New mama with lots of questions!

[shel90]

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )



Out of curiousity - what do you consider Hoh?



Typically Hoh covers everything from mild to severe hearing loss (or oral who are profound and prefer to not identify as "deaf")

moderately severe seems more on the deaf side than hoh to me.

 

[shel90]

As I understand it, the deaf school in Fremont is voices off, right? With a moderate to moderately severe diagnosis, I'm hopeful that my son can speak english as his first language and ASL as a second language. So in that case, wouldn't I want him to mainstream? Or I read about some DHH programs at certain schools that sound promising that use auditory-oral or total communication styles.

I am sure they probably have some spoken English classes and I ll bet they offer speech/language services. Why not contact them and ask them?

 

[CSign]

I am sure they probably have some spoken English classes and I ll bet they offer speech/language services. Why not contact them and ask them?

Neither of the CSD offer speech services. The only way a student attending one of the schools would get speech would be through their home district by way of their IEP. My understanding is majority of the students attending do not receive speech because the student/IEP team has determined speech is not needed or wanted.

All instruction at the schools is through ASL- not spoken English.

 

[Chel177]

I breezed through the responses but didn't thoroughly read them so pardon the reiteration.

1. Besides talking to him as much as I can, what else should I be doing right now? I got the Signing Time videos as a start but I feel so overwhelmed at the idea of learning more than just baby signs. Taking care of an infant is hard enough and there arent enough hours in the day to myself! Should I be taking ASL classes at a community college?

CSD Fremont has a distance learning program for parents. I would take advantage of that if child care is difficult. If you are able to get away, community college would be fine as well if there is one by your area. Sometimes the Adult colleges offer them. Signing time is where I started and I labeled things with pictures and sign all around my house.

2. I've read through a lot of the threads on here and get the sense that many people wished they learned ASL earlier and/or weren't mainstreamed but a lot of those posters have severe or profound loss. Anyone with moderate loss that can speak specifically about their experiences?

In my child's EI, we were learning ASL and we took advantage of CSD Fremont distance learning program for a brief period of time. But I don't have much to say with moderate loss but they will always start with HA as protocol. Baha if you have a bone conduction loss. I wouldn't think too much until you have done your ABR and they can get more accurate test results. Then take it from there. In the meantime, language, language and research places and programs. You will still need to find a program regardless.

3. How much speech/hearing can I expect if my son is aided given a moderate to moderately severe hearing loss? What are your thoughts on trying for English as his first language and ASL as his second? With moderate loss, he might not even qualify for deaf school so I'd like to better understand the mainstream experience of a HOH child.

I would save this question for your audiologist. They will show you an audiogram and varying on your child, it may be difficult to determine if your child is still an infant. It'll almost be a wait and see thing as your child gets older. There will be a lot of audiology visits. Personally, I didn't say what language was first or second, I let the child take the lead. My child chose ASL first and as he got older was speaking more but the ASL helped a great deal in terms of communication. The only issue I had was that he would rather sign (which is great in the grand scheme of things) but I wanted him to speak so you have to somewhat encourage them to speak at some instances so they learn how powerful communication is. We dealt with the school district since it is a low incidence disability. Anything beyond this if it is not a low incidence disability you would be referred to regional center services. But depending where you live, your school district will contact you. If they haven't, contact them.

4. Anyone from CA since it seems like each state handles education services differently?

I live in the general area and you can personal message me and ask me whatever you need. My child is at CEID in Berkeley. He is doing great, he wears CI's. They do Total communication but with Signed Exact English. We started with ASL but for my child's unique need's and preliteracy, we chose this route and eventually convert to ASL again. hope this helps.

 

[Peanut]

Moderate-severe CAN be HOH. I am moderate-severe, depends on frequencies and all that. With hearing aid can use phone, can hear and understand words and can speak. Again, depends on frequencies and whether or not person took advantage of hearing he/she has and had training to understand speech. So, moderate-severe hearing loss CAN be considered HOH. There can be a person with similar hearing loss as mine but never wore hearing aids and later on in adult years, will not have same capabilities as mine because never took advantage of that, ergo, that person will not be HOH. Make sense?

 

[shel90]

Neither of the CSD offer speech services. The only way a student attending one of the schools would get speech would be through their home district by way of their IEP. My understanding is majority of the students attending do not receive speech because the student/IEP team has determined speech is not needed or wanted.

All instruction at the schools is through ASL- not spoken English.

I dont appreciate the false information you are sharing.

Taken from website from CSD

Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher.

