Why I'm going to teach my son ASL....

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Fresh2Deaf

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My son will definitely have a CI which will enable him to listen and speak. He's not able to get one till he's 1+ years. BUT.... I will teach him ASL. I'm in the process of learning it now. "Why," you may ask.....

It's not to be a part of the community, although I'm sure it will be a plus for him.... But the real reason is....... I think it's going to be fun having a language b/w the 3 of us (dad included) that most people can't understand. So when kids (or immature adults) make fun of or stare at my sons CI we can talk crap right in front of them and they won't even know. Okay... we'll talk about other stuff too.... whatever :roll: ...............

Am I a bad mom?

(Don't really answer that please....)
 
I think it is wonderful! It means you are enabling your son to establish a strong first language foundation which will be critical later on. I have seen so many deaf children come to my program without a language cuz their parents wanted the oral-only approach and didnt expose them to a visual language. Since, we deaf people, cant hear with our ears like hearing people do, it is critical we acquire language using our best sense..the eyes. You are NOT a bad mom for doing this.
 
Motive could use a little work though! Look back at this 10 years from now, and you will see the real good of ASL.:)
 
shel90 said:
I think it is wonderful! It means you are enabling your son to establish a strong first language foundation which will be critical later on. I have seen so many deaf children come to my program without a language cuz their parents wanted the oral-only approach and didnt expose them to a visual language. Since, we deaf people, cant hear with our ears like hearing people do, it is critical we acquire language using our best sense..the eyes. You are NOT a bad mom for doing this.
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:gpost: Shel

Hi, Fresh2Deaf

You know why? Seeing a picture is learning a word because your eyes tells you a word a bit quicker than to hear a sound of word. Seeing is pretty faster than hearing, so that is why visual language is importance to understand a word by word, even picture by picture. That is also reason of why my young sister didn't speak until she was around two years old, but she learned how to sign because of me. She did learn pretty much until she finally picked up some words to speak. :)

So, I think you did right thing. :) So, don't worry about those jerks. Think fo your child, okay?
 
As long as you are teaching it, and continue to do so after the implantation, your motive at this point doesn't matter much. It will change with time.
 
Well that's an awesome motive.....fun! One of the reasons I push ASL/Deaf Culture for even oral sucesses is b/c it's FUN. I mean you got to admit that Hearing Health 101 with the latest CIs/ aids etc is kind of dull.
Oh, and just a bit of caution......ASL can be hard.....but its also a lot of fun.
 
Fresh2Deaf said:
My son will definitely have a CI which will enable him to listen and speak. He's not able to get one till he's 1+ years. BUT.... I will teach him ASL. I'm in the process of learning it now. "Why," you may ask.....

It's not to be a part of the community, although I'm sure it will be a plus for him.... But the real reason is....... I think it's going to be fun having a language b/w the 3 of us (dad included) that most people can't understand. So when kids (or immature adults) make fun of or stare at my sons CI we can talk crap right in front of them and they won't even know. Okay... we'll talk about other stuff too.... whatever :roll: ...............
.
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Excellent to start communicating asap. No excuse to hold back.
Learning signs is a wonderful start.
We signed with our daughter as well and it was very useful when she finally needed to learn to hear after she got the CI's.
But it also meant she herself discontinued sign as her speech / vocabulary increased. We hardly use it now. Not even when the CI is off.

Cued Speech is another way to start communication. This is your own language, but instead of speaking or writing, it is making it visible using speech and hand-shapes/placements. No need to learn a new language, just a new way of "speaking"...

Follow this link to my daughters blog, and have a look...

And.... welcome to a wonderful journey.!
 
Cloggy said:
Excellent to start communicating asap. No excuse to hold back.
Learning signs is a wonderful start.
We signed with our daughter as well and it was very useful when she finally needed to learn to hear after she got the CI's.
But it also meant she herself discontinued sign as her speech / vocabulary increased. We hardly use it now. Not even when the CI is off.

Cued Speech is another way to start communication. This is your own language, but instead of speaking or writing, it is making it visible using speech and hand-shapes/placements. No need to learn a new language, just a new way of "speaking"...

Follow this link to my daughters blog, and have a look...

And.... welcome to a wonderful journey.!
Click to expand...


