How to Decide on Cochlear Implant Surgery for Children

[faire_jour]

Wow! Must be soooo nice!!! I would give my right arm and leg to enroll my son in a Bibi program at the local deaf schools but the state wont allow it. Lucky!!!

Right now they only go through Kindergarten but they are trying to change that. I think that Li-Li's schools has hearing kids too, or they are paired with another school, or something like that....I remember reading about it....

 

[faire_jour]

me too!! As long as spoken language is being used (like oral interpreter) and hearing children can help deaf children expand their world.

Nope, it's voice off all day. They aren't allowed to speak inside the school.

 

[WeeBeastie]

I would LOVE to be able to get my older daughter into a bibi program. Heck, I'd be happy for her to even get some TC at this point but we can't even get her into the same building as my younger, even though she was enrolled there this year.

 

[shel90]

me too!! As long as spoken language is being used (like oral interpreter) and hearing children can help deaf children expand their world.

My hearing son was with a deaf babysitter for 2 years and he was in a solely ASL environment all day because the other girl that was there was deaf. yet, he still had access to spoken English through the therapists I hired to work with him bi-weekly and my hubby who is hearing.

 

[A]

Even if it is voice off, it's still great though. I know it is voice off because deaf people feel left out if you do use your voice. But during teaching, I don't see why it have to be. But I'm not a BiBi expert.

 

[shel90]

Even if it is voice off, it's still great though. I know it is voice off because deaf people feel left out if you do use your voice. But during teaching, I don't see why it have to be. But I'm not a BiBi expert.

It has to be voice off when signing in ASL because if you use voice, it would mess up both languages as ASL doesnt have a spoken form and English doesnt have a signed form. That's called Sim-Com.

 

[deafdyke]

That would be like asking if it is ok if hearing parents dont want their hearing children to be exposed to ASL, wouldn't it?

I would strongly encourage it to those Deaf parents.

Faire_jour what you don't understand is that ASL monolingialism is overall quite rare nowadays. It's seen, yes....but its overall quite rare. Most deaf families tend to chose TC or something like ASL at home and oral school to develop oral language skills. I would encourage parents to go with a full toolbox if possible.
After all, there ARE some conditions where kids cannot aquire spoken language. (severe apraxia, tracheostomies to name a couple)

 

[faire_jour]

Faire_jour what you don't understand is that ASL monolingialism is overall quite rare nowadays. It's seen, yes....but its overall quite rare. Most deaf families tend to chose TC or something like ASL at home and oral school to develop oral language skills. I would encourage parents to go with a full toolbox if possible.
After all, there ARE some conditions where kids cannot aquire spoken language. (severe apraxia, tracheostomies to name a couple)

No, I'm talking about bilingualism, just ASL and written English, no speech or spoken language at all.

In my experience it isn't rare at all. At my daughter's bi-bi school it was 70% Deaf of Deaf. In her kindergarten class, and the two preschool classes and the grade above her, there were 12 Deaf of Deaf kids. Between them all, there was 1 hearing aid and no speech therapy for any of the kids.

That's fine, that's their choice but if we are going to legislate hearing parents choices, are we doing the same to Deaf parents?

 

[A]

It has to be voice off when signing in ASL because if you use voice, it would mess up both languages as ASL doesnt have a spoken form and English doesnt have a signed form. That's called Sim-Com.

I thought Sim-com is when a person sign and speak at the same time which I'm sure it can create confusion. I was thinking of oral interpreter.

 

[WeeBeastie]

No, I'm talking about bilingualism, just ASL and written English, no speech or spoken language at all.

In my experience it isn't rare at all. At my daughter's bi-bi school it was 70% Deaf of Deaf. In her kindergarten class, and the two preschool classes and the grade above her, there were 12 Deaf of Deaf kids. Between them all, there was 1 hearing aid and no speech therapy for any of the kids.

That's fine, that's their choice but if we are going to legislate hearing parents choices, are we doing the same to Deaf parents?

This is the direction we're going in with my daughter. ASL + written English. She just had her last speech therapy session last week. She's stuck in a TC classroom for another year, so will still be exposed to speech, but will not receive any services in that area. She will get individual ASL instruction instead.

I DARE anyone tell me I can't make that choice for my daughter because I'm hearing.

 

[faire_jour]

This is the direction we're going in with my daughter. ASL + written English. She just had her last speech therapy session last week. She's stuck in a TC classroom for another year, so will still be exposed to speech, but will not receive any services in that area. She will get individual ASL instruction instead.

I DARE anyone tell me I can't make that choice for my daughter because I'm hearing.

It was just that Shel said that ASL-English should be the only option for deaf-hoh kids.

 

[WeeBeastie]

It was just that Shel said that ASL-English should be the only option for deaf-hoh kids.

Forgive me, I've not read the entire thread. Am I to understand correctly that this means forcing a communication method on a child. "You MUST sign AND speak English! It's the LAW!"

If that's the case, then it needs to apply to ALL students. Why let the hearing kids get out of it?

 

[faire_jour]

Forgive me, I've not read the entire thread. Am I to understand correctly that this means forcing a communication method on a child. "You MUST sign AND speak English! It's the LAW!"