California School for the Deaf - Fremont, CA

 

[shel90]

http://www.csdeagles.com/academics/pdf/e_Thrive_ASL_English_Bi.pdf

 

[deafdyke]

With all due respect, your predictions mean squat. You need to understand the way things work now, and it's clear to me that your understanding is a bit fuzzy.

The OP's child more likely than not, would not qualify to attend one of the CSD. If there is even just a slight bit of hope, she would first need to get her child's primary category of eligibility changed to deaf. And that is a fight in and of itself. That's just to start with.

I'm not saying I like it- but that's the way it really is.

I have friends/know people who work at schools for the deaf too. What's your
point? Just because one person says something doesn't make it so.

CSign, I KNOW how hard it is to get services and placement at a school for the Deaf or other specialized school. This isn't the 1940's, when placement at Deaf or Blind, mentally handicapped,(Cardinal Cushing School, where Corky from Life Goes On attended) or wheelchair/orthopedic affected (ie Mass Hospital School or Cotting School) school was pretty much automatic. I mean in all likelihood, her kid will most likely be served well in a mainstream dhh program. I do think that they need to make it easier for low incidence kids (not just dhh kids) to get the specialized education they need....meaning they need to emphasize using the specialized schools/programs.....But I also have a feeling that by the time the OP's kid is old enough for school, they will realize that it will be more cost effective to serve a larger population....

 

[deafdyke]

I dont appreciate the false information you are sharing.

Taken from website from CSD

Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher.

California School for the Deaf - Fremont, CA

Yes, exactly. They still have it as a supplemental thing or even as a class. And parents shouldn't worry since it's the QUALITY of speech therapy, not the quanity. Like I believe there's a Deaf School (that IS bi-bi) that has built in Voice On periods. I think right now actually deaf ed may be moving towards that.......and many Deaf Schools are also having oral training classes too.

 

[AlleyCat]

I dont appreciate the false information you are sharing.

Taken from website from CSD

Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher.

California School for the Deaf - Fremont, CA

This is what I read right from that link:

Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher.

Shel, I pasted exactly what you read too!

 

[JadeSkye]

Welcome! There is a lot of information to take in here- take your time and look around a bit .

We just found out last month that our three year old daughter has a moderate to severe (profound in one ear in the highest pitches) hearing loss. I definitely understand your desire for information and eagerness to find a direction to go in . I have felt like I was spinning my wheels some days trying to decide what is the best thing to do for her. I would definitely suggest contacting the state deaf school- they should have numerous resources that they can provide you with and they might even be able to provide beginning ASL classes for you (I know here in FL they do- I am currently taking an online class through FSDB and I love it!). You might also want to look into Hands and Voices- they are a parent support group for parents of d/hh kids and they also have many resources.

As for schooling concerns- I would say explore all your options. It is good that you will be meeting with someone to do the early intervention eval- they can probably begin to help point you in the right direction as well. Depending on where you are located, you might have a good dhh program in your local district that would meet his needs quite well. If you are in a really good school district, you might even find that mainstream will be a good fit for him. I know for us personally, we are leaning towards our state deaf school (Florida School for the Deaf and Blind- FSDB) because we live in a very rural area and I do not believe our local school district will be equipped to best educate a deaf or hard of hearing child. I have begun talking to a few older deaf adults in our county and one has told me that she only knows of a handful of deaf individuals in our county- which tells me that our school system does not deal with dhh kids much, if at all. I also think that it is important for our daughter to learn ASL (or some form of sign) so she can communicate when her hearing aids are off (she does not have them yet, she is getting fitted next week) or if something were to happen to an aid and she is without it for some time- or even if her loss ends up being progressive (we don't even know a cause so we don't know if it will be). So, I think the deaf school will be able to provide those things for her. So, explore all your options as far as schooling is concerned.

Sorry if it seems like I was turning this into a post about our choices we are making- I just know that sometimes it helps to hear why others make the choices they do/did. There will be many people telling you "oh, this is the best way to go" or "that is the best school for him" but ultimately you will be the one making that decision and it is really important to weigh out the options and see which fits best for YOUR family. He is very young right now, you will get a better feel for what will work best for him as he gets older. You will learn what type of child he is and be able to see which direction will work best for him. I definitely think giving him sign right now is a good idea. I have heard many say that babies pick sign up so much quicker than spoken language (which is why there is all the craze nowdays about "baby sign" I think)- so it can only HELP if you teach him sign now. It will cut down on frustration when he is trying to communicate something to you and might not know the actual English word for it (either because he hasn't heard it or because he can't say it). I have found with the sign that our daughter is learning, if she feels she has been able to communicate with us it helps so much! She gets frustrated when she feels like we don't get what she is trying to convey (or vice versa- when she doesn't get what we are saying to her).

