Is more speech therapy worth it?

[Bottesini]

Wirelessly posted



This is an area that hearing people will never full understand. A Dhh child/person undergoes speech therapy to obtain clear precise speech and diction as close to a hearing person's speech as possible. I did achieve speech to the point of only very few people namely audiologists and kids could guess otherwise. However, the immense effort to maintain this clear precise speech and diction is never-ending, it doesn't get any easier. 'Oh but you speak with ease, you don't appear to struggle'. That comes with years of bluffing it deary, it's tiring and exhausting. Don't fool yourself. HAs and yes, even CIs will never fix that. There is no respite, unless a Dhh child/person is given the tools to survive without their voice for a time. It is like expecting a grown person who speaks English as their second language to speak like a native English speaker without a foreign accent but with the accents originated of English speakers. It's cruel.

It's a new world, and our old order is dying. Accept it.

The successful CI kids uphold this as the truth, and we just look silly when we say it isn't possible.

 

[ciavmom]

Speech

On the contrary - My now grown children don't think anymore about their speech than I do about mine. They may not be 100% perfect, but they are very clear. Speaking comes naturally to them. They do not struggle. You cannot know what it is like for a child who was implanted as a baby. You have never been in their shoes.

 

[BecLak]

Wirelessly posted

You still cannot refute the fact that even with advanced technology like CIs it still necessitates Speech therapy to acquire speech for Dhh.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

Wirelessly posted



This is an area that hearing people will never full understand. A Dhh child/person undergoes speech therapy to obtain clear precise speech and diction as close to a hearing person's speech as possible. I did achieve speech to the point of only very few people namely audiologists and kids could guess otherwise. However, the immense effort to maintain this clear precise speech and diction is never-ending, it doesn't get any easier. 'Oh but you speak with ease, you don't appear to struggle'. That comes with years of bluffing it deary, it's tiring and exhausting. I have news for you, it never comes 'naturally' for a Dhh child/person. Don't fool yourself. HAs and yes, even CIs will never fix that. (With the exception of late-deafened). There is no respite, unless a Dhh child/person is given the tools to survive without their voice for a time. It's cruel.

Is it possible that you are discounting that a cochlear implant may just level the field making speech therapy easier than it was for the deaf, say, 25 yrs ago?

I honestly think that is what is happening here. Just a thought...

 

[Bottesini]

Wirelessly posted

You still cannot refute the fact that even with advanced technology like CIs it still necessitates Speech therapy to acquire speech for Dhh.

No, it can be refuted . Lots of the early age implantees are learning speech in a natural manner.

It may be hard to think of , but the deaf world is changing

 

[BecLak]

Wirelessly posted

True, technology is advancing, but until speech therapy for Dhh is totally eradicated, my point still stands.

 

[ecp]

Wirelessly posted

True, technology is advancing, but until speech therapy for Dhh is totally eradicated, my point still stands.

I'm possibly going to regret this but why should speech therapy be eliminated?
I'm not saying that my years in speech therapy were enjoyable but I was able to communicate better (I have progressive hearing loss so when I was a kid I could hear more than I can now). Now as a profoundly deaf adult I recently asked a friend from high school who is now a SLP to give me some articulation drills for practice because I have to learn new disease names every day for school.
I'm not trying to have perfect speech, I just know that like everything else, I have to work harder than my hearing peers at everything. I want to use every resource I have.


When it comes to kids everything becomes more tricky and thus more emotionally charged. That is natural.
I know I react with mild revulsion when I see AVT therapists cover their mouths but that is partly because I need to see to hear. That doesn't mean that some kids don't do amazingly well with AVT. My mild dislike of AVT is based on my experiences as a person who needs visual access to language.

Basically, the world isn't white and black. There are shades of grey (oh god. That book everybody has been reading is ruining metaphors!). Some deaf/hoh kids are amazing in an auditory only environment and some struggle. Some hearing kids just don't do well learning from listening. Some kids need sign.
The point is that we sometimes forget that the sign v oral debate doesn't have a right or wrong. It all depends on what works for the kid AND what works for the kid can and does change.
Adults should probably relax a bit and take cues from the kids.

 

[Frisky Feline]

No, it can be refuted . Lots of the early age implantees are learning speech in a natural manner.

