I'm new... mom of deaf baby girl

Hey 2kids1hoh... I've been in the Field of Deafness for over 25 years (sometimes it feels WAY over 25 years). There is no single "approach" that works for every child, but one thing I can say, and the RESEARCH will back this up, "Sign Language will NOT interfere with your child's speech development." That's one of the mantras you will hear over and over, and its not true. I remember working with a Deaf child (profound) who's mother was CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Mother had been raised in a Deaf home, with ASL as her first language. Her son recieved ASL from the day of his birth, and by the time he was 11, he just quit signing and decided to speak... I know him as an adult now -- he's married and has 3 kids, 2 of whom are Deaf. He has a Masters degree, a great job, and is fluent in ASL, but his speech is also excellent.... Signs ENHANCE speech development, they don't interfere with it... Use amplification as appropriate, but before deciding on a cochlear implant, make SURE its the right decision for you and your child -- the implant is irreversable....

Best of luck! Please check out the ASDC website if you haven't already done so. http://www.deafchildren.org/asdc/
 
Well that's good that you've gotten your daughter evaluated at a Deaf specific place! That's great....Just remmy to get her enrolled in Deaf specific EI! That is important. Us dhh need professionals who are experianced in working with dhh kids for our early education.
Just a word of advice, I think hearing and nondisabled parents need to realize that they need to give their kids a full toolbox of tools, and not really fuss about methodology early on. Listen to shoelessabc......Get your daughter a really good speech therapist, but ALSO give her access to Signs. It is important (and can be useful) to have oral skills....Nobody I know who has oral skills, regrets having them....it's just that we also wish we'd been able to access Sign and the Deaf world at an early age too! I mean, many oral sucesses have social-emotional delays simlair to Asperger's Syndrome b/c they have to spend so much energy on enunicating words and remembering spoken language.....Also Sign would give your child the abilty to function both WITH and without her hearing aids or CIs! I know that organizations like AG Bell have as their motto "Freedom in Hearing and Talking" ......but on the other hand, orally trained kids who have ONLY oral skills could be said to be dependant on their hearing aids or CIs, b/c they can't function without them!
 
shoelessabc said:
... RESEARCH will back this up, "Sign Language will NOT interfere with your child's speech development."
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shoelessabc,

Would you kindly provide some research links for this statement, I would like to read them.
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shoelessabc said:
That's one of the mantras you will hear over and over, and its not true.
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This seems a contradiction of your first statement.
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shoelessabc said:
Signs ENHANCE speech development, they don't interfere with it... .
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I simply do not understand how you can makes this statement, as sign is conceptual, it does not nor ever will support what is seen/felt on the lips.
 
That's one of the mantras you will hear over and over, and its not true.



This seems a contradiction of your first statement.
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Shoelessabc, meant that pro-oral folks repeat the myth that Sign inhibits speech development. Orally trained dhh kids tend to have low verbal IQs, the same as most dhh kids. If Sign ihibited speech, then orally trained kids would have higher verbal IQs. The only reason why Sign and speech can't co-exisit is b/c oral experts consider sign a "crutch"
 
I think I am definetly going to have her and us learn sign language. I always had an interest in learning it, even when I was younger. I think I am going to look into a class now, because it will take me longer to learn it. I bet my 4 year old son will pick it up in no time! You are very right... I want her to feel she can communicate without hearing aids. I have some time before I have to think about a cochlear implant, she is just about 3 months old, and they think that the hearing aids won't help all that much. So sign language is definetly in the plans for us.
 
deafdyke said:
. Orally trained dhh kids tend to have low verbal IQs, the same as most dhh kids. If Sign ihibited speech, then orally trained kids would have higher verbal IQs. The only reason why Sign and speech can't co-exisit is b/c oral experts consider sign a "crutch"
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If that is what the experts say, then it would be time to have a different "expert".


lower verbal IQ/higher verbal IQ - are you saying vocabulary here?

IQ = a number used to express the apparent relative intelligence of a person that is the ratio multiplied by 100 of the mental age as reported on a standardized test to the chronological age called also IQ

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=intelligence quotient

Seriously, I think you are comparing apples to oranges here. Sign and speech are two seprate very different modes of communication, as well as two very seprate parts of the brain.

