From a very concerned mother ...

Only a parent knows what's best for their child, so feel free to continue with the signs! I hate that the professionals assume a child learning signs equals the child never learning to speak. That is just wrong!
 
Many hearing people are teaching their children to sign with vocalizing. I dont know why in the world you'd stop teaching a deaf or hh child how to sign. Language skills are language skills and they need to be aquired regardless of the manner in which is happens. What if later, she decided she would just choose to be deaf and not want to use CI? My friend Carlina can hear with HA, but chooses to not wear them because she just is comfortable being deaf. She feels better that she doesnt hear some things and would rather sign.

You do what you think is right for your child. I vote to continue to sign and verbalize. You get the best of both- and what happens later, can happen. Atleast she can communicate.
 
*ROSIE said:
I dont think we're going to ler her get another surgery . she's so scared of doctors as it is. They think there's something wrong because she's not speaking. With all the therapy she's gotten she hasn't improved so they think that there must be something wrong with her implant. She doesn't repeat words aswe hear them ..she repeats thm very different like she hears them different I really dont know. The audiologist and the therapist dont even know whats going on. When I took her to school so she could meet the other deaf kids her age she was so happy . Its like she knew thats where she belong. and shes learning signs very quick. And shes much more happy because we kind of understand her now. She doesn know much signs yet but the few signs she knows have been a great help!! Now I feel closer to her.
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Hey. Do what you think it is best for your child. You know your child better than anyone else.

She is still young and I feel the medical field may have put some high expectations on her. Each child learn on their own level.
 
I think your doing the right thing for your child. When i started school i wasnt able to talk properly, my parents learnt sign for me and communicated that way. I grew up oral and being able to sign fluently.my mum doesnt think theres anything wrong with signing as wel as speaking. now im a lot older she has forgotten a lot of signs and signs basically with me when i dont have my implant on. She respects my decision and doesnt have a go at me when i decide not to put my implant on for the day. it makes me feel comfortable so i dont feel pressured that i have to put my ci on. for me i think signing did help my communcation and oral skills. theres no way that signing affects your language skills, if anything it improves it so much. Signing is just a visual way of talking so i dont see why therapists have a problem with it.
Merry Christmas to all the people on AD and their families!!


xx
 
thank you everyone for your comments. We have an appointment on jan 22 , they will check my daughter's implant to see if there is something wrong with it. Let's hope not! Maybe she's just not ready to talk. Well I'll keep you all posted and let you know what happens. Now we're getting ready for my son's surgery coming up on the 5th of Jan. He will get his implant on the right ear. And we're teaching him sign language already and will keep learning. HOpe everyone has a great weekend.
 
*ROSIE said:
thank you everyone for your comments. We have an appointment on jan 22 , they will check my daughter's implant to see if there is something wrong with it. Let's hope not! Maybe she's just not ready to talk. Well I'll keep you all posted and let you know what happens. Now we're getting ready for my son's surgery coming up on the 5th of Jan. He will get his implant on the right ear. And we're teaching him sign language already and will keep learning. HOpe everyone has a great weekend.
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Some children, even with an implant, simply are not talkers. We never know exactly who will be able to develop oral skills and who won't. There are so many variables other than just the level of sound that a person can perceive. However, the fact that you are using sign language with your children is something that will provide them with the skills they need to succeed, no matter how well they are able to do with oral language. The most important thing is that they have language, not speech. It matters that they are able to communicate, not how they communicate. Keep up the good work.
 
Actually from what I understand oral-motor apraxia is a very common comorbid among dhh kids.
 
jillio said:
Some children, even with an implant, simply are not talkers. We never know exactly who will be able to develop oral skills and who won't. There are so many variables other than just the level of sound that a person can perceive. However, the fact that you are using sign language with your children is something that will provide them with the skills they need to succeed, no matter how well they are able to do with oral language. The most important thing is that they have language, not speech. It matters that they are able to communicate, not how they communicate. Keep up the good work.
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:gpost:
 
jillio said:
Some children, even with an implant, simply are not talkers. We never know exactly who will be able to develop oral skills and who won't. There are so many variables other than just the level of sound that a person can perceive. However, the fact that you are using sign language with your children is something that will provide them with the skills they need to succeed, no matter how well they are able to do with oral language. The most important thing is that they have language, not speech. It matters that they are able to communicate, not how they communicate. Keep up the good work.
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Too often, many people equate speech to language..that is where the ignorance about language acquisition comes in.
 
deafdyke said:
Actually from what I understand oral-motor apraxia is a very common comorbid among dhh kids.
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Apraxia is possible. I would encourage this mother to pursue every possiblity. If apraxia is an issue, then there may need to be intervention with that in mind.
 
Yes when i was talking to the audiologist she mentioned a term but im not sure if it was apprexia..i think it was something different.. it was that most hoh kids develop something and they cant never develop speech.. but that Lydia doesnt have that or else it wouldve showed in her b.a.r.e test..
 
*ROSIE said:
Yes when i was talking to the audiologist she mentioned a term but im not sure if it was apprexia..i think it was something different.. it was that most hoh kids develop something and they cant never develop speech.. but that Lydia doesnt have that or else it wouldve showed in her b.a.r.e test..
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What is apraxia of speech?

Apraxia of speech, also known as verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is not due to weakness or paralysis of the speech muscles (the muscles of the face, tongue, and lips). The severity of apraxia of speech can range from mild to severe.
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Apraxia of Speech
 
fairejour, yes it's not always connected to hearing, but it is somewhat common.
 
mm...interesting. I've never heard of that, I wonder why they didn't even mentioned it. I will ask though. Thanks guys. I am so glad I found this website it has helped a lot. I feel like i know my kids better and understand them better, you see a lot of ppl insist us that they "have to learn how to talk" it gets me mad when they make it sound like if I have to change her or something. I just love them like that. Wether they learned how to talk or not..they're beautiful
 
Rosie,
One thing that you really need to be skeptical of is the claims of the oral lobby. They have ALWAYS claimed that ALL deaf kids can learn to talk well.
The oral lobby also tends (unfortunatly) to be a profit making enterprise. Healthcare tends to be very lucrative. what better way to make a lot of money then to make a population health care dependant? (dependant on hearing aids/CIs) I sometimes wonder if oral only would be pushed so much if it wasn't so lucrative.
That said..... What resources do you have at your hand? Have you contacted Schools for the Deaf in your area? Have you had your daughter evaluated by a really good speech therapist who is experianced with working with dhh kids?
 
Don't know who the so called "oral lobby" is or even what that is supposed to mean, but I have been around professionals and parents for two decades and none of whom have ever claimed that "ALL" deaf children can do anything.

The only people I have experienced who make such outragous generalizations are people like you trying to assign them to others who have never made such statements. It only serves to discredit "ALL" of your unsubstantiated opinions.
 
shel90 said:
Too often, many people equate speech to language..that is where the ignorance about language acquisition comes in.
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But often speech is language. Spoken language is one version of language, and so if a child is getting it, their language need is being met.
 
faire_jour said:
But often speech is language. Spoken language is one version of language, and so if a child is getting it, their language need is being met.
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No, speech is not language. English is a language and so is ASL. One can have language without speech as many deaf people r living proof of that.
 
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