Willsmom: Have fun on this journey, and an journey it shall be! My son was implanted at 11 months old and received his 2nd implant at 4 years old. He's now 13 1/2 ( oh my how time flies by) and is doing great. We used to live in New York and recently relocated to the Midwest. I was extremely concerned that this would cause a "hiccup" in his learning and academics- but it didn't. My son is mainstreamed and has the services of a TOD for a period a day every day to pre-teach and post teach . Our family has deafness in it, so I am fluent in ASL, as is my husband. While my son does sign, his receptive skills are much better that his expressive and he does not sign every day. Only when he needs to use it and when other Deaf family members are around. I normally just "lurk" because there are many "bashers" out there, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. And remember, your child will ALWAYS be deaf no matter what. The implant is not a cure, just an assistive device. So use every resource out there so he is prepared in case there is ever a failure or he decides he just doesn't want to wear it! Good luck!
