i asked this elsewhere..

this is almost funny...i DO know someone who is deaf..he is my brother in laws friend! i wrote him on facebook and he has given me just tons of good advice regarding my little one..cant believe i forgot about him.
he mentioned the oklahoma school for the deaf, when he is older..but the only downside is that they stay 5 days a week, and come home on the weekends, holidays, and summer. but i bet it would be so beneficial to him. so much to learn, it seems! i read something on teaching a deaf child to speak only and i am wondering if this is true..it says that when you use this message, you ignore the child if they sign to you or use gestures, until they try to talk, no matter how upset they get..that seems a bit cruel to me..is it true??
 
frankiesmom said:
this is almost funny...i DO know someone who is deaf..he is my brother in laws friend! i wrote him on facebook and he has given me just tons of good advice regarding my little one..cant believe i forgot about him.
he mentioned the oklahoma school for the deaf, when he is older..but the only downside is that they stay 5 days a week, and come home on the weekends, holidays, and summer. but i bet it would be so beneficial to him. so much to learn, it seems! i read something on teaching a deaf child to speak only and i am wondering if this is true..it says that when you use this message, you ignore the child if they sign to you or use gestures, until they try to talk, no matter how upset they get..that seems a bit cruel to me..is it true??
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Yes, unfortunately, that is true. You certainly don't want your little one in a situation like that. I liken it to child abuse.

I moved 650 miles to be located near the deaf school I wanted my son to attend. I have never regretted my decision.
 
the school doesnt teach that, but i have heard of other places that teach it..but wow, i dont think i could ever ignore my child like that. speaking out loud isnt that important, and if he can communicate a different way, that would be great, i would think. i am just hoping i can educate myself enough to help him/keep up with what he has learned.
 
It's so nice to hear about a deaf child in such good hands. This is one kid I don't have to worry about. Good job, Mom! Keep researching and advocating for your child and follow your gut.
 
Frankiesmom- It sounds like you are one heck of a fantastic parent!! I applaud the fact that you are willing to go to bat for the little guy. You deserve major pats on the back!!
 
i am just worried that if say, the hearing aids dont work, or the batteries die, or they get lost..or any number of things..that leaves him without ANY means of communication, which is why we are going to try and get everyone to start learning sign language..the more people i have spoken with and the more things i have read have convinced me that at least for our little boy, having him learn to talk only just wouldn't be a good thing. yes, it would be nice to hear him say words but i want him to be able to get his point across without struggling. luckily, this school teaches sign language first and then speaking later..or something along those lines.
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AWESOME!!!!! And I think that's what we here are arguing. That Dhh kids have the right to learn to function fully both with and without hearing aids/CIs!!!!
 
i wrote him on facebook and he has given me just tons of good advice regarding my little one..cant believe i forgot about him.
he mentioned the oklahoma school for the deaf, when he is older..but the only downside is that they stay 5 days a week, and come home on the weekends, holidays, and summer. but i bet it would be so beneficial to him. so much to learn, it seems
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On the other hand, maybe it might be a good option for when he's a bit older, or you guys could move, or take advantage of any regional dhh programs for early and elementary school. I think the res school experiance can be amazing, BUT I also think that a kid should be old enough to stay overnight with someone before doing the res school experiance. I also think that the Deaf School needs to be an option on the table, for ALL dhh kids. They may never need or want to attend. But it should be an option.
 
yeah...i mean, if he had the maturity and the desire to go and handle being away from us for the week, i think it would be awesome..
at least its there to think about!
 
frankiesmom said:
this is almost funny...i DO know someone who is deaf..he is my brother in laws friend! i wrote him on facebook and he has given me just tons of good advice regarding my little one..cant believe i forgot about him.
he mentioned the oklahoma school for the deaf, when he is older..but the only downside is that they stay 5 days a week, and come home on the weekends, holidays, and summer. but i bet it would be so beneficial to him. so much to learn, it seems! i read something on teaching a deaf child to speak only and i am wondering if this is true..it says that when you use this message, you ignore the child if they sign to you or use gestures, until they try to talk, no matter how upset they get..that seems a bit cruel to me..is it true??
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I've went to Sulphur to play some ball with the okies. One thing you would like to be aware of is that OSD is financed by the department of mental health, not education, i think. or something close to that.
 
posts from hell said:
I've went to Sulphur to play some ball with the okies. One thing you would like to be aware of is that OSD is financed by the department of mental health, not education, i think. or something close to that.
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frankiesmom said:
is that bad? or good?
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I think POV (Point Of View) is important here. POV is based on assumptions, often unspoken.

The normal goal of an educational facility is to turn the child into a functional member of society. I.e. go to work, hold a job, support a family, etc.

The normal goal of a mental health facility is to keep the person from being disruptive to society, their family, or themselves.

This does not mean that any one particular facility adheres strictly to either of these two rather narrow definitions -- But it is certainly worth looking into closely.

I would do everything possible to discover the POV of the facility and question how well it jibes with your own POV.
 
frankiesmom said:
is that bad? or good?
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Well, with financing coming from the Dept. of Mental Health, you are going to have more of a concentration on things like social and pschological needs being addressed, but the downside is that they don't necessarily have to adhere to state academic curriculum. I'd just take the time to check the school out completely and see what you think of their academics, etc. Most will allow you to sit in on a class or two. Make a list of questions, and don't be afraid to ask them.
 
.if my son does not respond well with the hearing aids..would it be wrong to skip the implants, place him in a deaf preschool, attempt to have everyone in the family learn sign language, and just adapt in any way we can, to help him along? i am really feeling like this is the best option..ive been bouncing over both sides of the fence and i just keep coming back to this option.
any opinions on this would be awesome!
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Skip the CI.

Fuzzy
 
frankiesmom said:
yeah...i mean, if he had the maturity and the desire to go and handle being away from us for the week, i think it would be awesome..
at least its there to think about!
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Exactly! As I've said before, I think that going off to res school needs to be on the table as an option for ALL dhh kids. I also think that parents should be aware that educational placement can and should change over the years. Like a lot of kids do decently in elementary, but when they hit the fourth grade glass ceiling...............it might be time to switch to deaf school or dhh program.
 
AlleyCat said:
Deaf preschool and learning ASL is a wonderful, wonderful start. It's how I started out. I was in a deaf-only preschool class (of about 15 kids or so) where we divided our day between learning sign, vocabulary, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I started speech therapy just a short time later. You can decide at any time later if you want to make changes in regards to HAs, CIs, etc. Way to go !! :)
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That's a good idea.
 
DeafCaroline said:
A hearing aid ranges from $800 to $2000, a cochlear implant about $30,000. Which would bring forth a bigger profit margin? Of course they are going to push the implant without giving hearing aids a chance first. What really bugs me is their advertising deliberately leaving out any mention of sign language...as if they want parents to believe it's not necessary, their child is suddenly hearing with CIs.

If the cochlear implant industry were at least honest and acknowledging that even with implants, kids are still deaf and it would be to their benefit to feel comfortable and fluent in both hearing and deaf worlds, then I wouldn't be so leery of CIs in babies.
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Even if the CI industries were honest, I myself still would be leery of CI in babies and kids because of deaths from meningitis.
 
How many deaths from meningitis have there ever been? How about more recently, now that the implant procedure and the hardware have been improved? Were the deaths in children who had been vaccinated against meningitis, or not?

It's a good idea to have a really clear picture of the statistical risks of choosing one option over another, because everyone has a point of saying "OK, this is an acceptable level of risk, considering the benefits" vs. "wouldn't do that on a bet!"
 
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