deaf, CI and HA safety issues

Lillys dad

Lillys dad

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I am compiling a list of safety issues for deaf children. I am looking for deaf, HA and CI issues. Then how these issues are addressed, if possible. The reason I ask is I am making a handout for parents of recently diagnosed deaf children, and am trying to find issues that I have not yet realized. Afterall, the life of a 2 year old is pretty closely mopnitiored by the parents and other adults. ANy ideas, suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated.
 
Nobody has anything?????? No advice, pointers, issues that they have encountered?
 
I hope I interpreted what u wanted right.

For a deaf baby or toddler, the dangers would be the child going off and u cant call their names to warn them of nearby dangers.

The inability to recognize warning sounds in the environment.

For babies and toddlers, there is not as much danger issues as for the older child because babies and toddlers are really closely monitored by parents.

When the child is older, the dangers could be the child's lack of ability to recognize a "stranger" situation. That is something that is usually overlooked because many people assume that the child learned about that in school or through their friends but the child may not get all the info (assuming the child is in a mainstreamed program) so the parents needs to make sure that all the important issues of stranger danger are covered.

Same thing goes for the dangers of unprotected sex.

Really, I think hearing children need the same guarantees from parents to make sure they understand all the danger issues just as deaf children too so I dont know if there is a comparision there.

I grew up in the hearing world and I never really got myself into dangerous or near dangerous situations due to my deafness. I rode my bike and walked to school alone or with friends. My mom taught me to look both ways, not to ride on the strees, and not to talk to strangers. Same thing that parents would do for hearing children.

I am sorry that I do not have more advice. Maybe parents of older deaf children would have better advice cuz as a child, I never really thought about the dangers. Just used common sense but I am sure my mom probably saw more dangerous situations that my brother and I got ourselves into due to our deafness. :dunno:

I can ask my mom. :)
 
Ummm....this brings back old memories of when I was growing up with my HA. I think Shel did a great job with what she listed.

I too grew up in the hearing world and thus was familiar with many of the dangers hearing people take for granted. I did all the things all the other kids did such as riding bikes and whatnot. My mom told me that the neighbors really worried about me not hearing when outside but she told them "How else would he learn?"

I think the only advice I can give is to not protect your kids so much that they never learn to figure things out for themselves. One can't be a parent forever and the little ones do grow up. Do teach them about the dangers and help them really understand why they have to be more watchful of what is going on around them.
 
So far what the others have said is really good.

I am going to think more about this, but what sticks out in my mind is the batteries being swallowed. Victoria used to put the hearing aids in her mouth and I got so nervous about her swallowing the battery, or any other part. She was always good at taking them apart (not sure how she did it). That was/is a big concern for me. You make one mistake and drop a battery and if the child swallows it, they could choke, or even if they don't choke, they can burn their insides as it goes down. I would assume the same thing goes for CI batteries.

I am sure I have other concerns and things I worry about, I am just too tired to think right now. I'll try and come up with more tonight.
 
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!! This is exactly the kind of stuff I am looking for.
The safety issues for deaf children are similar to thoseof hearing children, as Shel said. I completely forgot about the battery issues and swallowing them. When Lilly had her HAs, she never tried to put them in her mouth. Its been a while since we dealy with HAs.
As Shel said, toddlers are very closely monitored. Because of this, the safety issues are for the most part, obvious. One of the thing I am looking for is how the safety issues for a deaf child differ from that of the hearing.
I am sorry, I forgot to explain why I am compiling this.I am on an upcoming panel at a parent meeting at my daughters school. I am one of the senior parents at the school. Recently, there has been a massive increase in newly diagnosed infants/toddlers at the school. I was asked to sit on the panel and discuss my experiences, observations, expectations and so on. Another reason for being on the panel is my growing involvement in the deaf community. Primarily how I have been using the internet and forums such as this as a research tool to talk to other parents and people involved in similar situations as my own.
I am trying to compile this info for (as said in the previous post) as a handout so the parents of the newly diagnosed children can an idea of some of the issues they face ahead of them. In a way, I guess I am also getting this info in an effort to make the parents realize that even though the child may be able to hear with HAs, CI, BAHA or whatever hearing device fits their needs, that the child is still deaf regardless of what thye do. Due to that, there are unique needs and challenges. As many here have told me time and time again. Even with a CI, the kid is still deaf. In a way, I am trying to convey that message in a manner that can be understood from one parent to another, without telling them how to raise thier children.
Does that make sense? I am not sure if I am explaining my thoughts clearly.
 