If that's the case, then it needs to apply to ALL students. Why let the hearing kids get out of it?

Must sign ASL and then learn English as your second language. There would be no other options.

 

[WeeBeastie]

Must sign ASL and then learn English as your second language. There would be no other options.

Regardless of the fact that this is what we're doing (written English, no speech), I don't think it's appropriate.

I very much follow the theory of "whatever works for your child". It's not the place of the powers-that-be to take that away from parents. Some schmuck who's never met me or my child has no business telling me how to parent/educate my child.

 

[faire_jour]

Regardless of the fact that this is what we're doing (written English, no speech), I don't think it's appropriate.

I very much follow the theory of "whatever works for your child". It's not the place of the powers-that-be to take that away from parents. Some schmuck who's never met me or my child has no business telling me how to parent/educate my child.

I agree. I know my daughter and what our goals for her are. Other people have different goals, and that is their right.

 

[kokonut]

Regardless of the fact that this is what we're doing (written English, no speech), I don't think it's appropriate.

I very much follow the theory of "whatever works for your child". It's not the place of the powers-that-be to take that away from parents. Some schmuck who's never met me or my child has no business telling me how to parent/educate my child.

And people wonder why I wrote this blog, too?
Kokonut Pundit: F*ck you, Deaf Community!

 

[A]

Forgive me, I've not read the entire thread. Am I to understand correctly that this means forcing a communication method on a child. "You MUST sign AND speak English! It's the LAW!"

If that's the case, then it needs to apply to ALL students. Why let the hearing kids get out of it?

I think she is talking about school setting. Not at home

We never had control over what they teach in schools for hearing kids. The teachers and school board usually decide that. The school already have a system how they want to teach deaf kids rather hearing parents like it or not. Most do TC when some rather if they were just bibi. I never had TC (or any sign language) to learn spoken and written English. So I have a hard time seeing the purpose of it.

Shel, Let the parents and school do what they want to. As long as Bi-Bi school is protected, that's all I care about. Deaf people can prove it work and more people will want their child to go to one. ASL deaf also need to prove they have workforce for the deafs that would encourage parents even more. We have to show them that it work! They will compare the successes of deaf in ASL vs. non-ASL deaf in hearing world. Hearing parents will say "well, If I don't teach him ASL, he may not have many opportunity in the deaf world"... right now we have the attitude of "If I don't teach my child spoken language, he will not be successful in the hearing world."

 

[GrendelQ]

Because you seem to accept the oral-only approach with no visual access to language and communication, correct?

Hi Shel! I've not accepted Oral-only as an option for myself and my family. But yes, I do respect the decisions made my other parents for their families and I think that for some, an oral-only approach is a viable option either because ASL is not reasonably available to them or because it better fits how their child learns.

If Li-Li's school was just an hour north of where it is located, I couldn't put her on that van for 6 hours a day: we would have to place her at one of the Clark schools, closer to us. I think having her on the van for 4 hours a day is awful, but at least she's with 3 wonderful friends for the whole ride, 1 w/CI, 2 w/out -- and they have a blast, apparently.

We told stories tonight at dinner. CIs were on, but it just felt like a signing-only night, and we had a blast. I love watching how agile those little fingers are -- it's truly a wonder. Other nights, I'll listen to her talk to herself, her dad, or just sing while drawing, and that clear little voice is just lovely -- both approaches feel absolutely natural. If either of these communication methods were painful, or were stumbling blocks in of themselves rather than both being amazing vehicles for expanding communication, we'd try our best, but then wouldn't pursue them if not a "fit." No one else knows how our family works like we do. I would be as unhappy with someone requiring that we take an Oral-only approach as I would be with someone requiring we take an ASL-only approach.

This is our choice, but I think that 'forcing' a new and unfamiliar language on a family (whose child has access to sound via HAs or CIs) is as awful as 'forcing' a culturally Deaf family to give their child access to sound through a CI and provide spoken English. Neither situation would benefit the child at the center of all this. This bilingual mix works for us because it's accessible, it fits how Li-Li communicates and learns, and my husband and I are passionate about it.

 

[shel90]

I think she is talking about school setting. Not at home

We never had control over what they teach in schools for hearing kids. The teachers and school board usually decide that. The school already have a system how they want to teach deaf kids rather hearing parents like it or not. Most do TC when some rather if they were just bibi. I never had TC (or any sign language) to learn spoken and written English. So I have a hard time seeing the purpose of it.

Shel, Let the parents and school do what they want to. As long as Bi-Bi school is protected, that's all I care about. Deaf people can prove it work and more people will want their child to go to one. ASL deaf also need to prove they have workforce for the deafs that would encourage parents even more. We have to show them that it work! They will compare the successes of deaf in ASL vs. non-ASL deaf in hearing world. Hearing parents will say "well, If I don't teach him ASL, he may not have many opportunity in the deaf world"... right now we have the attitude of "If I don't teach my child spoken language, he will not be successful in the hearing world."

Exactly...I was talking about the educational setting.

Thanks, A.

 

[shel90]

I guess deaf children dont have a say when it comes to having rights to equal access to language, communication and education like hearing children do.


Hearing children are very very lucky that they will never be placed in restrictive environments like many deaf children are in now.