There is so much to learn I am sure. It can be overwhelming at times too. Just take your time (I am having to learn that as well)- the answers will come to you when you need them. Just make sure you are researching all your options and making the decision that is right for your family- don't let someone sway you from what you feel is best or make you feel bullied into a decision you don't feel is right for your family. Feel free to PM me if you just need some parent to parent support. I don't profess to know all there is to know (or really even half of it- I am just learning too!) but I know how overwhelming it all can be sometimes. And I hope you find some answers to your questions .

 

[deafdyke]

CSign, I think I know where things are getting mixed up. I advise checking into Deaf Schools for HOH kids both b/c they are really good sources of information, and b/c their early childhood programming (ie preschool/kindergarten) can be really good. It's not too common for a HOH kid to attend Deaf School for preschool/early childhood but a possible argument for placement might be that Deaf Schools tend to have resources/skilled teachers etc that may not be available in a mainstream program. Granted, I'd assume that since the California Schools are so large, that their local communities would also offer dhh regional programs with similar resources and skilled teachers. (and just as an aside, it does seem like HOH kids tend to thrive in dhh public school formal programs) But still.....a parent should ALWAYS investigate any and every option. I know a HOH girl who attended Kansas School for the Deaf as a preschooler/kindergartener... Also sometimes HOH kids ARE voice off...There are syndromes and conditions where the kid is HOH, but that ALSO have accomplying conditions where the kid has a trachestomy, severe cleft palate,(one of my friends has VERY hard to understand speech due to a cleft palate even thou she's audilogically HOH) or apraxia just to name a few.
But a HOH kid attending a Deaf School for early childhood would be akin to a "just blind" kid attending a school for multihandicapped/severe blind kids, (like Western PA School for Blind Children) for preschool/kindergarten so they can get the proper intense training......And I think a lot of the people in charge of educational placement would recognize " oh here's a place where a HOH kid can get REALLY good early education, as a foundation for later mainstreaming."

 

[shel90]

This is what I read right from that link:



Shel, I pasted exactly what you read too!

Makes me wonder why it is ok for these posters to spread false information about Deaf schools and ASL but they get mad when people spread false information about CIs. Oppression, perhaps?

 

[Jiro]

oh my.... shameless.... shameless.... flagrantly shameless....

 

[CSign]

I dont appreciate the false information you are sharing.

Taken from website from CSD

Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher.

California School for the Deaf - Fremont, CA

You'll note that it says, "Communication Teacher", not speech therapist. That statement you provided doesn't negate that instruction is in ASL. Did you read the second link you provided?

I also said in my post that it's very rare for students to have speech, and that if they do it's because it's in their IEP. In those cases, the school district contracts with a SLP to provide those services.

 

[CSign]

http://www.csdeagles.com/academics/pdf/e_Thrive_ASL_English_Bi.pdf

From this link:

"As the student reads, the teacher observes and records
reading strategies that are being used or not being used. For example, the
teacher may assess what a student does when she tries to figure out the
meaning of an unknown word. Students must also do a re-telling of the
information in the test booklet using their first language, ASL, so that the
teacher can see how much was understood. The advantages of this
assessment are that each student is tested individually and both languages,
ASL and English, are visible as the student translates English words into
conceptually accurate ASL. In addition, the test atmosphere is very supportive as teacher and student engage in conversation around the test booklet using the student’s natural language -ASL. Most importantly, students have full access to what is being asked of them because directions and questions are given in ASL As the student reads, the teacher observes and records reading strategies that are being used or not being used. For example, the teacher may assess what a student does when she tries to figure out the
meaning of an unknown word. Students must also do a re-telling of the
information in the test booklet using their first language, ASL, so that the
teacher can see how much was understood. The advantages of this
assessment are that each student is tested individually and both languages,
ASL and English, are visible as the student translates English words into
conceptually accurate ASL. In addition, the test atmosphere is very supportive as teacher and student engage in conversation around the test booklet using the student’s natural language -ASL. Most importantly, students have full access to what is being asked of them because directions and questions are given in ASL. As a result, students perform at their optimum level while being tested about their second language -English. All of this information guides the teacher and the student in setting new instructional goals for strengthening and expanding the skills and knowledge necessary for advancing deeper understanding of both languages – ASL and English. As a result, students perform at their optimum level while being tested about their second language -English. All of this information guides the teacher and the student in setting new instructional goals for strengthening and expanding the skills and knowledge necessary for advancing deeper understanding of both languages – ASL and English."

