discovery channel: deafblind triplets

Hear Again said:
what really surprised me was the fact that sophie, zoe and emma's own mother said that about them. if my parents ever said that about me, i'd be livid! <very mad>
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I'm glad your parents were understanding. It's too bad Sophie, Zoe, and Emma's parents don't. <sad>

Did they mention what kinds of schools the three girls attend? Usually schools for the blind work on things like correcting blindisms.

I admit I used to rock a lot as a child but my parents saw it as something I picked up from the orphanage, not a blindism.
 
I should add--I don't think that is necessarily related to my blindness.
 
society's_child said:
Eye poking?? :shock: Sounds painful. Is that common occurance among blind children?
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yes it is. some blind children with light perception poke their eyes so they can see the sensation of light (i.e. the differences between light and dark). some blind children (including those who are totally blind) do it because they lack any external stimulation in their environment. the same is true for rocking.
 
Nika said:
I'm glad your parents were understanding. It's too bad Sophie, Zoe, and Emma's parents don't. <sad>

Did they mention what kinds of schools the three girls attend? Usually schools for the blind work on things like correcting blindisms.

I admit I used to rock a lot as a child but my parents saw it as something I picked up from the orphanage, not a blindism.
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according to the documentary, sophie attends a private school. zoe and emma do not attend any school as far as i know and are working with an intervenor on basic skills (like washing their hair and dressing) instead.
 
Do they have any other medical problems? It seems like if they were only deafblind, they wouldn't have trouble with simple hygienic procedures.
 
Nika said:
Do they have any other medical problems? It seems like if they were only deafblind, they wouldn't have trouble with simple hygienic procedures.
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no, they don't.

however, according to their intervenor (whom i agree with), it takes twice as long to teach a congenitally deafblind child to perform activities of daily living. they must be shown how to do simple things because they cannot observe others like we can through sight and/or hearing. it's no different than having to teach a blind child about facial expressions or zoo animals. the only way they have exposure to these things is by having another person explain them.
 
it is also common practice to use a "schedule box" to enable a deafblind child to understand what will take place from one moment to the next. the "schedule box" consists of everyday items that indicate what a given activity will be. for example, the box may contain a toothbrush (indicating that it's time to brush one's teeth), a wash cloth (indicating that it's time to take a bath), a piece of clothing (indicating that it's time to get dressed), a comb or brush (indicating that it's time to comb or brush one's hair), a spoon or fork (indicating that it's time for breakfast, lunch or dinner) or a shoe (indicating that it's time to leave somewhere or go outside).
 
Hear Again said:
i think one of the reasons why sophie is doing better than zoe or emma is because she is able to communicate with her parents by voice.
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Doesn't she get communicated to in signing then? That's a pity. I think all deaf and HOH should have sign. This confirms my suspicion that Sophie's CI must be working better then either Zoe or Emma's implants. After all the affectiveness of CI's does vary. Plus Zoe and Emma wouldn't be in a possition to tell anyone if their CI's weren't working properly wheras Sophie would.

But I'm not sure if any of the 3 girls are really getting the help they need.

I am a also surprised about the mother's negative attitude as she seemed to be more positive in the articles I read about this case.
 
Aleser said:
Well before the discovery story, I commented on how these girls are NOT an example of well brought up deafblind children. This is one overwhelmed mother who does not have all the tools, support, and most importantly the MINDSET of raising three deafblind girls.

Saying that the girl with more sight would be the most successful is a self-fulfilling prophecy. More interventions are had for the child with 'potential' and thus the expectations for her are raised.

That doesn't mean she's actually more capable. It just means that the other two aren't getting everything- including, and you cannot imagine how important this part is- parents that EXPECT you to be great. Parents that go against what 'professionals' think you're capable of doing and instead assessing their OWN children, who they live with 24/7, and knowing that they have more potential than understanding 'only the world in hands reach.'

Not parents that turn their own children into some pity show for every media outlet that will listen.
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I agree.
 
I'm curious. Does anyone know any possitive examples of deafblind children out there? I mean more up to date then Helen Keller or Laura Bradman that is?

It seems we have progressed a lot in terms of tecnology but their seems to be less human help. No deafblind person has a live in terp these days.
Even before Ann Sulivan Helen Keller used make shift signs with a servant's daughter and her mother took her everywhere with her. Also one of the family friends took Laura Bradman everywhere with him before she went to Perkins.
 
i can't cite any examples myself, but i'm sure they do exist.

one thing they did mention in the documentary is that there is a person who wants to open a school in texas to teach people how to be intervenors for the deafblind. i applaud that and wish him every success in the world because ssp's, tactile terps and intervenors are sorely needed in the deafblind community.
 
dreama said:
Doesn't she get communicated to in signing then? That's a pity. I think all deaf and HOH should have sign. This confirms my suspicion that Sophie's CI must be working better then either Zoe or Emma's implants. After all the affectiveness of CI's does vary. Plus Zoe and Emma wouldn't be in a possition to tell anyone if their CI's weren't working properly wheras Sophie would.

But I'm not sure if any of the 3 girls are really getting the help they need.

I am a also surprised about the mother's negative attitude as she seemed to be more positive in the articles I read about this case.
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nope. all communication between sophie and others is done through speech. i don't have a problem with that, but at the same time, i do think she (sophie) should have skills in tactile sign as well. how do you communicate with sophie when her ci is off, the processor stops working or god forbid, her ci fails?
 
i also wanted to add that teaching a congenitally deafblind child how to do something is no different than teaching a congenitally totally blind child how to do the same thing. it takes a hands-on approach which can be time consuming. i know when i was a child, i had to physically be taught how to brush my teeth, take a bath, hold kitchen utensils, comb/brush my hair and put on my own shoes/tie my shoelaces.
 
Hear Again said:
i can't cite any examples myself, but i'm sure they do exist.

one thing they did mention in the documentary is that there is a person who wants to open a school in texas to teach people how to be intervenors for the deafblind. i applaud that and wish him every success in the world because ssp's, tactile terps and intervenors are sorely needed in the deafblind community.
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I totally agree.
 
Hear Again said:
i do think she (sophie) should have skills in tactile sign as well. how do you communicate with sophie when her ci is off, the processor stops working or god forbid, her ci fails?
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Also to communicate with her sisters.
 
Hear Again said:
i also wanted to add that teaching a congenitally deafblind child how to do something is no different than teaching a congenitally totally blind child how to do the same thing. it takes a hands-on approach which can be time consuming. i know when i was a child, i had to physically be taught how to brush my teeth, take a bath, hold kitchen utensils, comb/brush my hair and put on my own shoes/tie my shoelaces.
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They do seem to have done a good job on you though. I suppose sometimes it's easier just to do the things for them. Which is why I'm against mainstreaming where suport is not too available.
 
dreama said:
They do seem to have done a good job on you though. I suppose sometimes it's easier just to do the things for them. Which is why I'm against mainstreaming where suport is not too available.
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thanks, dreama. i think i had an advantage though because i grew up with hearing.
 
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