Child crying while CI being activated...

[Jiro]

No one is pretending to understand how tough it is. But at the same time we can imagine and agree that it WOULD be tough, especially after reading the experiences of others.

then allow me to explain.

Nah, Beach Girl is saying (and I agree with her) is that unhappiness as a teen is indicative of........ being a TEEN. Teen years are difficult hence "it gets better", anti-bullying campaigns and a dozen movie franchises. No one is minimizing the deaf teen experience. Merely stating that deafies don't hold the patent on teen angst.

Sadly

It would be hard to convince the girl wondering about the boy of that. Many tend to think that is the worst feeling in the world (at the time). Sorry but I am not going to minimize any teens pain by saying one is more justified than the other. Being a teen is tough.

I am not missing anything. I have read many of those accounts and they are quite painful to read. In fact I reply to many of them privately. I have also read the note of my sister's friend who wanted to end her life when she was in high school because of her home life. I attended the funerals of three friends who decided they couldn't take life as a teen anymore. One of those friends blew his entire head off with a shotgun. In his note he wrote that several people had teased him about his nose so he was making sure no one had to see his face at the funeral.

So, you are missing my point. Being a teen is tough. I am not interested in minimizing the difficulty that any teen faced and neither was Beach Girl. I think I can speak for her when I say we have no doubt being a deaf teen would be extremely difficult.

All posts above... you seem to think our (deafies) teen experiences are same as typical hearing teens' problems and you seem to think we are saying we got it rougher than hearing teens. and you're telling us that our teen problems are same as everybody else.

You are sadly mistaken and no you do not get the point. What does your tragic story has to do anything with us in terms of deaf subject? We've never said anything about comparing ourselves with hearing teens' experience. We are talking about what we deaf people have experienced in life and does it occur to you that majority of our deaf experiences share a striking similarity?

That's why we are discussing about this so that future deaf children do not have to go thru it over and over again. It's preventable. If my newborn was born deaf and doctor tells me - "I'm sorry... your son is deaf."

I'd be and ask him - "but is he healthy?" and if his reply is "yes". I'd say - good! and I'm outta there to show my baby to the world!

if you agree that it is tough, then why talk about something that is not related to deafness?

 

[Beach girl]

So, not hearing anything, in your opinion, would be better than being able to hear something, via CIs?

He is learning English, Spanish, and ASL, according to the comments following the video, presumably written by his mother. How does that set him up for a miserable adolescence?

Of course he will have more challenges than a typical hearing teen would face. How he faces that remains to be seen.

This video doesn't say what kind of schooling he will receive, where, what his family hopes to do for him (other than having him learn both English and Spanish). It seems like jumping the gun to conclude that therefore he will be a miserable teenager.

 

[posts from hell]

So, not hearing anything, in your opinion, would be better than being able to hear something, via CIs?

He is learning English, Spanish, and ASL, according to the comments following the video, presumably written by his mother. How does that set him up for a miserable adolescence?

Of course he will have more challenges than a typical hearing teen would face. How he faces that remains to be seen.

This video doesn't say what kind of schooling he will receive, where, what his family hopes to do for him (other than having him learn both English and Spanish). It seems like jumping the gun to conclude that therefore he will be a miserable teenager.

Sigh............ You're not getting it. I will have to explain more later...

 

[dogmom]

I don't see that learning the various languages sets him up for a miserable adolescence...what I worry about is the mistaken perception that something is wrong with him because he is deaf, and needs to be changed <via CI>.
From my perspective, again has to do with who's in power and the messages that sends to kids.
I know what it is to feel isolated and alone as a child because of some inherent characteristic that affects perception and peer treatment.
Part of that dynamic involves kids thinking a peer is mysterious, "not like them", not ok...if deafness is treated as a "condition" to manipulate as opposed to a strength, quality of being, or language difference, then the medicalization and disability models of outside authority continues to manifest-

 

[TXgolfer]

then allow me to explain.

You have missed the point. Moving on.

Hopefully the family will continue to post videos so we can see how things progress.

 

[Jiro]

So, not hearing anything, in your opinion, would be better than being able to hear something, via CIs?

no

He is learning English, Spanish, and ASL, according to the comments following the video, presumably written by his mother. How does that set him up for a miserable adolescence?

did you forget about our experiences? feel free to read dozens of other threads to refresh your memory.

Deaf Education - AllDeaf.com
Sign Language & Oralism - AllDeaf.com

Of course he will have more challenges than a typical hearing teen would face. How he faces that remains to be seen.

we already know.

