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Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to this

list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing. My

older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in one ear

and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the same time

your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're starting

to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened for

, because then there would have been no need for " catching up " at

all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication choice)

has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a matter of

months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be now

(he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change things

that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the infant

hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from the

beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a pretty

safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we should

be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the schools

should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live in more

populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and only

because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf education. Oh,

well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

Darla

On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

> Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom of two

> boys, both

> of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can that

> be

> possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 - Sam -

> he has a

> profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are aided,

> communicate

> orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in Hanover,

> New

> Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of the

> family - my

> brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has always

> been hard of

> hearing.

>

> Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way too

> late to my way

> of thinking!

>

> This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living in a

> fairly

> rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are pretty

> spread out.

> It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

>

> Best

> Barbara

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

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Hi Darla!

Did you use Cued Speech right away, at 17 months when your son was first

diagnosed? My daughter is 13 mos. and we are trying to decide on a

communication mode for her and are leaning heavily toward cue-ing. I have

so many questions and certainly see the benefits to both signing and cueing

and am quite sure, no matter what we choose, we'll always wonder if we

should have done it differently. She has no hearing at all and after her

trial period with aids and the FM, may be a candidate for CI's. Time will

tell. Thanks. Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to this

list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing. My

older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in one ear

and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the same time

your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're starting

to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened for

, because then there would have been no need for " catching up " at

all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication choice)

has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a matter of

months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be now

(he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change things

that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the infant

hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from the

beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a pretty

safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we should

be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the schools

should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live in more

populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and only

because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf education. Oh,

well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

Darla

On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

> Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom of two

> boys, both

> of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can that

> be

> possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 - Sam -

> he has a

> profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are aided,

> communicate

> orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in Hanover,

> New

> Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of the

> family - my

> brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has always

> been hard of

> hearing.

>

> Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way too

> late to my way

> of thinking!

>

> This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living in a

> fairly

> rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are pretty

> spread out.

> It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

>

> Best

> Barbara

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

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Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

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the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

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No, we didn't start with Cued Speech right away, although we would have

if we would have known how well it worked and how quickly we could have

natural communication with our child in our native language. We started

when he was 3 years old. Before that, we used the oral approach, but it

wasn't natural communication for us because we had to stick to the words

he knew. He wasn't making appropriate language strides, and he has a

profound loss, so since there was frustration on all of our parts, we

started looking into " manual " methods, and I talked to a mom who used

Cued Speech right when I was taking sign classes. The things she had to

say were great, and I went to a camp in land to learn more about it.

I ended up talking to deaf college-aged students who had used Cued Speech

since they were 2 or 3, like my son. They told me they preferred Cued

Speech in their academics because it gave them " word-for-word " what the

teacher and everyone was saying (not an interpretation), but that they

preferred ASL with their deaf friends. I thought that was a " complete

picture " and that they weren't being exclusive to just one communication

choice, which I thought was great. And besides, I wanted that for

--natural communication in English with his family and in school and

the freedom to communicate with other deaf people in a language that

didn't require " perfect speech " or the ability for hearing people to

understand him. We're making sure he will have access to both ASL and

English. Do you have the National Cued Speech Association's e-mail

address, in case you want to ask some questions? Just let me know if you

need it.

Darla

On Sat, 29 Jul 2000 15:20:07 -0400 " Laurie & Steve Slawta "

writes:

> Hi Darla!

> Did you use Cued Speech right away, at 17 months when your

> son was first

> diagnosed? My daughter is 13 mos. and we are trying to decide on a

> communication mode for her and are leaning heavily toward cue-ing.

> I have

> so many questions and certainly see the benefits to both signing and

> cueing

> and am quite sure, no matter what we choose, we'll always wonder if

> we

> should have done it differently. She has no hearing at all and

> after her

> trial period with aids and the FM, may be a candidate for CI's.

> Time will

> tell. Thanks. Laurie

>

> Re: Welcome to all!

>

>

> Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to

> this

> list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing.

> My

> older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in one

> ear

> and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the same

> time

> your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> starting

> to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

> hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened for

> , because then there would have been no need for " catching up "

> at

> all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> choice)

> has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a matter

> of

> months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be

> now

> (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> things

> that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> infant

> hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from

> the

> beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> pretty

> safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

> population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> should

> be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the schools

> should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

> though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live in

> more

> populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and

> only

> because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf education.