For a deaf baby/child to absorb phonetically, a parent should consider researching CE/CS. This same child can/does learn signs as a language, only if they are exposed to a person who can give them complete sign language. IE: ASL

Most hearing parent cannot recreate true ASL as a language for the deaf baby/child, in a timely manner.

Delaying language has many consequences.
 
2kids1hoh said:
Hi all.. I found this site while searching for info. I found out about a month ago my baby has a profound hearing loss. She is 11 weeks old. Just figured I might be able to get info/tips/advice from you all. I just started going through the process of setting up early intervention and hearing aids for her. There is a lot of information to absorb!!

Andrea
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You came to the right place, I'm glad that hearing parents like yourself, want to learn about the Deaf Culture for your daughter. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. ;)
 
2kids1hoh said:
I think I am definetly going to have her and us learn sign language. I always had an interest in learning it, even when I was younger. I think I am going to look into a class now, because it will take me longer to learn it.
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That's so great to hear! You'll love sign language, and your daughter would be so proud of you too, that you'll learning sign language for your daughter. ;)

If she is only 3 months old you have plenty of time to try hearing aids first to see how it works, but teaching your baby sign language is the best step for the beginners, I read about how parents teaching babies to sign at the early age, when babies don't learn to speak at the early age first.

I was also wondering what would you prefer for education for your child when she reaches the age of 5 would you rather to decide that later when it comes to make a decision? ;)
 
I think I am going to look into a class now, because it will take me longer to learn it. You are very right... I want her to feel she can communicate without hearing aids. I have some time before I have to think about a cochlear implant, she is just about 3 months old, and they think that the hearing aids won't help all that much. So sign language is definetly in the plans for us.
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YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :applause::applause: So definitly join American Society for Deaf Children....it's the most supportive of TC.
Why don't they think that hearing aids will help her? Does she have auditory nereopathy? There are a significnet number of kids with profound losses who do OK with hearing aids. If she does have auditory nereopathy, or has a deep profound loss don't hesistate to opt for implantation. However, make sure you've exhausted other options first. Your daughter may have a loss that responds better to a body worn aid (size still pretty much equals power) or may do OK with what are called high frequncy transponders (don't know too much about them) but kids who don't do well with traditional BTEs, might do better with high frequncy transponders.
It's great that you're so open to learning Sign!!!! That is wonderful!
Parents who Sign in the home, tend to have the high acheivers in the deaf-world. Get involved with Early intervention.....that is VERY important! It's good that you've already contacted Mill Neck! Contact your state's branch of NAD.....some branches of NAD, have EI programs or mentor programs, where a Deaf/coda adult comes to your house to teach you and your family Sign.
Are you interested in speech therapy for your daughter? The truth about speech is that most of the time, it's the result of the private school effect or the private speech tutor effect. If you want speech, go private!
loml,
Umm no, it IS not comparing apples with oranges. An IQ score is made up of both a verbal and a non verbal IQ. Verbal IQ equates with how well a child has aquirred/mastered language. Dhh kids on average have lower verbal IQs, then do hearing kids. This includes ORAL kids. B/c they have low verbal IQs, that means that they have not sufficently aquirred fluency in spoken language. Get what I'm saying now?
 
I think the plan is to focus more on speech therapy with her. Since we are all hearing in the family, I definetly want her to talk. I want that to be the primary communication if she can. I figure sign language can be a good backup just in case she doesn't do well. They think she might not be a good hearing aid user because she has a profound loss and the little bit she does hear is at a low frequency. A doctor told me that during one of her ABR tests, I think the school has more of an open mind. I think they think she will do better. I guess we will just have to see. I also have been looking into the implants, and I am pretty sure we will go that route, but still learn some basics of sign language. I keep looking into the future, but she is still so little that I need to focus more about now and take each step at a time, right? I am really hoping the hearings aids will work!!
 
loml,
Umm no, it IS not comparing apples with oranges. An IQ score is made up of both a verbal and a non verbal IQ. Verbal IQ equates with how well a child has aquirred/mastered language. Dhh kids on average have lower verbal IQs, then do hearing kids. This includes ORAL kids. B/c they have low verbal IQs, that means that they have not sufficently aquirred fluency in spoken language. Get what I'm saying now?
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Apples and oranges..... I shall agree to disagree with you here deafdyke.

