@Bottesini, you're right. I have some time. For now I will learn as many signs as I can and use them around the house. To bring the conversation then back to where I'm at right now...we had our hearing aid consult yesterday and did ear molds! The audio recommended phonak bolero q or widex baby 440. We are leaning towards phonak since it has FM which I plan to use around the house and extracurriculars before he starts school. Though the widex baby 440 is so small and looks like they'd stay on easier. I'm nervous about keeping them on, not getting milk all over them during feeds, how fussy he will be during the initial adjustment, the dog eating the HAs, and getting my son to open his eyes and look at me sign since he is usually crying with his eyes closed :p He is still such a little baby with little baby problems, let alone worrying about his future education.
New mama with lots of questions!
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AlleyCat
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Using signs around the house is a wonderful place to start. Your son being only 4.5 months old means you are still some time away from school just yet. You've got a bit of time ahead of you to find the right program - hopefully you can find a local school close to home that offers deaf/HOH programs (sign, speech, English, etc.) that fit what you want. We weren't trying to recommend deaf schools only -- we were only saying that they're not always necessarily ASL-ONLY. As for your concerns about the HAs, there are a number of other new parents on this board that have posted similar concerns about HAs at that stage.
Edit: You could look at the Hearing Aids section to see if anything helps you with the HA concerns you have: http://www.alldeaf.com/hearing-aids-cochlear-implants/
Edit: You could look at the Hearing Aids section to see if anything helps you with the HA concerns you have: http://www.alldeaf.com/hearing-aids-cochlear-implants/
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It is hard to say but if she is providing auditory training and speech services then she has to be certified in both.
I think they use that term because nowadays speech teacher provide a myrad of services instead of just speech services only. Less confusing or less misleading by using a general label. That's just my assumption.
I have never heard of a Deaf school changing the label due to popularity.
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It doesnt have to be one or the other. Deaf and hoh children can get both.
I was mainstreamed without ASL. It was a struggle because I missed out on a lot even though I can speak well. It was very misleading because people assumed that because I speak so well that I could hear just as well when it was the total opposite.
Since learning ASL at 25 years old, the quality of my life has improved 500%.
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It just seemed like a strange title. I didn't mean anything negative.
Speech teachers can be called Language/Communication teachers, Speech and Language Specialist, Spoken Language teacher, Auditory/Verbal teachers, and so many more.
You are welcome.
Unfortunatly the social issues seem to be UNIVERSAL despite "better technology." Also "better teaching methods and information" tends to be not that available in an inclusive setting since most mainstream teachers, including sped teachers don't get a lot of training on how to teach low incidence kids.
Exactly Alley-Cat! There are usually a mix of kids on the communication spectrum at Deaf Schools/programs, from pure ASLers (unaided/unCId) to HOH (whether functionally or audilogically) Deaf Schools DO offer supplementary speech training. And I wasn't purely recommending Deaf Schools either. I think that MANY HOH kids can benefit from a formal dhh program. ... But I do think that contacting the Schools and programs for the Dhh would be an AWESOME idea, since they'd offer better resources then just generic special ed/ early intervention (which tends to be targeted towards kids with mental disabilities, or physical disabilities) If this was a blind forum, and a sighted parent of a blind kid came on, I would say the same things....
Exactly. Dhh kids should be able to get both....I understand parental fears about speech for deafer kids (which is why they're sent to oral schools) but there's NO reason why dhh kids cannot get BOTH.
Maybe you could contact California Association for the Deaf and see if they might have a mentor program where your family could learn ASL from a mentor who comes to your house!
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I'm going to skip all the drama and just throw my $.02.
I went through schooling with a 20-40 (or so) loss, unaided. I'm now in the 40-75 range and using aids. I wish I had had a dhh program at school and been provided with tools. I could have really used a notetaker at times, for instance. I speak well, and had speech therapy when I was younger. There's no reason why English can't be his first language. With his loss, my best advice for you to remember is that with his aids, he'll hear pretty well, a lot of the time. Not perfectly nor always. I think hoh kids fall through the cracks sometimes when parents/teachers/etc assume that 'he's doing ok, so he doesn't need any help'. Let him grow up with the knowledge that you understand his difficulties and if he needs help, he can let you know.
Good luck
I went through schooling with a 20-40 (or so) loss, unaided. I'm now in the 40-75 range and using aids. I wish I had had a dhh program at school and been provided with tools. I could have really used a notetaker at times, for instance. I speak well, and had speech therapy when I was younger. There's no reason why English can't be his first language. With his loss, my best advice for you to remember is that with his aids, he'll hear pretty well, a lot of the time. Not perfectly nor always. I think hoh kids fall through the cracks sometimes when parents/teachers/etc assume that 'he's doing ok, so he doesn't need any help'. Let him grow up with the knowledge that you understand his difficulties and if he needs help, he can let you know.