This video doesn't say what kind of schooling he will receive, where, what his family hopes to do for him (other than having him learn both English and Spanish). It seems like jumping the gun to conclude that therefore he will be a miserable teenager.

oh my! aren't you jumping the gun too by concluding that we made a conclusion?

 

[posts from hell]

I don't see that learning the various languages sets him up for a miserable adolescence...what I worry about is the mistaken perception that something is wrong with him because he is deaf, and needs to be changed <via CI>.
From my perspective, again has to do with who's in power and the messages that sends to kids.
I know what it is to feel isolated and alone as a child because of some inherent characteristic that affects perception and peer treatment.
Part of that dynamic involves kids thinking a peer is mysterious, "not like them", not ok...if deafness is treated as a "condition" to manipulate as opposed to a strength, quality of being, or language difference, then the medicalization and disability models of outside authority continues to manifest-

thats the thing. kids can look successful and people will continue saying "Wow, look at that.. Honors and all. Knows 4 languages! He has a CI!" but deep down inside hes not happy because he's deaf afterall....

totally separate than the whole "teen thing" that has been lumped into this discussion.

 

[Jiro]

You have missed the point. Moving on.

Hopefully the family will continue to post videos so we can see how things progress.

all of us are telling you that you missed the point and I'm missing the point?

I guffaw. moving on while I guffaw. .

 

[Beach girl]

Well, I guess if no one is concluding that he is going to be a miserable teenager, we're all good then, right? No conclusions either way? Remains to be seen and all that?

 

[Jiro]

Well, I guess if no one is concluding that he is going to be a miserable teenager, we're all good then, right? No conclusions either way? Remains to be seen and all that?

no I'm not cool with it. I'm not going to sit and say "let's wait and see" for each deaf child when majority of us share similarity and it's growing bigger. I do not want another same ole' case.

We already know he's going to face same deaf issues as us. Do you dispute this?

 

[Banjo]

It's quite simple, if the child is screaming and signing the word, "hurt"... stop. Don't laugh and keep doing it.

 

[posts from hell]

Well, I guess if no one is concluding that he is going to be a miserable teenager, we're all good then, right? No conclusions either way? Remains to be seen and all that?

thats the problem.. right there....

i just wish i can type easily right now, but ill have to get back to ya later.

 

[Jiro]

Emma McLaughlin-Orton. enough said.

 

[Beach girl]

no I'm not cool with it. I'm not going to sit and say "let's wait and see" for each deaf child when majority of us share similarity and it's growing bigger. I do not want another same ole' case.

We already know he's going to face same deaf issues as us. Do you dispute this?

So in fact you HAVE come to a conclusion, and I was not jumping to conclusions to think so?

 

[Beach girl]

It's quite simple, if the child is screaming and signing the word, "hurt"... stop. Don't laugh and keep doing it.

Where did you see that someone was laughing? Looked to me like the woman in the background quickly reached over to something, either to turn it down or to give the boy a toy in hopes of distracting him. I did not see her laughing.

 

[Jiro]

So in fact you HAVE come to a conclusion, and I was not jumping to conclusions to think so?

so do you dispute it?

 

[rick48]

If you read the comments under the video, the mom (I think - not entirely clear) says Chris is doing fine now, and is learning both English and Spanish. They expect (or hope) that he will continue to do so.

It looked to me like the audi (if that's the woman in the background) quickly reached over to do something - either turn it down or give him a toy to distract him or something. I didn't see anyone laughing at the little boy. It would be interesting to know what happened immediately after that, if they turned down the volume or what, and how long it took him to get used to hearing sounds.

The second video clip is so different. Clearly he's a little older and had the mental capacity to know what to expect. Those smiles seem completely natural; he looks happy with what he is hearing.

Thanks for interpreting those comments. I had seen them but did not know what they said and was comforted by the second clip of him having his second implant being activated and his demeanor and reaction throughout.
Rick

 

[posts from hell]

So in fact you HAVE come to a conclusion, and I was not jumping to conclusions to think so?

Based on experiences displayed everywhere.

 

[Beach girl]

Dispute what? I'm sure he's going to face a tough time as a deaf teenager. I dispute that he's necessarily going to be "miserable."

 

[Banjo]

Dispute what? I'm sure he's going to face a tough time as a deaf teenager. I dispute that he's necessarily going to be "miserable."

How old were you when you went deaf?