Unless an deaf child (oral) et.al., has a tool with which they can process spoken language or even non-voiced language for that matter, the ability to identify phonemese is not learned.

Verbal IQ does encompass a vocabulary component.

The child's verbal IQ score is derived from scores on six of the subtests: information, digit span, vocabulary, arithmetic, comprehension, and similarities.
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http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Wechsler-Intelligence-Scale-for-Children.html
 
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I think the plan is to focus more on speech therapy with her. Since we are all hearing in the family, I definetly want her to talk. I want that to be the primary communication if she can. I figure sign language can be a good backup just in case she doesn't do well.
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Oh, good! I'd advise an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to Early Intervention in that case!!! The key really is proper Early Intervention. She might be able to develop oral skills. It's just such a huge question mark. Especially since many dhh kids have apraxia, which is a nereologial disabilty that inhibits speech. Also, many of the oral sucesses may be the result of an overprogrammed lifestyle. Your daughter will hopefully be able to learn at least some oral skills....and it's good that you've got such an open mind towards Sign. I really do think that hearing parents need to meet their dhh kids halfway, and learn how to Sign. It takes a LOT of energy for us to speak. It's exactly, like how you might be able to speak fluently in French or Spanish, but at the end of the day, you just wanna go back to speaking your language!
They think she might not be a good hearing aid user because she has a profound loss and the little bit she does hear is at a low frequency. A doctor told me that during one of her ABR tests, I think the school has more of an open mind. I think they think she will do better. I guess we will just have to see.
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Definitly.......keep an open mind and experiment. As I said, there is a signifent percentage of folks with severe and profound losses, who get benifit from aids....they havn't stopped manufacturing aids for that population!
Maybe also go to an experianced pediatric audi, and see about her getting fitted for high frequncy transponder aids.
 
VI_Kelly said:
Hi all deaf,

My name is Kelly, I come from Nanaimo, BC Canada. I m hard of hearing. I can sign langauge little bit. I want learn more sign langauge. I want meet Duncan. He is cute. I hope he will talk me soon.

kelly
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Duncan Watts, beware of him. He is a pathologial liar and smoothtalker perv.
 
2kids1hoh said:
I think the plan is to focus more on speech therapy with her. Since we are all hearing in the family, I definetly want her to talk. I want that to be the primary communication if she can. I figure sign language can be a good backup just in case she doesn't do well. They think she might not be a good hearing aid user because she has a profound loss and the little bit she does hear is at a low frequency. A doctor told me that during one of her ABR tests, I think the school has more of an open mind. I think they think she will do better. I guess we will just have to see. I also have been looking into the implants, and I am pretty sure we will go that route, but still learn some basics of sign language. I keep looking into the future, but she is still so little that I need to focus more about now and take each step at a time, right? I am really hoping the hearings aids will work!!
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Welcome to AD.

I was raised orally after I became deaf at two and half. I am still angry to this day for not let me to learn sign language first. NOw u see my english language sucks so are my vocabulary. I hope u will let ur daughter to learn sign language first before learn how to talk. Communication is very important than read my lip over again. I got rebel against it when I was 3 and 4. I was delayed in many ways till after I learned ASL. Emotionally immature for long time. Good luck and keep open your mind for ur daughter's sake. HA was worthless for me so is CI because mine is way past repaired.
 
2kids1hoh

Seeing how you are wanting to learn ASL can I recomend a great resource? My family and I are in the process of learnig ASL. I purchased a video series called "Say it With Sign". It is wonderfull. They even touch on teaching you how to comunicate with your infant. It is 40 lessons on 10 DVD's. Larry and Sharron Solow are well known in the comunity. I belive they both graduated from Gallaudet.
Find the video here Make sure you get the dvd version not the VHS. It is easyer to repeat a lesson. Out of 5 starts I give it 10. Good luck.
 
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