Good luck
There seems to be a lot of bickering that is not germane to the OP's questions. Unless, people are currently attending CSD or are teaching there, trying to read into a posting on a website and arguing semantics is ridiculous. I am sure she will call, visit and decide if that is the best placement for her child,
OP: At the end of the day, your son will be the one to decide what mode of communication is best for him. As I said in my earlier post, I always thought our son would eventually talk since while aided his hearing levels are within 'normal' range. We decided to include both Spoken English and ASL. He, and his medical diagnosis' have made the choice for us. He uses ASL at this time. We are learning it to keep up with him because he has soooo much to say. I would hate to miss anything!
There doesn't have to be a 1st or 2nd.....there can be BOTH. See what happens...Also, no decision is final....go with the flow...see what works and then reassess......Good Luck!
And...Plus....Also
One large benefit of my attendance to the parent group at our school for the deaf is that I learned how to advocate for my son regarding his rights to access education. If we are ever able to mainstream him, I have learned a lot from our Family Ed department about what kind of supports he will need.
This information is incredibly valuable and I am not sure you would be able to find deaf/hoh specific information in your community. There a lot of info on the internet to sift through and getting the info in person is much nicer in my opinion. If you are close enough to a school for the deaf, it is worth it to look into the options they provide. A lot of parents with HOH children come to our family ed and their children are mainstreamed when they go to kindie.
One large benefit of my attendance to the parent group at our school for the deaf is that I learned how to advocate for my son regarding his rights to access education. If we are ever able to mainstream him, I have learned a lot from our Family Ed department about what kind of supports he will need.
This information is incredibly valuable and I am not sure you would be able to find deaf/hoh specific information in your community. There a lot of info on the internet to sift through and getting the info in person is much nicer in my opinion. If you are close enough to a school for the deaf, it is worth it to look into the options they provide. A lot of parents with HOH children come to our family ed and their children are mainstreamed when they go to kindie.
Exactly! HOH kids usually just get a kneejerk oral thing b/c it's thought " they can speak. They don't "need" ASL.... But the thing is, it could be very helpful for them as a second language....and a heck of a lot more useful then French or Spanish or Latin. Dhh kids deserve a FULL and complete toolbox!
CSign
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Well that certainly was a strong first post. I have observed both CSD campuses on many occasions, sat in on classes and multiple IEP meetings. So yes, the comments were "germane" to the OP.
I agree with your last paragraph. It doesn't need to be either or, and as the child gets older the path will become more clear.
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I take it that your son attends CSD. That is what many of us are thinking based on several of your posts.
If he doesnt, then u you must work for CSD or work as a rep for public schools in order for you to sit in multiple IEP meetings at BOTH campuses which are VERY far away from each other unless u are flying back and forth to go to both IEPs.
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Not sure why you keep restating this. Others disagree with you.
I may be bombarded with criticism for sharing my views here, but for the sake of your child... here goes. As I am sure you have observed, the topic of hearing loss, whatever the severity, is surrounded with opinions, options and yes, even politics. The most important issue is how your child will best learn to communicate with you and with others. Without the ability to hear, with or without auditor aids (hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc.), your child will be force to depend on sight. English is far from being a visual language and even the best lip readers struggle with its complexity. You are hearing, therefore your first language is the spoken language of English. It is what you grew up with. Your child will see hundreds more communicated messages than he/she will hear. ASL bridges this gap. Most children who have learned to sign early on are generally quicker at picking up English as a second language than children who were expected to learn English as a first language. Also, most (not all) educational curriculum is designed by "hearing" people who believe that they know what is best for the child from a "hearing world" perspective. These two worlds, the hearing and the deaf, each have their own culture, language and sense of pride, as well they should. It is good that you are gaining input from the deaf community. No matter how you slice it, you will probably a member of a bi-lingual family with two "first languages" used. It is very common for one parent (usually the mother) to take on the task of learning sign, while the other parent does not communicate much with the child due to work schedule or whatever, or just expecting the doctors and teachers to "fix" the problem. This is truly tragic, and as a Christian, I am praying for answers and unity in your home. One last note... A an independent sign language teacher, I encourage you to learn sign from a teacher that communicates the class in your first language - English. It will be easier for you to pick up and you can deal with things like "syntax" after you have had a chance to catch on to using this beautiful and conceptually based language. You could also plan on attending some 'deaf' events for some free exposure into the deaf world. Thanks for allowing me to share. I hope my post had some value. I tried to keep opinions out and experiences in.
wow, that's not so bad!!! he can pull it off functionally in the hearing world BUT please do expose him to ASL as well, so that he can have the best of both world. a person w/ that hearing loss can speak/hear well if you send him to speech classes, but not just speech, have some kind of hearing therapy (i never had one).. if you train him with sounds, he'll pick up fast.. people with cochlear implants do take sessions where they learn certain sounds and they pick up from there. people with that type of hearing loss usually call themselves "hard of hearing" so i dont know if you knew that.