> Oh,

> well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

>

> Darla

> On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

> > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom of

> two

> > boys, both

> > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can

> that

> > be

> > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 - Sam

> -

> > he has a

> > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> aided,

> > communicate

> > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in Hanover,

> > New

> > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of

> the

> > family - my

> > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has always

> > been hard of

> > hearing.

> >

> > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way too

> > late to my way

> > of thinking!

> >

> > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living in

> a

> > fairly

> > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> pretty

> > spread out.

> > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

> >

> > Best

> > Barbara

> >

> >

> >

>

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > subject to copyright restrictions.

> >

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is

> the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> copyright

> restrictions.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

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Guest guest

Thanks Darla. I do have the NCSA address. My husband and I are looking to

get a workshop here in the next month or so. If we can't generate enough

interest, then the two of us will go to Brooklyn for a two day workshop to

learn it. Your words are very encouraging. has no hearing at all

and I know the deaf culture would have me just leave her be and teach her

signing only. But I just have to travel every road possible and open every

door I'm able to for her. It's not a matter of not accepting her the way

she is, just wanting more for her than ASL alone can provide. Before anyone

gets upset at me for saying that, I have to work with my baby within my own

limitations as well and I don't have the confidence or the ability to use

only signing with her. I want her to learn that as well as cueing and if

possible, to use her voice as well. Just not sure when to teach her which

to create the least confusion! Thanks so much for your valuable input!

Blessings, Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

>

>

> Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to

> this

> list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing.

> My

> older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in one

> ear

> and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the same

> time

> your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> starting

> to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

> hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened for

> , because then there would have been no need for " catching up "

> at

> all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> choice)

> has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a matter

> of

> months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be

> now

> (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> things

> that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> infant

> hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from

> the

> beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> pretty

> safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

> population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> should

> be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the schools

> should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

> though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live in

> more

> populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and

> only

> because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf education.

> Oh,

> well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

>

> Darla

> On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

> > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom of

> two

> > boys, both

> > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can

> that

> > be

> > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 - Sam

> -

> > he has a

> > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> aided,

> > communicate

> > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in Hanover,

> > New

> > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of

> the

> > family - my

> > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has always

> > been hard of

> > hearing.

> >

> > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way too

> > late to my way

> > of thinking!

> >

> > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living in

> a

> > fairly

> > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> pretty

> > spread out.

> > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

> >

> > Best

> > Barbara

> >

> >

> >

>

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > subject to copyright restrictions.

> >

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is

> the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> copyright

> restrictions.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

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Guest guest

You're in New York, right? Do you know Sarina Roffe there? Are you near

her? She teaches workshops in Cued Speech, I believe, and there are

others, too. I'm sure you already know all of this. If you need her

e-mail address, though, I have it. I understand about you wanting your

daughter to have access to everything. It's perfectly natural to look at

other things along with ASL. As you know, ASL is its own language, and

isn't meant to be anything like English. One can actually have access to

both ASL and English using Cued Speech, as it doesn't replace anything,

because it's not a language on its own. Cued Speech conveys English

naturally to deaf kids(not the only way to do so, just efficient and

easy--no need to " teach " each word by writing it down, etc.), and the

parent can speak in their native language without limitations and with

confidence. All kids, deaf included, want and need to be a part of the

language and culture of their homes, and the majority of deaf kids have

hearing parents who aren't fluent in ASL prior to their child's

diagnosis. I think ASL is an important part of a deaf child's/person's

life, also, as I've said, and don't see any reason whatsoever that a

child can't have both ASL and English if that's what the parents choose.

I want my child to learn ASL from fluent signers--preferably deaf ASL

users. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

Darla

On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 15:38:10 -0400 " Laurie & Steve Slawta "

writes:

> Thanks Darla. I do have the NCSA address. My husband and I are

> looking to

> get a workshop here in the next month or so. If we can't generate

> enough

> interest, then the two of us will go to Brooklyn for a two day

> workshop to

> learn it. Your words are very encouraging. has no hearing

> at all

> and I know the deaf culture would have me just leave her be and

> teach her

> signing only. But I just have to travel every road possible and

> open every

> door I'm able to for her. It's not a matter of not accepting her

> the way

> she is, just wanting more for her than ASL alone can provide.

> Before anyone

> gets upset at me for saying that, I have to work with my baby within

> my own

> limitations as well and I don't have the confidence or the ability

> to use

> only signing with her. I want her to learn that as well as cueing

> and if

> possible, to use her voice as well. Just not sure when to teach her

> which

> to create the least confusion! Thanks so much for your valuable

> input!