It may be hard to think of , but the deaf world is changing

Yes. I would not call it "deaf world" and it is up to them to create the new one or none. .

I accepted that deaf culture is getting smaller. Possibly, deaf culture will disappear in next 50 yrs or so. However, My age group and up is very much alive for now.

 

[CSign]

Yes. I would not call it "deaf world" and it is up to them to create the new one or none. .

I accepted that deaf culture is getting smaller. Possibly, deaf culture will disappear in next 50 yrs or so. However, My age group and up is very much alive for now.

I don't see Deaf culture ever disappearing. There will always be people who are Deaf and use ASL, regardless of hearing technology. Sure, there is always the chance that the Deaf population may decline to a certain extent because of such technology and medical advances- but I don't think it will ever disappear.

 

[deafdyke]

Wirelessly posted



This is an area that hearing people will never full understand. A Dhh child/person undergoes speech therapy to obtain clear precise speech and diction as close to a hearing person's speech as possible. I did achieve speech to the point of only very few people namely audiologists and kids could guess otherwise. However, the immense effort to maintain this clear precise speech and diction is never-ending, it doesn't get any easier. 'Oh but you speak with ease, you don't appear to struggle'. That comes with years of bluffing it deary, it's tiring and exhausting. I have news for you, it never comes 'naturally' for a Dhh child/person. Don't fool yourself. HAs and yes, even CIs will never fix that. (With the exception of late-deafened). There is no respite, unless a Dhh child/person is given the tools to survive without their voice for a time. It's cruel.

AMEN!!!!!!!! This times a million!!! ciavmom, I am not even talking about spoken language....as I said, I pretty much graduated from spoken language therapy by the time I was in my third year of preschool/kindergarten.(this was 25 plus years ago BTW. In fact I don't even remember it) BUT, it was still recommended that I stay in speech therapy to work on boring ass mechanical stuff like pitch, volumne, some enunciation etc. Were you aware that dhh kids learn the exact same vocal techniques as singers and actors? (I remember vividly practicing for class plays in speech which was actually pretty fun, and is probably a big reason why I am such a drama nerd now) But, imagine constantly using those techniques every single freaking day? Its pretty exhausting let me tell you.
CSign, I know you meant your response to me sarcasticly. I know you sign with your son, and that's awesome. But, I also think that maybe a really good idea might be to take him for a speech evalution at the California Schools to see how he compares with his dhh peers in terms of speech.

 

[shel90]

Yes. I would not call it "deaf world" and it is up to them to create the new one or none. .

I accepted that deaf culture is getting smaller. Possibly, deaf culture will disappear in next 50 yrs or so. However, My age group and up is very much alive for now.

If so, I am VERY lucky to be born in a time with a large, thriving Deaf culture and many ASL users. It made my life very unique and more interesting than the one I had in a monolingual hearing world. I love our age group..so many of us so the future generations...they won't know what it is like to have such a large tight-knit community like we have now.

We need to meet up again soon! I miss you, girl!

 

[deafdyke]

Wirelessly posted

True, technology is advancing, but until speech therapy for Dhh is totally eradicated, my point still stands.

Precisely. Deaf kids of today are still receiving speech therapy, but its on a HOH level. Granted yeah, there aren't a lot of kids in an auditory oral school (and real school a la CID, Tucker Maxon, St. Josephs etc) like setting, where kids were still learning the names of things around kindergarten/ first grade.... but speech therapy is still pretty much the norm for most deaf kids....Even HOH (and "just" hoh) kids can have spoken language issues.....and the thing is, the ONLY difference is that the public school oral programs can serve deaf kids a bit better, instead of needing to go off to a private oral deaf school. Even ten years ago, it was VERY common for oral kids to transfer to the oral deaf schools or move to the oral deaf schools. And, actually things are changing for the better.......my friends who are TODs say they are seeing kids who are very oral, as well as a lot of oral transfers....they work at SIGNING deaf schools.

 

[deafdyke]

Yes. I would not call it "deaf world" and it is up to them to create the new one or none. .

I accepted that deaf culture is getting smaller. Possibly, deaf culture will disappear in next 50 yrs or so. However, My age group and up is very much alive for now.