If your HA or implant isn't waterproof make sure that no water comes in contact with it and check all pockets of clothes before you throw it in the washing machine. I've ruined one HA that way. It was new too. :(
 
deafskeptic said:
If your HA or implant isn't waterproof make sure that no water comes in contact with it and check all pockets of clothes before you throw it in the washing machine. I've ruined one HA that way. It was new too. :(
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And watch out when you take your kids to the beach or pool ... I ruined one aid that way when I was 4 or 5 (the other one we managed to dry out, even though it was salt water - whew!). When you're a young'un, you tend to forget they're there, and the water is so exciting, heh.
 
deafskeptic said:
If your HA or implant isn't waterproof make sure that no water comes in contact with it and check all pockets of clothes before you throw it in the washing machine. I've ruined one HA that way. It was new too. :(
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I did that once too but my HA survived. It actually sounded better too!
 
Just think about anything that would communicate danger to a hearing person auditoriily--whether its educating them about stranger danger verbally or warning them of a tornado through use of a siren--and realize that unless that information is provided in a visual way, it is a doul=ble danger for the deaf child.
 
ismi said:
And watch out when you take your kids to the beach or pool ... I ruined one aid that way when I was 4 or 5 (the other one we managed to dry out, even though it was salt water - whew!). When you're a young'un, you tend to forget they're there, and the water is so exciting, heh.
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Yeah, my nephew pick my son up and threw him in the pool beofre he had a chance to remove his HA. Just trying to have fun, but, hey!
 
deafskeptic said:
If your HA or implant isn't waterproof make sure that no water comes in contact with it and check all pockets of clothes before you throw it in the washing machine. I've ruined one HA that way. It was new too. :(
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Or when the child steps into the tub for bath/shower. Had several times as kid I took aids out when sitting in tub, put them on side and then had to quickly fish them out when they got knocked into the tub. Never had to replace them thankfully.

Another thing is sometimes little kids don't know the difference between battery dead and HA/CI/BAHA dead. The one time my parents had to replace one of my HAs was when I was 4 and buried it in the local playground cause I thought HA died and you got new ones instead of replacing batteries. :D
 
Lilly's Dad,
You have much covered here. While this is not so much regarding safety issues it is useful information that parents may want to consider. I hope that I am not to far off topic here. I was looking up some information on SEE and came across an interesting article on deaf culture. As a hearing person I had never considered that some folks in the deaf community don't view deafness as a pathalogical problem. Having been to the school of hard knocks, I now know better. Perhaps this would give parents a bit of perspective that I wish I had when my son first became deaf. Here is a link to the article. I have also pasted the article below.

Pathological Point of View of Deafness versus Cultural Point of View of Deafness


Pathological Point of View on Deafness versus Cultural Point of View on Deafness
From Jamie Berke,
What is the difference?
In deaf culture, people often talk about the "pathological" versus the "cultural" view of deafness. Both hearing and deaf people can adopt either point of view.

Pathologic (Medical) Perspective on Deafness
In the pathologic point of view, the focus is on the amount of hearing loss and how to correct it. This correction is done through using cochlear implants and hearing aids, and learning speech and lipreading. The emphasis is on making the deaf person appear as "normal" as possible, with the perspective that being hearing is to be considered "normal," and deaf people are not "normal." Some people who subscribe to this point of view may also believe that a deaf person has learning or mental/psychological problems. Especially the learning part.

It is true that being unable to hear makes it more difficult to learn language. However, many parents of newly identified deaf children are warned that their child may have a "fourth grade reading level," a possibly outdated statistic. That can scare the parents into committing to the pathological point of view. A deaf person who is focused on the pathological perspective may declare, "I'm not deaf, I'm hard of hearing!" I have actually heard some deaf people say that.

An About Visitor on the Pathological Point of View

When Hearing parents have a Deaf child what’s the first thing they do? They go to the "Experts"! What do they tell them? "We have this surgery," "We have these marvelous Hearing Aids that can help your child!" That schools parents in the Pathological Model.

Cultural Perspective on Deafness
Deaf and hearing people who adopt the cultural perspective embrace deafness as a unique difference and do not focus on the disability aspect. Sign language is "ok," and in fact may be viewed as the natural language of deaf people, because visual communication is a natural way to respond when you can not hear. Deafness is something to be proud of - aka deaf pride, or deafhood. In the cultural perspective, the actual degree of hearing loss does not matter. Hard of hearing people can call themselves deaf. Cochlear implants are considered a tool akin to hearing aids, and not a permanent fix for deafness.

Who Takes What View?
In an era where cultural deaf people opt for cochlear implants and embrace learning to talk and lipread, how do you distinguish between the two viewpoints? In my opinion, a good way to distinguish it might be through this example of parents with a deaf child:

Parent A: My child is deaf. With a cochlear implant and good speech training, my child will learn to talk and will be mainstreamed. People will not be able to tell that my child is deaf.

