Hearing impaired children

[peppy]

Does anyone have first hand advice on this?

[legion]

Don't yell at them. It doesn't work.

Seriously, I've got nothing.

My wife used to work with a deaf lady, and it took a great deal of patience--on both their parts--to show her how to use new programs or explain new procedures. My wife did learn a bit of sign language to aid her. She (the deaf lady) would get frustrated when things were not explained in a way that made sense to her.

[peppy]

Thanks Legion, the child is 21 months.

[Moses]

Just a few points. Cochlear implant technology is making huge strides, find out if the child is a candidate. Support services for the hearing impaired are extensive. Check the local programs to see what's available, signing, etc. Let the child's otologist's office serve as a resource to recommend support services.

[dtw]

Hit up Tim Walsh, both his wife and mother are Deaf Ed teachers. He's probably got more insight than anyone on the board, aside from Moses and the other docs.

Oh and Tim...dude...you married your mother. That's just creepy, man. How did I not realize that until now. Seek help!

[gr8fl4porsche]

What specifically do you want to know? I have 2 deaf cousins who I grew up with and (1) has worked with me daily in my office for 10 years.

All her friends are deaf, ask any question and I can find you the answer.

I asked her a couple of years ago if she was interested in the possibility of a cochlear implant and she said no, no interest in hearing after 50 years of silence.


The internet has been the greatest invention for the hearing impaired to date. Between IM and email, the TTY machine in my office never gets used.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by gr8fl4porsche

What specifically do you want to know? I have 2 deaf cousins who I grew up with and (1) has worked with me daily in my office for 10 years.

All her friends are deaf, ask any question and I can find you the answer.

I asked her a couple of years ago if she was interested in the possibility of a cochlear implant and she said no, no interest in hearing after 50 years of silence.


The internet has been the greatest invention for the hearing impaired to date. Between IM and email, the TTY machine in my office never gets used.

Did any of your cousins have any hearing? This child only has a partial hearing loss, so the docs are using hearing aids.

[gr8fl4porsche]

My male cousin was born completely deaf, he is now about 50. Never heard a sound his whole life - hard to understand his world.

My female cousin who works with me was born with hearing and lost it due to measles, I believe, when she was about 4. She used to wear a hearing aid when she was younger but no longer does. I will ask her on Monday if she can hear anything. She definitely cannot hear when you talk to her because you have to find ways to get her attention. She reads lips. She grew up going to deaf schools.

[Tobra]

What Moses said.

When my wife was a kid, there was this girl on the bus who sat by herself and never interacted with the other kids. Turned out she was deaf. My wife learned sign language and became friends with her until their family moved away

[peppy]

Originally Posted by Tobra

What Moses said.

When my wife was a kid, there was this girl on the bus who sat by herself and never interacted with the other kids. Turned out she was deaf. My wife learned sign language and became friends with her until their family moved away

I have started trying to learn sign language, from the web. I hope I do better than I did with other languages.

[peppy]

bump

Anybody got ideas about kids with hearing aids?

[peppy]

Looks like hearing aids are no longer working for our son. He's been tested twice now by different places and his word recognition is down to 32% in one ear and 54% in the other. That is down from 50% and 75-80% respectively. We are not sure what to do now, the Dr's want cochlear implants.
Our son is 12 in the sixth grade and making AB honor roll at a private school. I just can't get my head around how he is doing it.
We have asked if his hearing will continue to deteriorate, but auditory neuropathy is not something they can predict.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by peppy

Looks like hearing aids are no longer working for our son. He's been tested twice now by different places and his word recognition is down to 32% in one ear and 54% in the other. That is down from 50% and 75-80% respectively. We are not sure what to do now, the Dr's want cochlear implants.
Our son is 12 in the sixth grade and making AB honor roll at a private school. I just can't get my head around how he is doing it.
We have asked if his hearing will continue to deteriorate, but auditory neuropathy is not something they can predict.

Thank you for the update. It sounds like he's doing, in many ways, better than fine despite his limited hearing. I can't imagine what you and he have been through and will go through, but it sounds like your son and you as parents will over come in a big way.

[peppy]

Thanks for the encouragement.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by Moses

Just a few points. Cochlear implant technology is making huge strides, find out if the child is a candidate. Support services for the hearing impaired are extensive. Check the local programs to see what's available, signing, etc. Let the child's otologist's office serve as a resource to recommend support services.

The CIs now are different that just a few years ago. Now they are telling us they can preserve residual hearing.

[GH85Carrera]

I dated a lady long ago that was a teacher in public school that taught deaf and hearing impaired children. She of course could sign to help them learn.

I had no realization what a handicap it is for learning language. The hearing children pick up language with zero effort, it just happens from hearing their parents and others talk. Deaf children have no idea at all how to speak, and what the structure of language is. It makes it really had to teach math, history or any of the subjects in school. Hopefull your son learned language and the basic concepts of communication.

I am sorry sorry your sons disability, but with the hearing he had and hopefully the new technologies he can fully grasp the sign language, and grasp the world of learning. With work he can lead a full life.

Good luck to hm and your family.

[KFC911]

One of my best friends growing up was almost totally deaf. Though I've lost contact over the decades, he's lived a very successful and fulfilled life.

Best to you and yours Peppy... it's a different tech world now too!

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by peppy

Looks like hearing aids are no longer working for our son. He's been tested twice now by different places and his word recognition is down to 32% in one ear and 54% in the other. That is down from 50% and 75-80% respectively. We are not sure what to do now, the Dr's want cochlear implants.
Our son is 12 in the sixth grade and making AB honor roll at a private school. I just can't get my head around how he is doing it.
We have asked if his hearing will continue to deteriorate, but auditory neuropathy is not something they can predict.

It's easy for me to say but I think your boy is doing great. Our biology can make incredible accommodation when given such a hurdle to clear, and it looks like your boy is on his way to a very good life.

My situation is not the same by any stretch but consider that my brain had to rewire itself to adapt to me losing the use of my right arm at the age of 48. Now being left handed is as normal as was being right handed. I even think left handed when imagining a task.

With your support and unconditional love he's gonna do fine.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by peppy

bump

Anybody got ideas about kids with hearing aids?

Evidently, they often get bullied in school. Shane Van Boening, a world ranked pool player, told of being bullied in school. Probably because he "talked funny" because of his hearing impairment. Actually, this ended up helping young Shane, who found himself being welcomed in the local pool hall. Both his grandmother and mother played. They noticed that he sitting in a high chair was fascinated with the movement of the balls as they played. He began playing at age 3.

In the same interview he related an incident of returning home in a new caddy, running it through the local car wash to discover that one of his old bullies was working there. Shane smiled, then said; "I tipped him five bucks."

Shane was 90% hearing impaired since birth. I doubt your son's speech has the same impairment? Not saying your son should become a world beater in pool, just that he will find his place in the world. You might save this tale should bullying become an issue.

[Bill Douglas]

I've grown up with partial hearing loss.

I didn't know I was partially deaf. I thought all kids could hear the same. I know this sounds odd but when you are a kid, especially days gone by, you just did what was yelled at you.

I was put in either the bad kids class because I didn't do what I was told, then other years put in the dumb kids class because the class was told to do something and I didn't know what to do.

I got to lip read which is what I do these days. I now use it to my advantage, if GF is saying something from the other room I ignore her and pretend I haven't heard. And unless she and other are facing me when they speak I say something like "Sorry I don't speak Dutch, what is that in English?" That really winds them up so they speak clearly and look at me now LOL

I got given a hearing aid but I couldn't be bothered using it.