Grandma who needs help!

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Silent Journeys

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Hi! I am from rural Minnesota and am so blessed with a dozen grandchildren, all with normal hearing except Chris. He became ill at age 4 and needed a strong antibiotic which helped cure his illness but left him with no ability to hear. He also has other learning problems which further complicate things. But unless we can understand his deafness and learn how to help him we cannot even assess where one problem ends, and the others begin. His life has been turned upside down in so many ways for a little guy.

The local school wrote him off as too stupid to even learn sign and refused to provide an aide to work with him in a mainstream classroom. He was enrolled in the MN Academy for the Deaf. The school is several hours from his home and ours. We want to learn sign, but there is no one to teach us. We want to understand the world of the Deaf culture but do not know how or who to turn to for help.

We have been to the school and they provide lessons mid-week. We can't drive across the state for a 2 hr lesson every Monday night..or Wed..whenever.

I don't know what to do so I am working with the Academy and am in the process of establishing a fund to help the school with funding by selling my artwork with 100% of the profits going to programs for deaf children and adults if needed. It is all I can think of to do. I cannot volunteer, I have no skill they need. Or at least I do not think I do.

On my website "Silent Journeys" I want to dedicate the site to Deaf people, young and old. The photos are focused on things that most hearing people would not look for. I see this in Chris, his heightened ability to spot things that are missed by everyone else. His uncanny way of spacing items to perfection. His need for organization and so much more. I expect I am seeing the things he is learning at school. There are so many thing s he needs to understand, I am in such pain wondering how to help him. Are we doing right? We are a part of his life and we are the only people who has been a constant in his life since birth. In all of this my fear is to be unwittingly unkind or insulting to the Deaf adults that are working so hard to help him. I don't want to intrude where I am not wanted but I need to do something.

Any direction you can give me would be so appreciated. If I should not be on this forum please tell me and I will just sign out. My email is: catesown@gmail.com. Feel free to either reply here or directly to my email.
I want to understand, I want to help not just Chris but the whole community at the school.
Thanks for any replies you can give me.
 
First of all, I'm proud of you for not giving up. Chris is lucky to have a proactive Grandma like you.

Silent Journeys said:
I am from rural Minnesota and am so blessed with a dozen grandchildren, all with normal hearing except Chris... He also has other learning problems which further complicate things...

The local school wrote him off as too stupid to even learn sign and refused to provide an aide to work with him in a mainstream classroom. He was enrolled in the MN Academy for the Deaf.
Click to expand...

Does Chris have any language acquisition yet?

Having multiple disabilities definitely complicates things. I would ask Chris' pediatrician for a referral to see a "developmental pediatrician". The developmental pediatrician should be able to help figure out what the other disabilities may be and put together a plan. Chris may be eligible for Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Speech Therapy and maybe Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Many of these services can be conducted in the home, some may be offered through the school.

From what you describe, Chris is certainly eligible for an IEP at the school. Many parents don't seem to understand their power behind the IEP. Maybe a teacher here on AllDeaf can explain that to you better than I can. It is my understanding that the parents have a lot of weight in deciding the IEP goals. Some of these goals may best be reached with an aide, therefore maybe use of an aide can be written into the IEP. However, you mention mainstream classes. I'm unsure if Chris would be a good fit in a mainstream classroom (not enough info). I've seen a few parents push their children into mainstream settings when it is not a good fit. This usually ends up in frustration for the student, the teacher and the parents.


Silent Journeys said:
The school is several hours from his home and ours. We want to learn sign, but there is no one to teach us. We want to understand the world of the Deaf culture but do not know how or who to turn to for help.
Click to expand...

It looks like the Department of Health Services for the State of Minnesota has a branch for the deaf and hard of hearing. I would contact them and see if they can help. Perhaps they can provide you with a Deaf mentor. Is there a community college near you that offers ASL classes? You can also ask them for contacts that might lead to an ASL tutor (to teach your family ASL). You will likely be held accountable for paying for the ASL tutor. However, there may be grants available or perhaps this can serve as a tax write off (I can't be sure).

Does the school have temporary quarters for parents? (Some schools will allow parents stay on campus for a certain number of days while they work out living arrangements). If ASL classes are offered Monday and Wednesday evenings, will the school allow you to stay on campus (at low or no cost) Monday through Wednesday so you can attend the classes?

You mention that the school is several hours away from home. How does Chris get there? Does he take the bus? Does he stay in the dorms? Is the family in a position that would allow them to move closer to the school?

Good luck to you and your family...
 
