Should my HOH 4yo Learn ASL?

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sansalmom

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Hi, I'm new to the forum and found out just a few months ago that my son has moderate hearing loss in both ears. He is almost 4, but the reason we found out so late is that he's lived overseas since birth. My son is exposed to several languages - Russian (primary), English, and Spanish. Since we discovered his hearing loss, we've really been focusing on English to get him ready for school (he will attend the American School in the fall). He now has the option now of attending half-day preschool with instruction in ASL and Spanish. I checked, and they do use ASL (I even recognized some of the ASL signs from books I've been reading). Should he learn ASL, or do you think it will be too hard for him, or confuse him, to learn four languages at once?
 
Wow, only 3 languages at 4? What a slacker. jk:) Seriously, you are providing him with such great opportunities! How's he doing with the first 3 languages? I'd say expose him to everything possible, watch carefully, stretch him a bit, and go forward with what you think enjoys. I've read so many studies about the benefits of multiple languages, the positive impact on literacy.

I was worried about overwhelming my little one with language initially. We had planned for Mandarin immersion, but pulled back when we found that she was profoundly deaf to focus on ASL and English (she can access sound very well via CIs). At 5, she's age-appropriately fluent in ASL and English, she's picked up quite a few phrases in Spanish from a Spanish-speaking classmate, and we're now starting beginning Mandarin on a casual basis, at home. The only conflict we see is that sometimes she slips into the use of ASL grammar when she speaks English, but usually only when she's been in a voices-off ASL environment for a prolonged time. I hear that's typical of kids whose first language was ASL, as was hers.
 
YES! I was moderately HOH when I was little, and am now severe-profoundly deaf. I wish I had learned ASL sooner! Even though your son is HOH, I can tell you as a former HOH adult that hearing aids, FM systems, and any other technology is not enough. I know everyone is different, but at least give him the opportunity to have full accessibility. After learning ASL last year, it has changed my life so much.

Also, you won't overwhelm him. I can speak three languages and sign ASL. So don't worry--he can handle it!
 
natty_4ever said:
YES! I was moderately HOH when I was little, and am now severe-profoundly deaf. I wish I had learned ASL sooner! Even though your son is HOH, I can tell you as a former HOH adult that hearing aids, FM systems, and any other technology is not enough. I know everyone is different, but at least give him the opportunity to have full accessibility. After learning ASL last year, it has changed my life so much.

Also, you won't overwhelm him. I can speak three languages and sign ASL. So don't worry--he can handle it!
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Pretty much the same case with me. I never needed ASL as a child or even teenager, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have learned it. I'm playing catch-up now.
 
Even though your son is HOH, I can tell you as a former HOH adult that hearing aids, FM systems, and any other technology is not enough. I know everyone is different, but at least give him the opportunity to have full accessibility. After learning ASL last year, it has changed my life so much.
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Yes, hoh kids have the right to a full toolbox. Too often, it's assumed that since hoh kids can hear and talk, we don't "need" :roll: ASL.
Fact of the matter is, that HA and other devices mostly are good in one on one and small group situtions. The world is not a soundbooth.
 
Wow! 4 languages!! THAt's AWESOME! Yes, have him learn ASL as well. That way if he gets frustrated with being in a non-signing environment or needs a break from working hard to process the other languages auditorally, he can interact with others using ASL. Also, he can meet others like him and wont feel like he is the only one who is HOH.
 
Research shows HEARING kids benefit from ASL. I can only imagine how much more a child with any degree of hearing loss would benefit from it. :)
 
Thank you, everyone! I visited the Christian School for the Deaf today and was impressed by their enthusiasm and individualized attention to the children. So, I think we'll enroll our little one and see how he likes it. Incidentally, the maximum cost on the sliding scale is $65/month.
 
I think it is a good idea to teach your kid ASL - it will be an enriching experience. But I would be careful about this and place an emphasis on English as well. IMO It is really important for him to be able to read/write English as well as anyone else. It will help give him an advantage and survive in the hearing world.
 
Irish said:
I think it is a good idea to teach your kid ASL - it will be an enriching experience. But I would be careful about this and place an emphasis on English as well. IMO It is really important for him to be able to read/write English as well as anyone else. It will help give him an advantage and survive in the hearing world.
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:laugh2: I think with Russian, English, Spanish, and now ASL, this child is going to be surviving just fine.
 
sansalmom said:
My son is exposed to several languages - Russian (primary), English,
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As a teenage who functions as Deaf(I have an auditory processing disorder and a mild hearing loss) low vision(learning blindness skills) but labels myself as Deafblind. I have learned the International Deaf blind Manuel alphabet and now want to teach myself how to read and write in Russian and sign the Russian alphabet http://www.deafblind.com/russima.jpg as I want to travel later on and oh yeah I speak English learned to speak i believe before I was dx
 
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sansalmom said:
Thank you, everyone! I visited the Christian School for the Deaf today and was impressed by their enthusiasm and individualized attention to the children. So, I think we'll enroll our little one and see how he likes it. Incidentally, the maximum cost on the sliding scale is $65/month.
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That's great to hear. I hope your son will love it and thrives in this school. Small classes are the best, IMO. The cost you mentioned is quite low. I would judge it to be good investment if he is happy and learning there.

Best of luck. :)
 
Yes, I was very surprised how cheap it is, but it's a non-profit, private school, supported by U.S. missionaries. While it is rather "no frills" compared to U.S. preschools, the environment seems loving and caring, and I really liked the preschool teacher. There will be 8 kids in his group, which has a teacher and two assistants (this is a much better ratio than what he had in mainstream preschool before we discovered his hearing loss). I'm also starting Saturday morning ASL classes there. I'll keep you posted how it goes! Here's the school:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHVdrg_dEAk]YouTube - El Salvador- Escuela Cristiana para Sordos[/ame]
 
I have a good friend who was born in El Salvador and moved to America when she was 15 years old. She said her parents never knew about the deaf school or sign language until they moved to America.

Since you live in El Salvador, is there a regional sign language like Spanish Sign language?
 
But I would be careful about this and place an emphasis on English as well. IMO It is really important for him to be able to read/write English as well as anyone else
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. On the other hand, the gross majority, if not virtually all hoh kids can aquire spoken language abilty. Some of them may not be on par with hearing kids or may not be able to learn to speak b/c of secondary disabilties (ie trachs or significent apraxia) We're not saying "stop spoken language instruction." We're saying...." Add ASL b/c its an awesome tool for hoh kids!
 
inmate23 said:
Ok what about making him bilingual in the other languages he nos?

Russian Sign language American Sign Language Translator CD-ROM Harris Communications Harris Communications - Vibrating Alarm Clocks, Loud Telephones and Signalers

and what type of Spanish does he no?
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I know about Russian sign language, but our plan is eventually to move back to the U.S., so that's why we're interested in ASL. My little one is learning Spanish but hasn't picked it up as quickly as kids normally do (which is how we discovered his hearing loss). He has his HA's now, and I think that will help a lot, but we've decided to also teach ASL (having the visual cues might really help him as he navigates through many different languages - we move to different countries every three years or so)
 
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