its been a few years

frankiesmom

frankiesmom

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hello again! i really need some advice on something...so frankie is doing pretty good, pretty much the same but we are hanging in there.
so he has progressed enough that he is able to mimic a few signs now, FINALLY...it only took a few years but hes doing it. here is the issue. the school is refusing to teach him sign language, or use sign language with him. they told me that its "dangerous" and not a long term solution. they said he will never be independent and will always require supervision if he only uses sign language. obviously, this woman is a complete idiot, and has no idea what shes talking about. can the school really do that though? ive already called the attorney and sent her the emails about how no child can grow up just using sign language, etc, and im waiting to hear back. i am almost thankful frank is so delayed because if he were a typical kid and was told this, i cant even imagine how hurtful that would be. sorry for the monster sized picture!!
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How old is he? Refresh our memory? That really is odd that someone at a specialized school is anti Sign?!?!? I mean I thought that many children at severe disabilty programs used Sign in an augmentive and alternative communication way.
Here are some links to significent ID plus dhh academic programs. Maybe if you contacted them, they could help you!
http://cccbsd.org/
http://www.perkins.org/school/educational-programs/deafblind It's a school for the blind, but it does admit Deaf Plus kids...like the ones who are Deaf Blind without the blind
http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=173796&type=d
http://www.csdr-cde.ca.gov/specialneeds/
 
hes 5 now...and yeah, the principal said that the only way he could thrive was if there was some sort of community for deaf people! luckily, she said this in front of his audiologist, who is really big in the local deaf community. the community of deaf people that have managed to live on their own quite well! stupid stupid people. she even said that the local school for the deaf refuses to teach kids sign language only, and so i called them just to verify that..and they were pretty shocked as well, as that is the first language they use.
 
she seriously told all of us at the iep meeting that if we were to just teach him sign language, he couldnt ever go to mcdonalds because the workers there wouldnt know what he wanted!!
maybe its because we havent really dealt with any deaf issues up until now, but i never knew people had such..ignorant opinions about deaf people.
 
So, she thinks the deaf can't go to McDonald's? I think she needs to be reported to the school board or whoever is in charge of that school. She needs serious educating or be fired.
I hope you get the help you need from your lawyer and others.
 
LoveBlue said:
So, she thinks the deaf can't go to McDonald's? I think she needs to be reported to the school board or whoever is in charge of that school. She needs serious educating or be fired.
I hope you get the help you need from your lawyer and others.
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Hi Frankiesmom..good to see you!

LoveBlue, I work in a public school and yes, I see the same ignorant attitudes. In fact one of my co workers told me that I need a handicapped decal. I asked her why and she said it is because I am impaired and it is too dangerous for me to walk far. Um yep....lol
 
shel90 said:
Hi Frankiesmom..good to see you!

LoveBlue, I work in a public school and yes, I see the same ignorant attitudes. In fact one of my co workers told me that I need a handicapped decal. I asked her why and she said it is because I am impaired and it is too dangerous for me to walk far. Um yep....lol
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:lol:...yep!...One of my neighbors told me I needed a handicap decal too because I was deaf....The stupidity of some people.
 
I had a person asked me 2 difference times if I can drive . UGH! ! Yes, I can drive and have the best diving score a insurance company give you.

And I don't think some of the people that work in McDonald needs to know how to read b/c their cash register has pictures of the food , so you only need to point to what you want and not need to talk . I don't think the school understand that the students are the one with the LD not the teachers.
 
i still cant believe they said that. im just glad she said it in email, too! here is what im wondering. since frank only knows a few signs, can we really insist that they teach him sign language?? i really want to start pushing this, but they said he has to learn to speak orally, which totally isnt happening, ever. i just want them to find someone who knows sign language, who can start signing the stuff they are doing in class for him.
 
LoveBlue said:
So, she thinks the deaf can't go to McDonald's? I think she needs to be reported to the school board or whoever is in charge of that school. She needs serious educating or be fired.
I hope you get the help you need from your lawyer and others.
Click to expand...

i cant wait until the next iep meeting, i am seriously thinking of having the lady from the deaf school call in and educate everyone at once :lol: im seriously tired of dealing with schools though...it never ends. if they arent bitching about him not eating, they are bitching about his hearing aids. i found out they werent even putting them in because i put a note in his hearing aid box that said to call me if they got this and they never called! now the assistant principal is doing spot checks though.
 
frankiesmom said:
i still cant believe they said that. im just glad she said it in email, too! here is what im wondering. since frank only knows a few signs, can we really insist that they teach him sign language?? i really want to start pushing this, but they said he has to learn to speak orally, which totally isnt happening, ever. i just want them to find someone who knows sign language, who can start signing the stuff they are doing in class for him.
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Yes insist on teaching him sign language. Sometimes adding sign might help with oral skills...sometimes not. But with sign he will have something and a method to communicate however limited it is. I used to work with kids like Frankie (well most were over the age of 13 and well into adulthood). Almost all had a very limited base of sign language; most of them were deaf but a few were hearing non-verbal with little to no verbal skills so sign was their primary means of communication and some did use picture/communication boards/cards/books. Despite the part that I had major issues getting the STAFF to learn sign, I never ran into the problems mentioned above thankfully either on or off the job (that I can remember- I'd rather remember good stuff).