Silent Journeys said:
Hi! I am from rural Minnesota and am so blessed with a dozen grandchildren, all with normal hearing except Chris. He became ill at age 4 and needed a strong antibiotic which helped cure his illness but left him with no ability to hear. He also has other learning problems which further complicate things. But unless we can understand his deafness and learn how to help him we cannot even assess where one problem ends, and the others begin. His life has been turned upside down in so many ways for a little guy.

The local school wrote him off as too stupid to even learn sign and refused to provide an aide to work with him in a mainstream classroom. He was enrolled in the MN Academy for the Deaf. The school is several hours from his home and ours. We want to learn sign, but there is no one to teach us. We want to understand the world of the Deaf culture but do not know how or who to turn to for help.

We have been to the school and they provide lessons mid-week. We can't drive across the state for a 2 hr lesson every Monday night..or Wed..whenever.

I don't know what to do so I am working with the Academy and am in the process of establishing a fund to help the school with funding by selling my artwork with 100% of the profits going to programs for deaf children and adults if needed. It is all I can think of to do. I cannot volunteer, I have no skill they need. Or at least I do not think I do.

On my website "Silent Journeys" I want to dedicate the site to Deaf people, young and old. The photos are focused on things that most hearing people would not look for. I see this in Chris, his heightened ability to spot things that are missed by everyone else. His uncanny way of spacing items to perfection. His need for organization and so much more. I expect I am seeing the things he is learning at school. There are so many thing s he needs to understand, I am in such pain wondering how to help him. Are we doing right? We are a part of his life and we are the only people who has been a constant in his life since birth. In all of this my fear is to be unwittingly unkind or insulting to the Deaf adults that are working so hard to help him. I don't want to intrude where I am not wanted but I need to do something.

Any direction you can give me would be so appreciated. If I should not be on this forum please tell me and I will just sign out. My email is: catesown@gmail.com. Feel free to either reply here or directly to my email.
I want to understand, I want to help not just Chris but the whole community at the school.
Thanks for any replies you can give me.
Click to expand...


MSAD in Faribault MN has free AS: classes Monday's throughout the school year for parents etc of Hoh/Deaf children. I would talk to the office about the classes and details if you need to stay overnight - honestly it IS worth it!!

I was fortunate enough to go visit MSAD back in 1996/7 while I was a college student in RedWing (taking a very specialized course that I travelled from Canada to attend). Everyone there seemed very friendly - and it's one of the nicest memories I have of my time in the USA actually!

I actaully ended up making friends with a girl who lived just outside of RedWing and attended MSAD during the school week and then came home Friday night through Sunday later afternoon (there was a volunteer driver program where licensed people would pick the kids up and drop them off so that the parents didn't have to do all the driving each week)

I'd talk to them and see what is able to be done - I'm sure that there WILL be a way to get you and his parents involved in ASL classes and in touch with other signing parents (including if possible some Deaf parents who are fluent in ASL who might be willing to mentor your family !)
 
Yes, I totally would contact the School for the Deaf and see if there's any local resources for you to learn Sign. There might be a Deaf family nearby or something.
Is Chris LD or more intellectucally disabled? I know it must be hard for you to have him living at school, but Deaf Schools are really good for kids with multiple issues.Very often there are special needs/multihandicapped departments.
 
I don't see the website when I googled "Silent Journeys".

Chris sounds like he has OCD. Does he already have LD before he lost his hearing?
 
I could not find the website either. At first I thought it was spam to sell her artwork. But without any website that will be hard for her to do.
 
:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. I had visited the MSAD (in the old days, we use to called the institution "Minnesota School for the Deaf") in Faribault, Minnesota in the middle of 1960. I also went there for the homecoming football. They were so friendly and happy. We all had a good time back then. It used to be a wonderful and beautiful campus. I have not visit that place in a long time. I miss that. I went to both mainstream elementary and high schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota between 1954 to 1966. They were oral-only programs (no ASL interpreters). I was upset because I had to lipread and I failed trying to understand, even though I managed to graduate from high school. :(

I hope you can stay around. Just have fun reading and posting all the threads here. See you around here. :wave:
 
Hey, guys, I found the website: Home Page
I found this thread by searching "MSAD" because I'm trying to get some parent reviews or information on the school for my HOH son. Thanks for your comments on the school.
 
Ask the school to allow you to attend the lessions via Skype. The software is free. You can also find a ALS buddy to practice with on Skype. There's a thread for that one this forum. Good luck!
 
sallylou said:
Ask the school to allow you to attend the lessions via Skype. The software is free. You can also find a ALS buddy to practice with on Skype. There's a thread for that one this forum. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Lou Gehrig's? :lol:

Or ASL?
 
If you go touch her and it pops down web site ,beautiful pictures... hope Chris is getting the help he needs.. Thaks for shareing
 
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