. I have no problem to raising hearing children...

Any question?
 
I do not think I made my question clear, and for that I am sorry. Let me try again.

If both parents are deaf, and have a hearing child, would it be accpetable to raisee a hearing child as if he were deaf? No speech development, no speech training, no anything expcept sign language. Would that be ok to do with a hearing child in a deaf family?
 
Ahh!! ... me misunderstand oops .... oh yes .. my deceased best friend did treated her hearing son as he is deaf from what I had seen .... therefore I can not to say anything to her . because it is not my business to do to tell her if think she is wrong thing to do ... . but for me I wouldn't treat hearing child as deaf ... no but it hard to explain the longessstttt story lol because am old !! heeh .. no excuses of me say it ... but it is true though.... :topic: sorry my mind are miles away since I recieve the very bad news today ...
 
I personally feel it is a crime to limit any child from reaching their full potential.
 
Lillys dad said:
I do not think I made my question clear, and for that I am sorry. Let me try again.

If both parents are deaf, and have a hearing child, would it be accpetable to raisee a hearing child as if he were deaf? No speech development, no speech training, no anything expcept sign language. Would that be ok to do with a hearing child in a deaf family?
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Sorry, I misunderstand your post... :Oops:

Here is answer on your question...

No Way! I would not treat my hearing children as deaf... I would not change them into deaf... No Way... It´s selfish of me to make hearing child to be like me. I accept them as hearing children and expose them to hearing culture because they are hearing.
 
Lillys dad said:
............
If a deaf couple had a hearing child, would it be acceptable to raise the child as deaf. We all know the kid can hear, but his parents never teach him to understand what he is hearing, never teach him to talk. ............... Would this be accpetable.
To summarize it, would it be ok to raise a hearing kid as deaf and never teach him to speak?.
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Actually, this exact dilemma was what I saw on the video/dvd "Sound & Fury" where the daughter (hearing) of a deaf couple needed speech therapy in order to be able to understood.
I guess that the reason this happened was due to the scenario you just presented. No exposure to speech, growing up in a deaf/Deaf environment.

Would it be acceptable? At first I would say that it is not. But then, thinking about it, the situation might exist all-over the world where immigrants live. Children might only learn the language of the parents. But sooner or later they will go out in the world and learn other languages.
The difference with sign is that vocalisation is not trained. The only rolemodels are people that try to speak but with completely wrong pronounciation. It will take a lot of work to correct that.

Normally, the people closeby that are hearing will be the rolemodel for such a child. If there is not I think that interference by social services is in order.
 
Cloggy, I have heard about that movie, in fact, during one of the parent meetings I spoke of at CID showed the movie. I had to work and could not go to that meeting. I still want to see it. I heard its a great movie.
As I said earlier, I'm not trying to bait anyone into any type of argument. I was just wondering about peoples opinions if the same situation were to present its self in the exact opposite manner.
 
Lillys dad said:
Cloggy, I have heard about that movie, in fact, during one of the parent meetings I spoke of at CID showed the movie. I had to work and could not go to that meeting. I still want to see it. I heard its a great movie.
As I said earlier, I'm not trying to bait anyone into any type of argument. I was just wondering about peoples opinions if the same situation were to present its self in the exact opposite manner.
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First, the movie is impressive. It shows the Deaf view in an impressive way. I actually bought it so I would be able to watch it more often and learn more. As you know, we see more for every time we watch it.
Order it or rent it. it's worth it.

Don't worry about people feeling as if you're trying to bait anyone.
I gave up on covering my ass every time I said something. The posts get really weired with "In my opinion", "I have experienced", "from my point of view" etc.
I feel it's OK to make a statement without covering all bases.
Like the one that got you thinking about this side. When I started the topic, I deliberately choose the title "When expecting a child, would you want it to be deaf?".
I could have asked "When expecting a child, would you want it to be hearing?" but I felt that the first question goes deeper..... and it did.
 
The thing that makes this scenario different is this: here in America, CODAs have access to speech therapy in pre-school (beginning age 3) through the schools. We are all made aware of this accomodation and the only way a child is not exposed to speech is purely by the will of the parents. I consider this sort of purposeful denial of services as a form of neglect/abuse.
 
Sadly it happened to few I knew of. I do not know about nowdays but it was common back in 70's. I used to went to school with this girl, whom her parents were deaf and I did not know she was really hearing. She pretend to be deaf and acted alike one. Even she went to residental school for many years. No one knew she was hearing till she got kicked out of that school and went to my school. No one knew she was hearing till one day my classmate was making alot of noise with pen. She finally told him "stop it" He was alike "what u can hear it" she said "yes". My then teacher suspected it and he sends her to hearing test and found out she was hearing. None of my friends believed my story only few of my old classmates, my teachers and I knew she was hearing. To this day, many people still believe she was deaf.

Honestly I do not know how she got in deaf programs all those years and got away by acting alike one. Is it because of her parents who were deaf not accept her as hearing but pretend her to be deaf. Sad to this day when I think of her.
 
Eve said:
The thing that makes this scenario different is this: here in America, CODAs have access to speech therapy in pre-school (beginning age 3) through the schools. We are all made aware of this accomodation and the only way a child is not exposed to speech is purely by the will of the parents. I consider this sort of purposeful denial of services as a form of neglect/abuse.
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How is that different? Deaf children have access to speech therapy in schools, and presumably parents (deaf and hearing) are aware of this.

Conversely: are CODAs really offered state-sponsored speech therapy in pre-school? That would surprise me (I think it'd be a good thing, but my/our government has shown major reluctance to get involved with the educational system at the pre-school level, even for at-risk children).
 
No exposure to speech, growing up in a deaf/Deaf environment.
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Ummm no, CODAs have access to speech! The thing with CODAs is not abnormal language issues , but rather delayed fluency in a second language!
 
Umm, I assume that CODA means child of deaf adult right?
In the state of Missouri, we have a program called "first steps". This program is designed for any child that has any type of physical or developmental issues. It is only for children under three years of age. It is designed that way, because once a child turns three, the school district has to provide what ever is necessary for that child to succeed from three years on. Once a child turns three, they are considered a preschooler. Once a preschooler, thye are fall under that school districts special ed program.
This program has paid for one of my daughters hearing aids, once a week speech therapy (twice a week after the CI surgery), the audi visits at CID, HA batteries, otofirm, otoeaze, battery chargers, the half day programs that my daughter is involved in at CID, and many, many other things.
The state govt almost eliminated this program. The gov had a change of heart right before the birth of his first child. Instead of getting rid of it, they changed it so each family pays an amount based solely on thier income. Ours is around $1000 per year. I have absolutely no problem paying this when you take into consideration that the one hearing aid they paid for was over $3000.
 
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