Relationships with Speech-language Pathologists

Come to think of it, unless it's on the IEP: a kid ignoring the teacher, a kid 'dissociated' with reality, and a d/hh kid are all going to look similar... it's not like ESE teachers get a crash course in 'here's how to tell if someone is -d/hh and/or blind/poor vision- instead of (whatever else someone labeled the kid as).

Don't know if mom ever had d/hh kids in her class or not, no way to find out now.
 
To everyone,
Thank you for your responses about experiences with Speech therapists. First, I don't believe that being Deaf or using sign language should be looked down upon at all. No mode of communication is "better" than another. I also agree that an initial foundation of sign language would be the most natural path for children born with great hearing loss since this visual sense is stronger and more functional. Thus, I also agree that it is the family's (including the child) choice to decide to have speech therapy or not. From the speech therapist's view, if they did want the therapy, I think the therapist should have a good understanding of Deaf culture, sign language, and continue to encourage the child to use sign through the therapy. I respect the choice of many deaf to not want to pursue speech therapy. I am actually looking into the occupational therapy route, but am taking ASL and speech therapy for a greater understanding of some of the people I may work with. I have been a dancer most of my life and would love to specifically help people through creative dance/movement therapy. I think sign language is a beautiful language that expresses many things that English can't. Once again, thank you for your responses.
 
I have to weigh in on this....my mother is a speech therapist. For many years she was the head of the Speech Pathology/Audiology department for Gracewood State school and Hospital. She also maintained a private practice at the same time. (The heavy workload probably explains why she didn't notice my hearing loss in high school. I didn't notice either. :eek3: )

While she had basic well-rounded expertise, in her private practice she didn't work with deaf children. She felt she wasn't qualified since she doesn't sign. She worked with mainly stutterers, and also did extensive post graduate work in myo-functional therapy.

Once she "retired" (and I use that term very loosely) she started a rehab company and worked with stroke patients. At 73, she is still working!

I always found it interesting that she felt a non-signing SLP was not qualified to work with the deaf. Granted, SPL's by definition deal with speech....but language fluency should be the main concern.

My mother also (in her private practice) refused to take on a patient unless BOTH parents were willing to work with the child. At least one parent was required to stay in the room and participate in the sessions. She also insists that parents stop the constant correction. She literally says, "STOP THAT." I've seen her do it. :cool:

She has a medication related hearing loss now....so the folks in the next block can probably hear us:

Me: Do you want some lunch?

Mom: You want a bunch of what?
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(Neither of us wear our hearing aids at home.)

Reading all these posts has really let me see the other side of the speech therapy equation....and made me appreciate my mother more.
 
saywhatkid said:
Most of these people are deaf, or close to it. Many have never heard speech. Most would not be able to understand spoken words. A large number of them use ASL exclusively as their language. A lot of them are not in favor of learning speech, since they are quite literate as ASL users.

Not surprised that "drphil" would weigh in with experience in this topic. He is commonly referred to as having audist views. I make no distinctions due to the fact I am not deaf yet. It would be wrong for me, due to that. However, I have always wanted to ask him something: Drphil, do you receive any compensation or dividend for the use of Sunnybrook/Toronto or Implanted A B Harmony in your posts?
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WHAT?! Whoa there buddy. I'm ORAL DEAF. As Deaf as can be and I can speak. Not my choice I wasn't given one as a child it was forced upon me.
We are out there. There are varying degrees of " Deafness "...are you a hearie?

If so what the hell do you know about Deafness besides what you read?
how dare you try to act as if you're the expert on the Deaf population on AD and in general?

I'm in a foul mood due to a hip injury so you can just shove it. I have an excuse. :cool2: And I'm actually Deaf. You are? What? Hearing?
 
Hi Hannah! :)

I'm Oral Deaf and my experience wasn't a good one as speech was forced on me in school and I was not allowed to sign to other Deaf students. The speech therapist I saw were for the most part friendly but they were very rigid. If I didn't pronounce a word right I had to say it until I did over and over again. I had to put my hand on the teachers mouth and then mine, her throat and then mine. I learned to say the "S" sound using a straw that I had to hold with the tip of my tounge behind my two front teeth on the roof of my mouth and blow out of it. After I did that they would remove the straw and I had to "pretend" that I had the straw in my mouth and make the "S" sound. It was pretty intensive. After a session I'd typically be very tired and sleepy. It really took a toll on me. This was a good 20+ years ago. I wonder if it has changed? For the better? I hope so. If a child doesn't want to speak he/she shouldn't be forced to. Period. If I had not been forced I may not have the views I hold against oralism, speech therapy.
 
