My son has moderate to severe conductive hearing loss. His bone conduction appears fine, but testing him is difficult due to his developmental delays. The audiologist thinks they got a fairly accurate reading in Sept. The ENT thinks that my son is a good candidate for the BAHA. I don't know that it is the best choice, seems like the recovery times and everything would be detrimental. I know that Arkansas has a good school for the deaf and hard of hearing, but the ENT doesn't think that sign language will hold any value for my son. I find this interesting since the ENT himself is hard of hearing. I guess in the end my question is what you all would do in my position, BAHA or deaf school and give him sign language and speech as means of communication. His speech is already delayed, he is around 3.5 years and he will be 5 on friday. They will do a 1 month trial with the headband starting at his appointment on Friday.
Deaf school or public school?
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Anij
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BAHA is a great option - and a lot of people find them very very helpful
As far as communication, using ASL in conjunction with speech will almost certainly be of huge benefit especially if he has developmental delays (many many delayed students find it easier to understand and express themselves through signing ...not only because it uses a different part of the brain, but also because the movement used in sign seems to help with recall and comprehension. (BTW, I've worked with delayed children almost my whole life and my uncle has Down Syndrome - all have benefited to varying degrees from adding Signing into their lives!).
If your child has other delays, he might do better in a deaf school environment, as many deaf schools are uniquely set up to accommodate children with learning and cognitive issues in addition to being hoh or deaf. The best thing to do is tour the various schools and see what they offer and how they "feel" to you. Remember if a school doesn't work out, you can try a different one.
BTW - in addition to the ENT, I'd make sure that you're also seeing an AuD. Audiologist ... they aren't the same thing, and Audiologists often can get more accurate results and be a much better resource than an ENT can.
I hope that helps a bit
BAHA is a great option - and a lot of people find them very very helpful
As far as communication, using ASL in conjunction with speech will almost certainly be of huge benefit especially if he has developmental delays (many many delayed students find it easier to understand and express themselves through signing ...not only because it uses a different part of the brain, but also because the movement used in sign seems to help with recall and comprehension. (BTW, I've worked with delayed children almost my whole life and my uncle has Down Syndrome - all have benefited to varying degrees from adding Signing into their lives!).
If your child has other delays, he might do better in a deaf school environment, as many deaf schools are uniquely set up to accommodate children with learning and cognitive issues in addition to being hoh or deaf. The best thing to do is tour the various schools and see what they offer and how they "feel" to you. Remember if a school doesn't work out, you can try a different one.
BTW - in addition to the ENT, I'd make sure that you're also seeing an AuD. Audiologist ... they aren't the same thing, and Audiologists often can get more accurate results and be a much better resource than an ENT can.
I hope that helps a bit
I know that my son picks up the signs that I use with him very very quickly. He does see an audiologist, they are the ones who did his hearing test in September. He has developmental delays in all areas, speech/language, fine motor, gross motor and cognitive.
Is there anything in particular to look at/for when going to the schools. He will be starting kindergarten next year and is currently enrolled in a developmental preschool.
Lau2046
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I had moderate to severe bilateral loss when I finally got tested and by my speech in comprehensible. I was six years old. My parents opted for mainstream and hearing aids, and the school provided speech therapy, which I also had once a week also outside the school. Between the hearing aids, working with my parents, and the speech therapist, by the time I was in 3rd grade, my language skills had significantly improved to the point that few knew I had hearing loss.
I was very late to acquire language at six years old but I did. You can always teach him ASL as well, but why would you think at this level of hearing loss that speech is hopeless? BTW, I didn't learn ASL and I've had no issues with clarity of my speech since grade school. Just something to think about.... Best wishes.
Laura
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I guess I didn't quite make myself clear last night, it was late lol. I don't feel speech is hopeless, he has been in speech therapy since he was around 6 months old and he is making progress, it is just at a delayed pace. My concern is that the only form of hearing aid that will work for him is the BAHA, a standard hearing aid that is in the ear canal will not work because he has a chronic narrorwing of his ear canal and fluid that will not drain behind his ear drum. In his life he has had maybe a total of 3-6 months of time where he didn't have an ear infection and the fluid was still there.