Parent B: My child is deaf. With both sign language and a cochlear implant, and good speech training, my child will be able to communicate with both hearing and deaf people. My child may or may not be mainstreamed. People may or may not be able to tell that my child is deaf, and it does not matter if they can or can not.
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missLsej said:
Another thing is sometimes little kids don't know the difference between battery dead and HA/CI/BAHA dead. The one time my parents had to replace one of my HAs was when I was 4 and buried it in the local playground cause I thought HA died and you got new ones instead of replacing batteries. :D
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:rofl:
 
Parent B: My child is deaf. With both sign language and a cochlear implant, and good speech training, my child will be able to communicate with both hearing and deaf people. My child may or may not be mainstreamed. People may or may not be able to tell that my child is deaf, and it does not matter if they can or can not.

That is my belief!!

As for what sr171soars commented about not overprotecting deaf children, I have to agree! By doing that, the deaf child will have a hard time being independent as an adult and wouldnt know how to learn from his/her mistakes.


Lillysdad...I think that is one danger that parents of newly diagnosed deaf children should be aware of. The need to protect their child from everything due to his/her deafness.

I thank my mom for letting me experience some freedom appropriate for whatever age I was. I rode my bikes in the neighborhood with my friends, drove a car when I was 16, went out with my friends in high school, experienced with alcohol (that is something nobody wants whether the child is deaf or not..lol), going to the public pool with my friends in middle school, and so on......
 
I don't really know. Just imagine yourself not being able to hear... then imagine yourself going places. Will there be any moments when your deafness was an issue?

People calling out your name.

Crossing the street.

Emergency vehicles.
 
shel90 said:
Parent B: My child is deaf. With both sign language and a cochlear implant, and good speech training, my child will be able to communicate with both hearing and deaf people. My child may or may not be mainstreamed. People may or may not be able to tell that my child is deaf, and it does not matter if they can or can not.

That is my belief!!

As for what sr171soars commented about not overprotecting deaf children, I have to agree! By doing that, the deaf child will have a hard time being independent as an adult and wouldnt know how to learn from his/her mistakes.


Lillysdad...I think that is one danger that parents of newly diagnosed deaf children should be aware of. The need to protect their child from everything due to his/her deafness.

I thank my mom for letting me experience some freedom appropriate for whatever age I was. I rode my bikes in the neighborhood with my friends, drove a car when I was 16, went out with my friends in high school, experienced with alcohol (that is something nobody wants whether the child is deaf or not..lol), going to the public pool with my friends in middle school, and so on......
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Yes but with that is a delicate balance. I know for a fact I do overprotect my child especially outside. God forbid he gets run over by a car because I was neglegent. The term Better safe than sorry comes to mind for me. But I do understand what your point is and when I feel comfortable that he understands the issues, then I will cut loose a bit. Again, when it comes to my childs life and well being, I would l rather be safe than sorry.
 
As for what sr171soars commented about not overprotecting deaf children, I have to agree! By doing that, the deaf child will have a hard time being independent as an adult and wouldnt know how to learn from his/her mistakes.
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AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I see SO many kids with disablities being sheltered, and not encouraged to be independant. Like I had a friend who was in a wheelchair. He wasn't that independant to put it mildly. Like he acted really helpless. His mommy and daddy would drive him to and from college every weekend (he didn't even take the BUS?!?!?) when I went out with him, he almost expected me to be his Personal Care Attendant......like he'd make me push his wheelchair, and he'd freak out about the stupidest things. Like one time he tattled on me about something REALLY stupid, that would not have been discovered if he hadn't tattled.
 
rockdrummer said:
Yes but with that is a delicate balance. I know for a fact I do overprotect my child especially outside. God forbid he gets run over by a car because I was neglegent. The term Better safe than sorry comes to mind for me. But I do understand what your point is and when I feel comfortable that he understands the issues, then I will cut loose a bit. Again, when it comes to my childs life and well being, I would l rather be safe than sorry.
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It's good to be careful around streets, etc. I was warned many times when I didn't hear cars coming down the road. But don't over protect. It can go one of two ways. 1) Resentment.Anger. I have spent several years getting past my resentment towards family because of over protection.

or 2) Learned Helplessness. like this guy:

deafdyke said:
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I see SO many kids with disablities being sheltered, and not encouraged to be independant. Like I had a friend who was in a wheelchair. He wasn't that independant to put it mildly. Like he acted really helpless. His mommy and daddy would drive him to and from college every weekend (he didn't even take the BUS?!?!?) when I went out with him, he almost expected me to be his Personal Care Attendant......like he'd make me push his wheelchair, and he'd freak out about the stupidest things. Like one time he tattled on me about something REALLY stupid, that would not have been discovered if he hadn't tattled.
Click to expand...

BTW thank you for the great example deafdyke.
 
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