Mainstream or Residental Provincial School

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ryancher

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I am sure this has been discussed before... but as I said before I am very new.

If you had a child that had a moderate/severe hearing loss - 3 years old and still non-verbal, although starting to show a real interest in signs. So, we are learning more everyday and constanting doing SEE with him (as neither my husband or I know ASL).

I know he's still young but this time next year he will be eligible to start Junior Kindergarten - what do I do if he is still non verbal? I doubt he will be able to go to a mainstream school? So, we're trying to figure out our options. The thought of sending him to a residental Deaf School at 4 years old breaks my heart - as none of which are located near our home.

But I want to do what is best for him...
 
Residental at the age of 4 years old is hard for any parents, I remember back in 1990's we used (teens) to comfort the younger ones when they were home sick but Roll on 2009/10, I worked at one of boarding schools which caters 4-11 years old as a L.S.A but I often help out in evenings particularly with kids who uses BSL. I help them with Skype so that they can communicate with their parents visually. Few tears then they are back to normal and playing as if nothing happened, but I think it hits the parents the hardest than the child as they are so resilent. Most schools have alot of activities in the evenings to keep them occupied. There are much better techologies now days to enable keeping the child and parents in touch.

Personally I would be gutted to send a child away to school. I was a boarder, I loved it but I did miss my family a lot and I don't think I can do that with my own kid.

Would it be possible for you to move closer?
Have you put him in pre school yet? some deaf children starts at 2 to give them "head start".
 
How far away is "not close"?

Have to looked to see if there are day school classes for the Deaf near you? My daughter attends a self-contained class for the Deaf in our city because the residental school is further away. Is it possible that your city as a class?

Or you could send him to school with an interpreter. That could help...
 
I hope FJ's suggestion is available as to where you live. My old deaf (day) school was about 50 minutes away from me. They have buses to offer kids to attend to. I didn't mind being on the bus back and forth for almost hour away from my home and the total of 2 hours per day. I would not feel comfortable about sending my kids away to the residental school either.
 
It would be nice to know how far the closest residential school is. I hope you're not way out in the boonies.

Unfortunately for us Canadians, long driving distances are the norm.
 
Oh, and even if he eventually learns to speak some, mainstreaming is a HUGE deal, and shouldn't ever be the default placement for Deaf kids. It takes a ton of work for a child with a hearing loss to keep up in the mainstream, so if he is delayed, or struggles with spoken language at all, you should try to find a different placement for him (or at the very least some very strong supports like interpreters and a Teacher of the Deaf).
 
faire_jour said:
Oh, and even if he eventually learns to speak some, mainstreaming is a HUGE deal, and shouldn't ever be the default placement for Deaf kids. It takes a ton of work for a child with a hearing loss to keep up in the mainstream, so if he is delayed, or struggles with spoken language at all, you should try to find a different placement for him (or at the very least some very strong supports like interpreters and a Teacher of the Deaf).
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That's why I am hoping this person is not way out in the boonies. I grew up in that kind of community during my pre-teen and teenage years; the school tried to get an ASL interpreter with full ASL support, even offered free rent and a high salary, but still no one wanted to take the job because it was too far north for them. So I got stuck with people who were taught how use SEE and cued speech.
 
I am an hour from Toronto... but the closest residential school is about an hour and a half away, the other one is about 2.5hrs.
 
ryancher said:
I am an hour from Toronto... but the closest residential school is about an hour and a half away, the other one is about 2.5hrs.
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If you are close to Toronto (which an hour isn't bad), a city that big will have a self-contained class for the Deaf somewhere. (I can only speak for America, so this is how it works here, could be different up there) Here, they would transport your kiddo to the class for the Deaf and he could attend that class and then they would transport him back home.
 
I would for sure go with something that was for the deaf and definitely not mainstream like everyones said..I only started losing my hearing around 16 and it was so hard to be in an environment where everyone can hear and you struggle ..and it's very hard for hearing teachers sometimes to understand that they have to adapt to teaching a student who is deaf I so wish I knew ASL and could have had a terp or just been born deaf..woulda been much easier lol
fair joure- and an hour and a half in toronto traffic really means bout 2.5 hrs but awesome you found a good link for ryancher :)
 
Exactly... that's a long bus ride for a 4 year old by themselves. Not to mention I will serious worry about him being without me in Toronto.

Not to mention... I really don't think they provide buses out here for transport.

And my husband will NEVER EVER move to Toronto... I'd have more luck with Milton or Belleville... but then that would mean changing jobs.
 
ryancher said:
Exactly... that's a long bus ride for a 4 year old by themselves. Not to mention I will serious worry about him being without me in Toronto.

Not to mention... I really don't think they provide buses out here for transport.

And my husband will NEVER EVER move to Toronto... I'd have more luck with Milton or Belleville... but then that would mean changing jobs.
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I dont blame you about not wanting your child to be in such a long bus ride at such a young age.

Like the others said, is there a strong Deaf program at any of the schools nearby?
 
ryancher said:
Exactly... that's a long bus ride for a 4 year old by themselves. Not to mention I will serious worry about him being without me in Toronto.