They have done 2.5 sets of ear tubes but at this point we have been told that because the draining never went away while the tubes were in and with the narrowing of the canal that ear tubes are no longer a viable option. This all appears to be related to his chromosome abnormality.
He would still get speech therapy even if he went to a deaf school, whether it was during the school day or after school. The frustrations he has because he can not communicate his wants and needs are hard for him. He is cognitively an early 4 year old and he knows that other kids are communicating better than he is, that much is apparent.
As his mom, my feelings are the deaf school will allow him the ability to learn sign language which will in turn allow him to communicate better, it will also give him access to schooling with teachers and paraprofessionals who have experience working with deaf/HoH kids and wont just stand there and raise their voice louder to "be able to be heard". On the other hand part of my family is trying to sway me to keep him in public school. I figured that you all would have more experience with the deaf schools than anyone I know (minus my asl teacher from high school). I appreciate all the advice you give me!! :P
rick48
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slubahn,
Without knowing your child, you or the schools involved it is difficult to give you a definitive answer as to what you should do. However, as a parent of a deaf child like yourself, I will share with you what went into our decision making process for our daughter. Both my wife and I value education and believe it was important for our children to have access to a quality education. My wife is a teacher and also has a Masters in Special Education so when we visited and reviewed schools she looked beyond the obvious. She looked at the curriculums, what teachers were actually teaching and not just what the Kindergarten and 1st graders were doing but students in the higher grades as well. For us in our area, the Deaf schools were woefully inferior academically to our public school. Additionally, as our daughter had age appropriate oral language skills entering school, this was a concern as well and once again the Deaf schools were woefully inferior in that department. One Principal was honest with us in telling us that she already had better oral language skills then any of his students and that he was doubtful she would progress further orally at his school.
There were also other factors that led to our decision to mainstream our daughter: besides a strong academic setting, we live in a small school district. Her graduating class was just 109 students and since she started with them in K, she was never perceived as "the deaf kid". She was also able to achieve and learn without an interpreter or CART services. She utilized a note taker for a few classes during HS. We also had a dedicated Special Ed Department who stated at her very first IEP meeting that it was their goal to make certain she graduates HS with her classmates, neighbors and friends. Socially, due to her ability to communicate orally, she fit right in, had her friends, played sports and participated in other extra-curricular activities.
Having given you some of the factors we considered, I will tell you that whatever you decide to do, realize that your decision is not set in stone. You need to constantly be monitoring your child and re-evaluating your decision for what might be the best setting for your child academically and/or socially in the elementary years may not be so in the middle school and high school years. Do not be afraid of making a change.
I am curious as to why your ENT does not think ASL would benefit your child, also you know your child better than anyone so do what you think is best for him not what your family or others say to do!
Good luck whatever road you take,
Rick
Without knowing your child, you or the schools involved it is difficult to give you a definitive answer as to what you should do. However, as a parent of a deaf child like yourself, I will share with you what went into our decision making process for our daughter. Both my wife and I value education and believe it was important for our children to have access to a quality education. My wife is a teacher and also has a Masters in Special Education so when we visited and reviewed schools she looked beyond the obvious. She looked at the curriculums, what teachers were actually teaching and not just what the Kindergarten and 1st graders were doing but students in the higher grades as well. For us in our area, the Deaf schools were woefully inferior academically to our public school. Additionally, as our daughter had age appropriate oral language skills entering school, this was a concern as well and once again the Deaf schools were woefully inferior in that department. One Principal was honest with us in telling us that she already had better oral language skills then any of his students and that he was doubtful she would progress further orally at his school.
There were also other factors that led to our decision to mainstream our daughter: besides a strong academic setting, we live in a small school district. Her graduating class was just 109 students and since she started with them in K, she was never perceived as "the deaf kid". She was also able to achieve and learn without an interpreter or CART services. She utilized a note taker for a few classes during HS. We also had a dedicated Special Ed Department who stated at her very first IEP meeting that it was their goal to make certain she graduates HS with her classmates, neighbors and friends. Socially, due to her ability to communicate orally, she fit right in, had her friends, played sports and participated in other extra-curricular activities.