 

[Acrobat]

Welcome! I am new here too, but my son is a bit older than yours. He was identified at birth with moderate hearing level and has worn hearing aids since 3 months old. He is now 3 years old and attends our state's school for the deaf. They have a Family Education Department and children and parents can start school at 6 months old! Our son has been attending since he was 9 months. It took me that long to realize that he was able to attend. Like most hearing parents, I didn't consider our school for the deaf an option because to me he wasn't "deaf enough". It was THE BEST decision we ever made.

We love, love, love our school! I have gained so much more than ASL skills there. I now have a group of friends who also have deaf children of all abilities and interventions. I will try an answer some of your questions based on my experiences.

1. Besides talking to him as much as I can, what else should I be doing right now? I got the Signing Time videos as a start but I feel so overwhelmed at the idea of learning more than just baby signs. Taking care of an infant is hard enough and there arent enough hours in the day to myself! Should I be taking ASL classes at a community college?

Don't freak yourself out about learning sign. You have time. Since your child will have some access to sound you can expose him to the best of both worlds. He will learn as you learn. I started with signs during mealtime and slowly learned signs for the animals in his board books. If you are close to your local school for the deaf, you may be able to find inexpensive or free ASL classes there. Another option is community rec classes which are usually smaller, less expensive and not as involved as a community college class. I have been taking ASL at our school for the deaf's parent group program which has given me a great vocabulary base. I am now thinking of stepping up my education and taking a college course to learn more about the Language and correct grammar, etc. Signing time videos are awesome! They have a couple Baby Signing Time dvd's that will have most of the vocab you will want to learn first. We also love Leah's Farm and the ABC Signing time dvd's.

2. I've read through a lot of the threads on here and get the sense that many people wished they learned ASL earlier and/or weren't mainstreamed but a lot of those posters have severe or profound loss. Anyone with moderate loss that can speak specifically about their experiences?

When we first decided to go to the school for the deaf's program, I was thinking that our son would eventually be mainstreamed and that we were sort of wasting our time learning ASL. I was very, very wrong with this assumption. With speech therapy, we have learned that our son has very weak tone around his mouth and some paralysis which will make talking clearly very, very, difficult. He can understand pretty much everything we say to him, but he uses ASL to tell us what is on his mind. So for us, deafness is a blessing. Mainstream schooling would force us to use an assistive communication device. Hands are much more, umm, handy!

3. How much speech/hearing can I expect if my son is aided given a moderate to moderately severe hearing loss? What are your thoughts on trying for English as his first language and ASL as his second? With moderate loss, he might not even qualify for deaf school so I'd like to better understand the mainstream experience of a HOH child.

I would say that our son's first language is both. We do signed supported english when we talk to him. Sometimes I will turn my voice off so that he focuses on the message. He is a very visual learner. Our city district has one school where all the deaf/hoh attend. Most districts work this way and I think the children are eventually "mainstreamed" into that elementary since it has more supports than a typical school..audiologists, teacher of the deaf, sound fields or FM systems. Or, if the child is doing well, they could be mainstreamed into their home school. Our school for the deaf's family ed program uses spoken english and sign. Any hearing loss level qualifies one for attendance.

4. Anyone from CA since it seems like each state handles education services differently?

Not from California, sorry.

I guess that's it for now :P Thanks in advance to this forum!

Good luck!

 

[AlleyCat]

You'll note that it says, "Communication Teacher", not speech therapist. That statement you provided doesn't negate that instruction is in ASL. Did you read the second link you provided?

The job title of the person providing speech was not the point whatsoever. Nor was that instruction is in ASL or not.

The point was, CSD's own site says: "Auditory and speech training are also a vital part of our program and are provided in the classroom setting and in small group pull-outs by our Communication Teacher." Shel corrected you on that after you said that neither CSD school provides speech services.

 

[shel90]

You'll note that it says, "Communication Teacher", not speech therapist. That statement you provided doesn't negate that instruction is in ASL. Did you read the second link you provided?

I also said in my post that it's very rare for students to have speech, and that if they do it's because it's in their IEP. In those cases, the school district contracts with a SLP to provide those services.

Just wow! Amazing!

Keep twisting things around. I called u out on your false information. It is done.

 

[shel90]

You'll note that it says, "Communication Teacher", not speech therapist. That statement you provided doesn't negate that instruction is in ASL. Did you read the second link you provided?

I also said in my post that it's very rare for students to have speech, and that if they do it's because it's in their IEP. In those cases, the school district contracts with a SLP to provide those services.

Just wow! Amazing!