New and overwhelmed

DanielsMom said:
I'm Christian, but my husband isn't. We live in the Austin area (far north).
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Oh, I thought you might be Christian homeschoolers which is why I asked.
If you live in the Austin area there is a plethora of resources since that is where the Deaf School is. Maybe your son could even attend TSD's preschool/kindergarten to develop ASL skills and meet other kids like him. TSD is a very good school, and the preschools/kindergartens/early childhood grades at Deaf Schools/programs tend to be outstanding. IMHO, I do think that its a GREAT idea for parents of special needs homeschoolers/mainstreamers to supplement their kids "at home" education with formal Dhh or blind/low vision or cerebal palsy or other types of specialized education.
I know of a lot of adults who were HOH as kids who ended up having progressive losses....They didn't mind the loss, but they wish they'd been given a full toolbox of options, instead of just assuming all they needed was speech therapy and HOH style accomondations.
 
I can't really answer all of your questions but I will say I recommend you get the soft earmolds NOT the hard ones. The problem with the hard ones is that they don't flex well enough to make a good seal to account for the constantly changing shape of the ear.

One downside of the soft earmolds however is that the tubing doesn't last long (about 6-8 months) for me but fortunately replacing them is easy and cheap. You can buy hearing aid tubes on ebay and you can just replace the tubing yourself with some scissors.
 
ASL is so important regardless if they have a CI or HA. There are many, many times when he won't be wearing them, swimming, sleeping etc. Being able to communicate at all times is important. Kids learn so much faster then adults. You can do simple things like when he asks for a drink, sign drink. If he wants milk, sign milk.
 
Angel1989 said:
ASL is so important regardless if they have a CI or HA. There are many, many times when he won't be wearing them, swimming, sleeping etc. Being able to communicate at all times is important. Kids learn so much faster then adults. You can do simple things like when he asks for a drink, sign drink. If he wants milk, sign milk.
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Not to mention that with ASL AND spoken/written English he'll be BILINGAL.
He will have access to TWO LANGUAGES! It kinda annoys me when people use the term communication, to argue for a pro ASL approach.....Communication just seems to be almost an "special needs" term.
(kinda like a term used on an IEP. Joe will use a switch or PECS to communicate)
But yes, hearing aids and CIs are not perfect. The world is not a soundbooth. Dhh kids have the right to be bilingal in both English and ASL, and to be able to function both with and without their HAs/CIs.
 
Thanks to all of you who've commented! I've been sharing your comments with my husband as we start this journey. I have lots of questions for the audiologist now. :)
 
I have the Safaris and I love them! (only one cosmetic issue this year was that I broke off the earhook while I attached the aid back together)

and plus, you gotta love the cool feature.
 
Welcome to AllDeaf!

Phonak and Oticon are both really good aids. I'm happier with Phonak though. It just matters what you prefer, seeing as they're both very good aids. I will tell you I didn't like the Safaris, but they just didn't have enough power for my hearing loss, and they were not "better" than my old Phonaks like I was promised. I'm sorry about the insurance issue :(. It's really hard to find insurance that will cover hearing aids.

When I was 5, my parents found out I had a hearing loss. I only got earmolds once every year, and it worked. Unless your son grows ALOT, I think you're ok with 1 earmold a year. The hearing aids can last up to ten years, but you need to swap out every 4-ish years. Most people say 3 years they but another aid, but 4 years is acceptable too.

Your Audi is trying to help you out with costs. It can be overwhelming getting hit in the face with all this crap and worries.

You should talk to your Audi about his needs, seeing as he/she knows his loss and has your son's audiogram.

Finally- I love 6 Flags, and I wore my hearing aids on all the rides except the water rides.before hopping on, I took out my hearing aids and put them in a plastic Baggie, and the baggie went in my pocket. They never left my body, in case someone wanted to steal them.
I rode the Titan with them, if that tell you anything about how good they'll stay in! However, your son will need experience with the hearing aids before attempting that...and courage! :lol:

I hope you might look into teaching him ASL. The doctors and the Audis will tell you to carry on with English, but it might be a good idea to go ahead and start learning with your family. I wish I had learned when I was his age.

You're doing the right thing by asking around. You're really a great mom to be so loving and concerned. Good luck to you!!

Have a great day!!

*EDIT- I'm an Texan :D
I hope this post was not too late for you!
 
Profoundly Deaf here. I had otican for 7 years, and i had phonak when I was a kid before that otican then i decided to go back to phonak again. I realize that i am more comfortable with phonak than otican.
 