Frisky, I do not think that it will disappear.....god, I bet the adults of your generation mourned the fact that there weren't a lot of kids being sent off to deaf school at a young age. (the stereotypical learning ASL from DODA kids in the dorms)
But that hypothesis is based on the assumption that the only kids who will use ASL are the ones who are audilogically deaf. I know HOH kids who attend deaf schools, and use ASL! I think right now we're going through a transistion....I also predict that there will be a reverse flight to the deaf schools once this generation hits middle school.....and indeed, we have seen parents of dhh kids on this very forum, whose kids have gone the inclusion route. Then they transferred their kid to deaf school or program, and they couldn't believe the difference! I think all it means is that orally successful kids will learn ASL later rather then sooner.

 

[deafdyke]

It's a new world, and our old order is dying. Accept it.

The successful CI kids uphold this as the truth, and we just look silly when we say it isn't possible.

On the other hand, just bc a kid can hear and speak, that doesn't mean that should be the only tool they have. There are successful CI kids, yes, but there were successful deaf kids with hearing aids as well....and many of them had pretty decent speech perception.

 

[Frisky Feline]

If so, I am VERY lucky to be born in a time with a large, thriving Deaf culture and many ASL users. It made my life very unique and more interesting than the one I had in a monolingual hearing world. I love our age group..so many of us so the future generations...they won't know what it is like to have such a large tight-knit community like we have now.

We need to meet up again soon! I miss you, girl!

Yes. I feel lucky to be born in the right year of birth where the large Deaf people, and ASL users are, and the solid Deaf culture are right there and still there but our own age group. I do not see much of young generation around anymore. I know they are doing fine in their own world.

yea we need to pick a date real soon. Gotta get together soon.

 

[Bottesini]

On the other hand, just bc a kid can hear and speak, that doesn't mean that should be the only tool they have. There are successful CI kids, yes, but there were successful deaf kids with hearing aids as well....and many of them had pretty decent speech perception.

And nowhere did I say anything that would negate this comment...

 

[deafdyke]

Is it possible that you are discounting that a cochlear implant may just level the field making speech therapy easier than it was for the deaf, say, 25 yrs ago?

I honestly think that is what is happening here. Just a thought...

On the other hand, kids with CIs still pretty much face the EXACT SAME life experience as audilogically HOH kids have for decades. Technology cannot make a kid function totally on a par with hearing kids. I say this as a HOH kid. Kids with CIs are not hearing the way a hearing person hears. They hear and experience life the way a HOH kid does. HOH kids still have to have speech therapy (and many of them still have spoken language therapy....its not just parents fussing b/c their kid cannot say the th blend or s or f and so on.
One of my friends is 45ish. She attended an oral deaf program....she went through the exact same thing that I did(even thou I was never in a formal program).....heck I know hoh kids who are teens or who are kids who are experiencing the exact same thing I did. Its just that its now in an "inclusive" (b/c that's the new "trend")setting rather then going to Northampton, St. Louis, San Antonio and so on for school.

 

[Frisky Feline]

I don't see Deaf culture ever disappearing. There will always be people who are Deaf and use ASL, regardless of hearing technology. Sure, there is always the chance that the Deaf population may decline to a certain extent because of such technology and medical advances- but I don't think it will ever disappear.

No, deaf kids won't disappear but deaf culture may disappear in the next 50 or so. its sad to see the deaf world changes but i won't be there in 60 yrs later. So i am not worried but in my heart, it is sad.

 

[deafdyke]

And nowhere did I say anything that would negate this comment...

You didn't no, but other people have implied that. I honestly think the ONLY difference is that there are going to be more parents discovering ASL and Deaf Ed for their kid later on. Remember that mom of the HOH teen girl who posted here years ago? I think that her experience is going to be more the norm....and heck, I would bet that many parents will think " AWESOME! My kid can become fluent in ASL! (as they grew up with it as a cool thing) Also, parents of today are SICK of public schools cheating their kids out of accomondations etc. I know of parents of kids with mild nereological issues, who have told me if their kid was HOH, theyd go to deaf school, instead of dealing with the sped at their local school.

 

[CSign]

No, deaf kids won't disappear but deaf culture may disappear in the next 50 or so. its sad to see the deaf world changes but i won't be there in 60 yrs later. So i am not worried but in my heart, it is sad.

I debated whether or not to say this, but your post #128 made me sad.