I think it would be a great idea to either have the woman from the deaf school call in or at least set up a training session for her to come in and EXPLAIN to them.
 
i think you are right. i just dont get why its a huge deal though. at all of the deaf community events, most of them just use sign, they dont talk..and they dont seem to have any issues! stupid stupid people, all of them.
 
frankiesmom said:
i cant wait until the next iep meeting, i am seriously thinking of having the lady from the deaf school call in and educate everyone at once :lol: im seriously tired of dealing with schools though...it never ends. if they arent bitching about him not eating, they are bitching about his hearing aids. i found out they werent even putting them in because i put a note in his hearing aid box that said to call me if they got this and they never called! now the assistant principal is doing spot checks though.
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Is this a severe disabilty school? Sucks SO badly that you're not getting the dhh part, but then again population wise the crossover between dhh and severe disabilty is pretty small. I would totally push Sign....You know it's too bad that in this country Makaton isn't used.... It's a communication system for kids and adults with severe issues.
 
frankiesmom said:
she seriously told all of us at the iep meeting that if we were to just teach him sign language, he couldnt ever go to mcdonalds because the workers there wouldnt know what he wanted!!
maybe its because we havent really dealt with any deaf issues up until now, but i never knew people had such..ignorant opinions about deaf people.
Click to expand...

Maybe she thinks that you're going to go "ASL "monoglot" with Frankie. Monoglot means that someone only speaks one language/mode. Maybe a good idea might be to emphasize that you also want to do other stuff(ie the stuff that severely communciaiton disabled kids have like picture exchange communication system and other things like that....but the ASL is in ADDTION to the other specialized interventions.
 
Is this a public school Frank is going to ? I was told if a public school is not able to give a child help they need the city or town has to pay to send the child to a school that can give the child extra help they need.
I would think it would be up to the parents to know what is best for their child and not some stranger . This really stinks that you have to deal with people like that teacher. Frank is so lucky to have you for a mom , some parents would just tell the school do want they want with their child.
 
Oklahoma School for the Deaf would work with him on sign, and he would definitely learn to communicate there.

And his hearing aids would stay in plus with audiologist on staff, make sure he is hearing what he can.

Also the speech therapists there know how to work with a deaf child.

You should really have him assessed to see if they would accept him.
 
the deaf school wont take him, i already tried that...they said that they have delayed kids, but not kids as delayed as frank, and kids that require tube feeding. that sucks because my husbands friend went there, and he did just fine! im open to the communication devices but i honestly think they are nonexistent at this school. they are using switches and such, but that is hardly a communication device.
they are wanting to do verbal only, with a picture board and the communication device...no sign language at all.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Is this a public school Frank is going to ? I was told if a public school is not able to give a child help they need the city or town has to pay to send the child to a school that can give the child extra help they need.
I would think it would be up to the parents to know what is best for their child and not some stranger . This really stinks that you have to deal with people like that teacher. Frank is so lucky to have you for a mom , some parents would just tell the school do want they want with their child.
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it is a public school, and i found out from frankies audiologist that there is an awesome all deaf/disabled program in the next town..apparently they have kids like frank, who are deaf but really delayed, and its almost like they immerse the kids in sign language. i plan on pushing for that, if it checks out ok. these people are just really half assed about everything!
 
frankiesmom said:
it is a public school, and i found out from frankies audiologist that there is an awesome all deaf/disabled program in the next town..apparently they have kids like frank, who are deaf but really delayed, and its almost like they immerse the kids in sign language. i plan on pushing for that, if it checks out ok. these people are just really half assed about everything!
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That would be great if you get Frankie into that deaf/disabled program ! Do you think getting a disability lawyer would help ?
 
ive got one...this is the really sad part. last year, when he first started school, one of the aides through an absolute titty baby fit because he had to be tube fed 4 times during the school day..she said they didnt have time, and refused to do it, so we had to get a disability attorney up there to set them straight. then they started checking his stomach contents with a syringe, as a sort of underhanded method of saying he had too much in his tummy to be tube fed, and that they would have to postpone it. i put a stop to that real quick, and they tried it again this year. i also found out that they are making him "sit out" at recess because he shoves people, when i told them that he pushes people to get their attention. whatever, luckily this attorney is really on the ball and hopefully can get him in that program. i have to go by and meet the teachers and staff first though. i almost feel like the school wants to do the bare minimum of pretty much anything.
 
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