Have you though about the Nios? Given the fact hes progessive

A child NEEDS an FM/soundfield at ALL times unless sign is being used

Children(particutly those with progressive loss) NEED ASL

Don't pay attention to the audiologist views on ASL they are pay to make your child function like Hearing child or at least Oral deaf

Start reasearching/forming options on CI cochlear implants NOW as the question will be coming as your son has a progessive loss

Look into cued speech for teaching literacy(it doesnt really work in the community despite what they say). The at home course is good
 
inmate23 said:
Have you though about the Nios? Given the fact hes progessive

A child NEEDS an FM/soundfield at ALL times unless sign is being used

Children(particutly those with progressive loss) NEED ASL

Don't pay attention to the audiologist views on ASL they are pay to make your child function like Hearing child or at least Oral deaf

Start reasearching/forming options on CI cochlear implants NOW as the question will be coming as your son has a progessive loss

Look into cued speech for teaching literacy(it doesnt really work in the community despite what they say). The at home course is good
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Um,why does a child need FM at ALL times? FM is generally only useful in very specific situtions.Children can and do function very well without an FM in day to day life......that's like saying that b/c cued speech/SEE etc can be useful in specific situtions in the classroom,they should be used at all times...
 
deafdyke said:
Um,why does a child need FM at ALL times? FM is generally only useful in very specific situtions.Children can and do function very well without an FM in day to day life......that's like saying that b/c cued speech/SEE etc can be useful in specific situtions in the classroom,they should be used at all times...
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SEE and Cued Speech are two very different things. SEE represents a complete language, while cued speech only represents sounds.
 
inmate23 said:
Have you though about the Nios? Given the fact hes progessive

A child NEEDS an FM/soundfield at ALL times unless sign is being used

Children(particutly those with progressive loss) NEED ASL

Don't pay attention to the audiologist views on ASL they are pay to make your child function like Hearing child or at least Oral deaf

Start reasearching/forming options on CI cochlear implants NOW as the question will be coming as your son has a progessive loss

Look into cued speech for teaching literacy(it doesnt really work in the community despite what they say). The at home course is good
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if the FM doesn't work for a child, why should he/she wear it all the time?
 
shel90 said:
if the FM doesn't work for a child, why should he/she wear it all the time?
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:shock:Common sense not use it :shock:

All technology/communication choices should be child leaded.So if child doesnt want hearing aids/FM/cochlear implant on today thats fine thats there right theres always tomorrow

You would put the FM system on Ebay and get some of your money back

deafdyke said:
FM is generally only useful in very specific situtions.Children can and do function very well without an FM in day to day life......that's like saying that b/c cued speech/SEE etc can be useful in specific situtions in the classroom,they should be used at all times...
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As an adult who lives mainly in the Hearing world.I would be totally screwed without my FM. I have both models of smartlink and when 1 goes flat I use the other.I use an FM 12 hours a day most days.

I said and I quote:

inmate23 said:
Look into cued speech for teaching literacy(it doesnt really work in the community despite what they say). The at home course is good
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Please don't twist my words:ty:
 
inmate23 said:
As an adult who lives mainly in the Hearing world.I would be totally screwed without my FM. I have both models of smartlink and when 1 goes flat I use the other.I use an FM 12 hours a day most days.

:
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Bear in mind you're dealing mostly with auditory processing disorder if I recall correctly....you're NOT a typical dhh person. Almost all dhh kids can function very well WITHOUT having to use the FM in day to day life.(apart from maybe classroom lecture type situtions)
 
deafdyke said:
Bear in mind you're dealing mostly with auditory processing disorder if I recall correctly....you're NOT a typical dhh person. Almost all dhh kids can function very well WITHOUT having to use the FM in day to day life.(apart from maybe classroom lecture type situtions)
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In the UK, 99% of D/deaf and HoH people/kids use FM everyday, not just in a school setting.

This is why I use a FM -

http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/b2b/C_M_tools/FM/Hear-Better-With-FM.pdf

http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/p...DynamicFM_Hear_better_at_Work_028-3008-02.pdf
 
NaidaUP said:
In the UK, 99% of D/deaf and HoH people/kids use FM everyday, not just in a school setting.

This is why I use a FM -

http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/b2b/C_M_tools/FM/Hear-Better-With-FM.pdf

http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/p...DynamicFM_Hear_better_at_Work_028-3008-02.pdf
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FYI,FM is not covered by insurance in the states.....It CAN be useful in very specific situtions,but then again many of those situtions you can compensate with other techiques/methodologies etc.It is NOT a must have. Virtually all of us grew up without day to day FM usage (except in the classroom which is where it should be limited to)and we did fine.
 
deafdyke said:
FYI,FM is not covered by insurance in the states.....It CAN be useful in very specific situtions,but then again many of those situtions you can compensate with other techiques/methodologies etc.It is NOT a must have. Virtually all of us grew up without day to day FM usage (except in the classroom which is where it should be limited to)and we did fine.
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No reason the fm should be limited to the classroom if the individual benefits from it.
 
deafdyke said:
FYI,FM is not covered by insurance in the states.....It CAN be useful in very specific situtions,but then again many of those situtions you can compensate with other techiques/methodologies etc.It is NOT a must have. Virtually all of us grew up without day to day FM usage (except in the classroom which is where it should be limited to)and we did fine.
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Hearing aids or cochlear implants ain't a must have. Hearing aids, cochlear implants and FM systems are all there to make people's life easier. It's just another technology to help people. I find it most useful when I go with my sister shopping.
 
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