TheWriteAlex said:
I had speech therapy from kindergarten through 12th grade, twice a week for an hour each time. It wasn't as intensive as what many deaf people go through, because I only had to correct my sibilant sounds. I had 4 SLPs in my life, and the relationship with them really depended on the personality of each individual therapist. If she (it was always women; I've never even met a male SLP/audiologist) was nice to me, I didn't mind it. My first SLP was lousy, and I hated going to see her. I felt like a guinea pig. The second was okay, but not great. I didn't like going to see her, but can't say I hated it.

From junior high to high school graduation, I had the same SLP, and she was great-- very nice and encouraging. She helped me a lot with my vocabulary and verbal confidence, and she was very supportive and believed in me.
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Mine started in kindergarden but I had it every day for an hour all the way up until I graduated high school.

I was so happy to get out of there! Glad to see I'm not the only one that had it for "life".
 
SPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAACHHHHHHHHHHHH


whenever people bring it up, that is what goes through my mind. Why? It is because it was made such a HUGE deal in my lifetime that I couldnt separate my speech skills from my identity. That was how bad it was for me.
 
Jaspheth said:
WHAT?! Whoa there buddy. I'm ORAL DEAF. As Deaf as can be and I can speak. Not my choice I wasn't given one as a child it was forced upon me.
We are out there. There are varying degrees of " Deafness "...are you a hearie?

If so what the hell do you know about Deafness besides what you read?
how dare you try to act as if you're the expert on the Deaf population on AD and in general?

I'm in a foul mood due to a hip injury so you can just shove it. I have an excuse. :cool2: And I'm actually Deaf. You are? What? Hearing?
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I am not deaf enough? Only 3/4ths? Have a nice life.
 
hannahrae89 said:
Hi,
I'm Hannah, a student taking ASL 2 at a university in Texas. I thought this section would be appropriate for the question I have. What are some of your experiences with speech-language pathologists whether good or bad? Was their oral speech approach respectful? Basically I'd just like an overview of what kind of relationships many of you may have had with any speech-language pathologists. Thanks!
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My own mother was my main speech therapist. She attended my speech sessions at the hospital and learned from the pathologist how to train me. In elementary school, my special ed teacher was also my speech teacher and also my music teacher. She not only helped with my speech but taught me to play the recorder. I've always really liked her actually. She was a very kind yet firm woman and I have fond memories of her.

The speech therapist I had when I moved to another school in grade six, she irritated me to no end. She overstepped boundaries a lot. Instead of focusing on my speech only, she would also correct my handwriting, or ask if I understood what was written in the text books as if I also had a readig problem. It was too much and one day in grade 8, when she demanded to see my ear molds then give me a lesson in hygiene, not just in ear molds but also how I should bathe and wash my hair and floss my teeth, I never returned to her again and I made my mother stop with speech therapy at home. After 10 years of 2-3 hours of speech therapy a day, I had enough.
 
drphil said:
Re: post #4-saywhatkid:I am not "audist" but bilateral DEAF since December 20, 2006. Labels don't change conditions.

I have described my deafness as silence-which it is. That is why I started the process of Cochlear Implant consideration.-successful.

I am aware not exactly as"described in ideology/culture" that way.

I don't receive "compensation/dividends" for mentioning the fact I was Implanted July 12, 2007 at Sunnybrook/Toronto with an Advanced Bionics-Harmony Cochlear Implant. This is factual.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
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The OP was asking about people's experiences with their speech therapist, not their experiences taking classes on coping with hearing loss.
 
Ugh.....speech therapy *thumbs down* Was made to start speech therapy when I was 12.. in my first year of high schoool. What a waste of time. I probably am no better than I was when I started ST.
 
JabberJay said:
Only went for 3 years in preschool through grade 1.
Speech therapy actually made me worse because I was one of those kids that was soo stubborn that when bored would do the complete opposite of what I was told to try and get a rise out of someone.

I was bored a lot.
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Just quoting this because I'm adding more detail and it's been a while.


I can speak a little better now, but I didn't start improving until after therapy stopped.
I'm HOH and honestly I found my boyfriends better teachers than that speech therapists that I had.

I still will speak horribly when tired though, which is a lot of the time.
I get a lot of comments on my speech at work.
 
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