Having given you some of the factors we considered, I will tell you that whatever you decide to do, realize that your decision is not set in stone. You need to constantly be monitoring your child and re-evaluating your decision for what might be the best setting for your child academically and/or socially in the elementary years may not be so in the middle school and high school years. Do not be afraid of making a change.
I am curious as to why your ENT does not think ASL would benefit your child, also you know your child better than anyone so do what you think is best for him not what your family or others say to do!
Good luck whatever road you take,
Rick
Lau2046
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As a mom, you should go with your gut. My mother always trusted her instincts, not what she was told from specialists, counselors or doctors...and what can I say, she was right....mother's know best....
Laura
Deaf school....definitely deaf school, especially as he has multiple
I know of a young man with a chromosome abnormality who ALMOST went to American School for the deaf...his family regrets mainstreaming him, as he could have done SO MUCH MORE.
In addition,the addition of ASL will most likely give him more sophsicated language skills. Many dhh kids can develop spoken language, but unfortunately it will never be a strength for many of them (this is counting the mentally on par ones) It's possible that with ASL, your son will do better then you ever thought possible! I also think that a Deaf School would be SUPERB for him. As a deaf plus kid, he would just fall through the cracks in public school. Even if there was a dhh program, most of the kids would be mentally normal. Deaf Schools are very experienced with deaf with additional needs kids. A lot of them even have special needs programs especially for them. In addition, the mainstream is now very much highly academic. Mainstream schools now seem to have transformed into "college prep" There really isn't a lot for low incidence kids in the mainstream.....they'll at most give you a minimal accomondations approach. There are a lot of parents on here who have reported that their kid would only be given miminal accomondations, or who have transferred their kid to a dhh program or school, and they cannot believe the difference!
I know of a young man with a chromosome abnormality who ALMOST went to American School for the deaf...his family regrets mainstreaming him, as he could have done SO MUCH MORE.
What chromosome abnormality does he have?
Also, the ENT has no clue.......it should be the right of EVERY and ANY dhh kid to be able to function fully 100% both with and without hearing aids/CIs, breakable technology......technology breaks. He will always have his hands!
BTW, couple more thoughts.....he could stay at the school for the deaf for his entire academic career. When he is older (like middle or high school age) he could stay in the dorms, and learn independent living skills. That in turn might make him independent enough to learn to live on his own or with supported living, rather then in a group home. Also, he might be able to get vocational training and or take advantage of job training at a dhh friendly employer, rather then being thrown out and trying to find a job in the hearing world, without benefit of networking with the deaf community.
I am so glad for all of your responses! Seans chromosome abnormality is a triplication in his first chromosome. The location is 1q23.1 to 1q23.3. I wish I knew why the ENT doesnLT think asl would be beneficial. I have to wonder if perhaps he camme from a family or social setting where being deaf/hoh was looked down upon and asl wasn't taught? I know he is a very knowledgable ENT, his name is Dr. Dornhoffer, he teaches at the Universit of Arkansas and has written books. I will probably never know his reasoning. I will be contacting the arkansas school for the deaf tomorrow and putting my foot down with the ENT that I feel asl is a viable option. I think I will allow the trial of the BAHA while I get in contact with the school in little rock. Is there anyone else I might be able to contact for more resources? Again thanks everyone for your opinions/advice and all!
How many public or private schools do you know that are prepared to teach a HOH kid with mental disabilities? He will just fall through the cracks in public or private school. Despite what you think Deaf School students aren't totally and completely segregated from normal life......this isn't one of those old fashioned insistutions where a kid is thrown in a room and left to rot . Did you know even kids who attend residential schools for profoundly and severely mentally disabled kids get quite a bit of interaction in the real world.
CSign
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Well that sure was a catty comment.
Just informing her.