Not to mention... I really don't think they provide buses out here for transport.

And my husband will NEVER EVER move to Toronto... I'd have more luck with Milton or Belleville... but then that would mean changing jobs.
Click to expand...

Not sure how Canada is but here goes...does he have an IEP? If the placement is determined to be a school for the Deaf, yes, they will transport him. We have people coming to my daughter's school that come from 50+ miles away.
 
I NEVER thought I'd put my little one on a bus for and a hour and a half (or more) each way, but I now do. Last year, when Li was 3 and started preK, I drove her in to school each morning, then continued on to work and the bus (actually a lovely mini-van with 4 kids in their own carseats we provided and always the same wonderful driver) brought her home in the afternoon where my husband raced home and met her, bringing her back to work with him for an hour or two until I swung back by to take her home. It was a little bit tough, because her school is an hour and a half North from my home and an hour West from my work, so I couldn't get to work before 9:15, but I just had to make sure I scheduled no meetings early. There just was no way for me to get there to pick her up at 2 in the afternoon, though, so the return van ride was a necessity.

If I was a SAHM, I'd probably still drive her each way, but we just can't swing that.

I found that she absolutely LOVES her bus ride with 3 other deaf kids from our area (one, her best friend) -- they all bring books and swap them, read, play, sleep. Once I became comfortable with the van ride home, I realized that it was OK to let her take the van in the morning, too. So when she turned 4, she started taking it both ways. She really does love it.

Other locations may have a higher volume of deaf kids that allows for a program designed for the deaf right in their school, but we're out in the boonies and I don't think the amazing program available at her school can be replicated just for her at our local school where the sped preK classes aren't targeted to her very specific needs, but to cover all types of special needs kids. I love that she's in a school of all deaf kids, with role models at every age, including deaf kids, teachers, administrators and aids, and deaf parents coming and going. It's a place where everybody uses her primary language (ASL), there's a sound field and acoustic accommodations in the classroom, a student teacher ratio that lets her education rocket along at her pace, and friends with so much in common.
 
GrendelQ said:
I NEVER thought I'd put my little one on a bus for and a hour and a half (or more) each way, but I now do. Last year, when Li was 3 and started preK, I drove her in to school each morning, then continued on to work and the bus (actually a lovely mini-van with 4 kids in their own carseats we provided and always the same wonderful driver) brought her home in the afternoon where my husband raced home and met her, bringing her back to work with him for an hour or two until I swung back by to take her home. It was a little bit tough, because her school is an hour and a half North from my home and an hour West from my work, so I couldn't get to work before 9:15, but I just had to make sure I scheduled no meetings early. There just was no way for me to get there to pick her up at 2 in the afternoon, though, so the return van ride was a necessity.

If I was a SAHM, I'd probably still drive her each way, but we just can't swing that.

I found that she absolutely LOVES her bus ride with 3 other deaf kids from our area (one, her best friend) -- they all bring books and swap them, read, play, sleep. Once I became comfortable with the van ride home, I realized that it was OK to let her take the van in the morning, too. So when she turned 4, she started taking it both ways. She really does love it.

Other locations may have a higher volume of deaf kids that allows for a program designed for the deaf right in their school, but we're out in the boonies and I don't think the amazing program available at her school can be replicated just for her at our local school where the sped preK classes aren't targeted to her very specific needs, but to cover all types of special needs kids. I love that she's in a school of all deaf kids, with role models at every age, including deaf kids, teachers, administrators and aids, and deaf parents coming and going. It's a place where everybody uses her primary language (ASL), there's a sound field and acoustic accommodations in the classroom, a student teacher ratio that lets her education rocket along at her pace, and friends with so much in common.
Click to expand...

Glad that she loves the bus rides. I have a 4 year old too...trying to imagine putting him on an 1.5 hour bus ride twice a day. I guess the kiddos adjust fairly quickly.
 
shel90 said:
Glad that she loves the bus rides. I have a 4 year old too...trying to imagine putting him on an 1.5 hour bus ride twice a day. I guess the kiddos adjust fairly quickly.
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It was also harder for me to accept than Miss Kat! She was fine, I was worried...
 
Unless there are extenunating (sp?) circumstances I think that little kids need to do the day school placement, and a program specificly for dhh kids. NOT a general Early Intervention preschool. (the kind for ALL sorts of disabilites) I think most little kids need to spend time with their families. Not against res school placement, but I do think that kids need to be old enough to do sleepovers before going off to res school. I do second about seeing if you guys might be able to move closer. Deaf school's early intervention/early childhood programs tend to ROCK! Are there any regional programs for the Dhh in Canada? Here in the states, we have program based mainstreaming, which means that a formal program for the dhh is housed at a hearing/mainstream school.
 
When I was about 4, I had to travel an hour and more to attend an preschool for the deaf. They offered to enrol me into dormitory but my mother refused.

Anyway, I remember there's a rivalry between Milton and Danville or Danforth. From what I gather the Toronto school isn't the best.

Are you near Robarts School for the Deaf?

I think Milton has a great program starting from early intervention to adult education. I attended there for a year.
 
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