Cued speech does not assist in language acquisition. Communication depends on language acquisition.
 
jillio said:
Cued speech does not assist in language acquisition. Communication depends on language acquisition.
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That's strange.... for Cued Speech users... it does.... In speech perception AND production.....
 
Guess the argument continues in this thread from the other thread. :roll:
 
So when kids (or immature adults) make fun of or stare at my sons CI we can talk crap right in front of them and they won't even know. Okay... we'll talk about other stuff too.... whatever ...............

Am I a bad mom?

(Don't really answer that please....)
Click to expand...


Hmm, I don't think it's necessary to talk bad about others in ASL because of your son's CI. I think it's how you and your son carry yourself despite his CI that if people say anything, it won't matter. I think positive self-esteem is important and brush off people's comments.

You know that it's not only hearing people that MAY say something negative? It could be Deaf individuals against CI who may know ASL? Some people may have rude comments about ASL, too. I have read people who have encountered rude hearing people because they use ASL in public.

Just brush it off and tell them to mind their own business.

I wish you the best. Just don't worry about other people.
 
Cloggy said:
Excellent to start communicating asap. No excuse to hold back.
Learning signs is a wonderful start.
We signed with our daughter as well and it was very useful when she finally needed to learn to hear after she got the CI's.
But it also meant she herself discontinued sign as her speech / vocabulary increased. We hardly use it now. Not even when the CI is off.

Cued Speech is another way to start communication. This is your own language, but instead of speaking or writing, it is making it visible using speech and hand-shapes/placements. No need to learn a new language, just a new way of "speaking"...

Follow this link to my daughters blog, and have a look...

And.... welcome to a wonderful journey.!
Click to expand...

Cloggy, this isn't the right forum to seek support about Cued Speech. I have known Cued Speech users who grew up with it to acquire language and have communication.

Hopefully, Fresh2Deaf seeks the right people who know about it based on the information given in the other thread. Those are who will give her better information instead of argue who's right, which only discourages and confuse people.

I just leave it up to Fresh2Deaf to seek that support.
 
ClearSky said:
Cloggy, this isn't the right forum to seek support about Cued Speech. I have known Cued Speech users who grew up with it to acquire language and have communication.

Hopefully, Fresh2Deaf seeks the right people who know about it based on the information given in the other thread. Those are who will give her better information instead of argue who's right, which only discourages and confuse people.

I just leave it up to Fresh2Deaf to seek that support.
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:gpost: We're here to offer support for a full toolbox approach, but it's still the parent who must decide what is best for her child. Not us.
 
ClearSky said:
Hmm, I don't think it's necessary to talk bad about others in ASL because of your son's CI. I think it's how you and your son carry yourself despite his CI that if people say anything, it won't matter. I think positive self-esteem is important and brush off people's comments.

You know that it's not only hearing people that MAY say something negative? It could be Deaf individuals against CI who may know ASL? Some people may have rude comments about ASL, too. I have read people who have encountered rude hearing people because they use ASL in public.

Just brush it off and tell them to mind their own business.

I wish you the best. Just don't worry about other people.
Click to expand...

Well said, couldn't agree with you more :gpost:.. Ignorance comes from both sides- hearing and deaf, and also I've seen some would criticize a person's signing skills by saying she/he needs more practices or their signs are lousy blah blah etc.

Fresh2Deaf--Hold your head high and know that you are doing what is best for your child, who cares what others says, don't let these people bother you.

I applaud you for teaching your child signs. I think that's wonderful!! :D
 
I am the parent of an ASL using CI kid. She just got implanted today, but if you have questions, feel free to ask!
 
faire_jour said:
I am the parent of an ASL using CI kid. She just got implanted today, but if you have questions, feel free to ask!
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I don't wanna jump your case but someone once mentioned on this forum that he/she prefers us to use "children with CI" instead of "CI child/kid". :shrug:
 
ClearSky said:
Cloggy, this isn't the right forum to seek support about Cued Speech. I have known Cued Speech users who grew up with it to acquire language and have communication.

Hopefully, Fresh2Deaf seeks the right people who know about it based on the information given in the other thread. Those are who will give her better information instead of argue who's right, which only discourages and confuse people.

I just leave it up to Fresh2Deaf to seek that support.
Click to expand...

Yea, I agree with you. Best to refrain from debating about which communication methods are the best when a parent creates a thread seeking support.

Fresh2Deaf..best of luck in everything. Hope u continue to be a member here. :)
 
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