Communication Options?

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allgirls4us

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I have not done an intro but have a specific question- the reason for joining the group.....

We are in the process of adopting a deaf child (approx age 6) from an Eastern European country... we have no idea her degree of deafness, if she wears HAs or anything at this point. We do know she was not born deaf, but is now.

So any suggestions on communication routes? SEE vs ASL, I understand the differences, but not only are we teaching this child "sign language" we need to teach her English. She may or may not have any language, and if she does it's not English!

I don't mean for this to be a debate, I just honestly have no idea how to start.

TIA
AllGirls4Us
 
I'd go with ASL. SEE was designed as more of a classroom tool, to help deaf kids learn English. You could also do Cued Speech to teach her English.
 
You need to find out degree of deafness, if she has a language, if she knows the sign of her home country.

You can't decide how to start until you have a lot more information. It is just a waste of time.
 
I would see if there is a way to get a copy of her audiogram (current) , if has HAs etc so that you can have a better understanding of her hearing etc.

ASL will be easier to learn than English based sign (SEE) ... ASL makes sense visually and specially in a way that SEE just doesn't. It will also be the more common signed language if she attends a school for the deaf, uses interpreters etc ... and it has the ADVANTAGE of not being based in English - I know that may not make a lot of sense ... but it does. ASL will allow you to communicate much faster - and will allow her to communicate with other Hoh/Deaf peers (who sign) faster than SEE, because SEE is almost exclusively used in school to teach English (it's an instructional mode of explaining the English language visually, not a language itself)

For English, literacy is a HUGE thing - she has the advantage of being at an age where her peers are learning to read as well, so with the right supports, lots of work on your part, and a mentors that can help her learn to read (and a Hoh/Deaf person) she'll catch up!!


Once you post some more, you'll be able to PM (private message) people - feel free to drop me a note !!
 
I find the OP's question quite odd. Prospective parents of disabled or deaf children have a pretty comprehensive idea of what they are getting into with that child well in advance of the adoption. For instance, they would know if the child was profoundly deaf, if they are aided, ect.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but this sounds a little funny to me.

Think about this: Adoption agencies want to place these children, so it would be beneficial to give the prospective parents as much information about that child as they can. The adoption agency could easily supply all the necessary information to the OP. All she would have to do is ask what mode of communication the child uses. Same goes for her degree of deafness, ect. That info is readily available to the perspective parents. It would be highly unlikely that the agency would NOT give that info, because, they must make sure they are placing that child in the right home and with the right parents. It's almost a no-no to not give them that information.
 
The agency does not know any more information, they ask to get as much as possible, but in this particular country you don't get the child's full medical history until you travel. There is a western trained doctor, translator and coordinator that will assist you in reading her medical file and the MD will also do an exam on her and give you his best opinion to the degree of health the child is in. The agency only receives what is considered "major" medical illness- i.e. diabetes, Hep B/C, syphillis, HIV/AIDS, deafness, blindness, heart defects.

Our little girl was not born deaf and was has not been in the orphangage for more than a year and half- which means she did have a family, but was abused and/or neglected. That isn't the worst case- it means she was at one time loved and at one time she loved them and she can do it again, with time and security.

Thank you for your opinions and assistance! I grew up around D/HOH kids, the elementary school I attended had 1-5 D/HOH students per grade and all of them had a little bit different needs and signing requirements.

-Allgirls4us
 
It's wonderful that you know so much already (we weren't aware that my daughter was deaf until we were in China to meet and bring her home, and even then had no idea it was more than a temporary ear infection until quite some time later).

I wish you so much happiness! As others have wisely said, once you know more about the specifics of her hearing loss, and whether or not she has had access to sound / other sign systems, it may help you select an appropriate direction that fits. You will have many wonderful options and there are so many resources and warm communities of people who can help by sharing their experiences, good and bad.
 
allgirls4us said:
The agency does not know any more information, they ask to get as much as possible, but in this particular country you don't get the child's full medical history until you travel. There is a western trained doctor, translator and coordinator that will assist you in reading her medical file and the MD will also do an exam on her and give you his best opinion to the degree of health the child is in. The agency only receives what is considered "major" medical illness- i.e. diabetes, Hep B/C, syphillis, HIV/AIDS, deafness, blindness, heart defects.

Our little girl was not born deaf and was has not been in the orphangage for more than a year and half- which means she did have a family, but was abused and/or neglected. That isn't the worst case- it means she was at one time loved and at one time she loved them and she can do it again, with time and security.

Thank you for your opinions and assistance! I grew up around D/HOH kids, the elementary school I attended had 1-5 D/HOH students per grade and all of them had a little bit different needs and signing requirements.

-Allgirls4us
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You don't know the degree of her deafness or her mode of communication, but you know this child was abused/neglected? That's really strange. I would make an inquiry to the adoption agency about this child's degree of deaf and mode of communication he/she uses before considering the adoption. You have that right. You shouldn't be asking US the questions you posed. You should be making the inquiry to the adoption agency. If they won't/can't provide you with that information, I'd re-consider the adoption.

Sorry. But, if it was me in this situation, I would consider it unacceptable to not have as much info as I can before sealing the deal. It's just too dang risky.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Sorry. But, if it was me in this situation, I would consider it unacceptable to not have as much info as I can before sealing the deal. It's just too dang risky.
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That's how it's done for many countries that participate in int'l adoption. For China, after up to 3 years of waiting, you receive notice at any time from 1 to 3 years that you'll have to fly to the country in 4 weeks to bring home your little one, with only a snapshot from 6 months prior, a name, orphanage location, and gender, at times you get an approximate age.
 
grew up around D/HOH kids, the elementary school I attended had 1-5 D/HOH students per grade and all of them had a little bit different needs and signing requirements.
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Well, unless she is postlingal dhh, I'd opt for a full toolbox and seeing what works for her.
Every deaf kid is different you know. Even if she is hoh, I'd still go with ASL and Deaf ed.
 
I agree with deafdyke. Include ASL and Deaf Ed, vitally important. Take it from someone who was born severely-deaf, raised oral and mainstreamed. Definitely include ASL and Deaf Ed. Use ASL, encourage your child to read English and other languages, but don't force your child to go the oral only-route, it is a hard-knock road for any child to have to travel down. Speech skills come with a price. That's my 2-cents worth.
 
BecLak said:
I agree with deafdyke. Include ASL and Deaf Ed, vitally important. Take it from someone who was born severely-deaf, raised oral and mainstreamed. Definitely include ASL and Deaf Ed. Use ASL, encourage your child to read English and other languages, but don't force your child to go the oral only-route, it is a hard-knock road for any child to have to travel down. Speech skills come with a price. That's my 2-cents worth.
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+1

As a former oral deaf...pls include ASL.
 
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