I was raised hearing, and I did 5-10 hours a week of speech therapy for 15 or so years. I haven't done any since I started college last year, and I have noticed (and my friends have noticed) my speech declining. I didn't know ASL so speech was my primary means of communication, but now that I'm learning to sign do you think it's worth my time to go back?
Is more speech therapy worth it?
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Frisky Feline
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It is your personal choice. Who do you hang out with the most, with speaking or signing? Then you will know what you want to do with your commuincation method. If it bothers you too much of right now, and you know what to do with it. right?
Frisky Feline
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yes there are too many people who are oral deaf/hoh feel the same thing what you have been through. Focus on what you can do is to finish your school, see where you are going, and if you find a job then you will know more about yourself. Sometimes you may find your comfort zone after you settle down with your job, it is not always the case.
I wish I knew what to answer you but I have witness too many of people like your situation. I have not experience what you and others are going through. But i can understand what you all are.
Of course, not to worry about one thing too much, focus on what things need to be done, like finish school, find your understanding friends and participate some activities and be with your family.
Keep reading here on ALLDEAF too.
whatdidyousay!
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That really depend on your social life and what kind of job you have. If you work with the public a lot and feel your speech is declining and people are having a harder time understanding you it might help to have a few lessons.
I will go to a speech therapist when my speech start to decline . I have lost more hearing and my speech could decline as I get older.
can you join local deaf clubs meet your own age,you have two cultures and you learn asl lot quicker in social setting aswel as class,,,,it is sad so many deaf brought up to dismiss deaf world then so regret it as get older,it certainly be advantage to you to know deaf culture
i much older than you but i have similar problems,i moved away from london and where i live now there only two teenaged boys two brothers i am slowly teaching them bsl,their parents mainstreamed them and now two unhappy boys as they want to know more about deaf have kids own age sign with....most frustrating for me as i got no one to socialise with apart from them...nearest deaf club miles away..
if you can try take some asl lessons,you may find others in same situation as yourself and be able to make friends
if you can try take some asl lessons,you may find others in same situation as yourself and be able to make friends
rick48
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Hayden,
As others have said, its a personal decision. However, if you do go back, you may want to consider drastically cutting back the number of hours per week. For our daughter once she was in school full time, it was only an hour a week, then we cut out the summer months and by the time she stopped after her junior year in high school, it was really one hour every other week.
Good luck,
Rick
As others have said, its a personal decision. However, if you do go back, you may want to consider drastically cutting back the number of hours per week. For our daughter once she was in school full time, it was only an hour a week, then we cut out the summer months and by the time she stopped after her junior year in high school, it was really one hour every other week.
Good luck,
Rick
Agreed. And Unfortunatly, they still haven't made a way for articulation therapy to be a lot of fun yet.
Lau2046
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I'd like people to like me for who I am not for my disability. That's a tad twisted...
I had speech therapy throughout my life and I'm considering going back when I have time and income. I don't know ASL either but if I did, it wouldn't change anything, I'll always work on my speech. What kind of jobs do you want - low paying, barely making it, or financially stable? The best paying jobs require communication skills, written and oral...but it's your choice to decide the standard that you set for yourself.
Laura
That is what makes me want to stop. My speech is almost perfect; most people can't even tell I have a hearing loss just by listening to me. While that is nice sometimes, it's an incredible amount of pressure and I have to work very hard to maintain it.
I'm not sure what you mean by people only liking me for my disability. My friends now are hearing, but it's pretty much irrelevant that I am not. Are you saying if I learn to sign people will only like me because of that? And I definitely don't agree that nonverbal deaf people universally have low paying jobs.
Frisky Feline
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have you met any deaf asl users who have career that pays over 120k before? just curious.
Lau2046
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I'm saying you shouldn't give up developing speaking skills. While it's true that there are many people in lucrative jobs with disabilities, most have strong verbal and/or writing skills (and a developed specialty). In all my years of federal service and my time in the private sector, I've never encountered even one job that didn't require those two skills. I've found even fewer jobs where no speaking was necessary or only needed on a limited basis. Of those I did find, they were dead end positions. Working on both speaking and writing will only benefit you, but again, you set the standard for your own life.
Laura
My writing is fine, and I have no doubt that my speech will remain intelligible with or without speech therapy. I guess what I'm looking for is opinions on whether or not it is worth the hassle, time, and frustration to "pass" as hearing. I was thinking mostly about in my personal life, but Laura brings up some really good points. In your opinion, Laura, does the level of your speech make a difference?
I think that with I think that the amount of pay depends heavily on the field you're in. One of my mom's friends form medical school is deaf, and she makes a considerable amount money.
I think that with I think that the amount of pay depends heavily on the field you're in. One of my mom's friends form medical school is deaf, and she makes a considerable amount money.
whatdidyousay!
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I do not think having intelligible speech mean you're trying to pass as a 'hearing person.' I think it mean you're a motivated person. I know when some people hear me talk they think I am S LO W and they'll walk away from me or not want to try to understand my speech. I think your speech does make a difference if you plan on dealing with the public all day. It can also be a hassle having to keep repeating yourself when people can't understand you. I had a doctor that was HOH when I had to got the ER. I wish I had remember his name as I felt very comfortable talking to him, my speech was not an issue with him.
Lau2046
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People in medical school will make a ton of money after they pay off student debt, but this an exception. They have an in-demand specialist and few people can pass those courses and requirements. You're paying for their skill, their training, and their experience when they send you a bill.
I'm not trying to pass as hearing, but I do because my speech is that good but I fool no one in audiology or hearing/language disorders who can pick up on it instantly. You want your speech to be clear enough so no one has to keep asking you to repeat or to write it down. My speech is fine but I do plan to work on it more because I still hear the differences in my speech compared to others, but let's face it, if my hearing continues to worsen, I'll need it anyway. Self improvement is never time or money wasted. This is true if it's working on writing skills (how to write for business, proper emails, write for clarity - this subject covers a lot), language interests, computer skills, or speech. The level of speech does a make a difference how people relate to you but if you're a specialist - as long as they understand you without difficulty, you're golden.
Laura
I think that I will continue, but definitely way less than I was doing before, as somebody else suggested.