jillio
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- Jun 14, 2006
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perils of deflation
perils of deflation
As for expecting deaf people to "speak" to u what they r signing, do u realize that there are so many of us who struggle with our speech skills or don't have any at all?
A momma will go far with a good attitude.
good attitute
A momma will go far with a good attitude.
I second that, how about a total communication school? - they use a mixture of methods to help to maximise the child's potiential in various means of communication - it could be ASL, BSL, Oralism or Cuem or some other methods.
I'm starting to look into different schools... even in other states (I'll move if I have to to get him what HE needs)-- this is the only school in the state that has a 'daycare' program geared toward littles like my son, most start at 'preschool'-- my son has other medical issues, non are 'bad' but he has the potential for some learning disabilties and such so I want to make sure the school I choose can handle the whole student...
I'm glad I stumbled across this site~~ I'm learning so much from a new perspective!!!
THANK YOU
How old is your son? 3? 4?
Thanks!! Appreciate the encouragement!! This is something I've been struggling with since the last time I was with him at his Speech Therapy lesson... and they explained that by 'watching my hands he wasn't focusing on hearing' Then reading how some older 'kids' felt it really hit home... a lot to think about in the next couple years!
Letting him choose is what I think is great-I know an adult woman whose mom sent her to oral school. I was taking my sign classes back in the '90's and she got a little defensive about oral stuff... Not saying it's bad, but being forced to do something to please momma and poppa is not going to make a happy kid... Happy kids have good relationships.
My mom tried to push me to learn to swim and I was terrified of water. Her efforts only made it worse... "Ready, down, under" method didn't work! My dad hired a life guard when I was 12 to teach me to swim. I would only trust her AFTER I watched her rescue someone from the bottom of a 16 ft Olympic size pool at the big university in Bakersfield, CA. My other swim teachers freaked me out being too pushy!
Patience is a virtue is a true saying. I did learn to swim. I don't enjoy it much, but I can do it. I made myself take a swim class again in college. That deep pool still looked daunting, but not as terrifying as it did when I was 12!
The truth is, you can't simply wait for him to tell you..."this is what I want." Especially since the window of language acquistion is wide open between birth and age 4...after age 4, the window starts to close. That's why it is so critical that parents are fully informed of what options are available, and what best suits the needs of their children.
I can only relate to my personal experiences and try to pinpoint that speech is NOT language. That's a very crucial point that many professionals in the field of deafness fail to make or distinguish for parents. Parents simply want to communicate with their own children and it is only natural they want that communication to happen in the same comfortable, familiar mode they have been using...yet...
sometimes we as parents have to adjust and make the best of the situation as much as possible.
Do I blame my parents? No. They were doing what they thought was best for me. They were ill-formed (if at all) on many things. However, they are still to be held accountable for not doing their research and finding out more information.
Speech isn't everything. If a child doesn't acquire good speech, s/he will still be able to have a full, fulfilling life. Language, on the other hand, is everything. That's the key to a successful life.
I hope I'm making sense.
What the hell? How can I help? I am a teacher myself and deaf too. If this blantant discrimination can happen, it could happen to me and my deaf coworkers.
Help us rally support. The word needs to get out. Spread the word. Thanks.....
Supporters rally around laid-off deaf teacher -- dailypress.com
I just posted the link on my facebook page and hope several of my friends will too.