> Blessings, Laurie

>

> Re: Welcome to all!

> >

> >

> > Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to

> > this

> > list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing.

> > My

> > older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in

> one

> > ear

> > and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the

> same

> > time

> > your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> > starting

> > to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

> > hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened

> for

> > , because then there would have been no need for " catching

> up "

> > at

> > all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> > choice)

> > has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a

> matter

> > of

> > months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be

> > now

> > (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> > things

> > that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> > infant

> > hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from

> > the

> > beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> > pretty

> > safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

> > population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> > should

> > be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the

> schools

> > should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

> > though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live

> in

> > more

> > populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and

> > only

> > because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf

> education.

> > Oh,

> > well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

> >

> > Darla

> > On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@...

> writes:

> > > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom

> of

> > two

> > > boys, both

> > > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can

> > that

> > > be

> > > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 -

> Sam

> > -

> > > he has a

> > > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> > aided,

> > > communicate

> > > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in

> Hanover,

> > > New

> > > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of

> > the

> > > family - my

> > > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has

> always

> > > been hard of

> > > hearing.

> > >

> > > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way

> too

> > > late to my way

> > > of thinking!

> > >

> > > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living

> in

> > a

> > > fairly

> > > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> > pretty

> > > spread out.

> > > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

> > >

> > > Best

> > > Barbara

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > >

> > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> > Each

> > > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > > subject to copyright restrictions.

> > >

> >

> > ________________________________________________________________

> > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

> >

> >

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is

> > the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> > copyright

> > restrictions.

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > subject to copyright restrictions.

> >

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is

> the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> copyright

> restrictions.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

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Guest guest

It does get overwhelming with all the choices out there, doesn't it??

But I like that there are choices out there, because everyone is

different and looking for something that best fits THEIR needs. I think

it's great. Could you explain a little bit about what Visual Phonics is?

It actually almost sounds similar to Cued Speech. I may have heard of

it, but I'm not sure.

On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 17:21:50 -0700 " Floyd and Tish Lavrenz "

writes:

> Sure wish there was more knowledge around our part of the world here

> about

> cued speech. I keep coming back to knowing we should learn it, and

> use it

> along with sign but then it changes everything about her services in

> school.

> Information can be so confusing. First there is ASL, then there is

> SEE,

> then there is Pidgeon, then there is Visual Phonics (I know VP is

> not a mode

> of communication, but I think it could be valuable in learning to

> read),

> then there is Cued Speech. How can a family do it all??? I guess

> just pick

> one and hope it is the right one for your child. You sound like a

> good mom,

> Laurie.

>

> Re: Welcome to all!

> > >

> > >

> > > Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer "

> to

> > > this

> > > list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's

> hearing.

> > > My

> > > older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in

> one

> > > ear

> > > and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the

> same

> > > time

> > > your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> > > starting

> > > to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching

> the

> > > hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened

> for

> > > , because then there would have been no need for " catching

> up "

> > > at

> > > all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> > > choice)

> > > has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a

> matter

> > > of

> > > months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to

> be

> > > now

> > > (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> > > things

> > > that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> > > infant

> > > hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right

> from

> > > the

> > > beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> > > pretty

> > > safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a

> bigger

> > > population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> > > should

> > > be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the

> schools

> > > should be expected to provide the needed services. It is

> strange,

> > > though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live

> in

> > > more

> > > populated areas in order to get the services their kids need,

> and

> > > only

> > > because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf

> education.

> > > Oh,

> > > well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

> > >

> > > Darla

> > > On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@...

> writes:

> > > > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom

> of

> > > two

> > > > boys, both

> > > > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8!

> can

> > > that

> > > > be

> > > > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 -

> Sam

> > > -

> > > > he has a

> > > > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> > > aided,

> > > > communicate

> > > > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in

> Hanover,

> > > > New

> > > > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side

> of

> > > the

> > > > family - my

> > > > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has

> always

> > > > been hard of

> > > > hearing.

> > > >

> > > > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way

> too

> > > > late to my way

> > > > of thinking!

> > > >

> > > > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us

> living in

> > > a

> > > > fairly

> > > > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> > > pretty

> > > > spread out.

> > > > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way

> too!

> > > >

> > > > Best

> > > > Barbara

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > > >

> > > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> > > Each

> > > > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > > > subject to copyright restrictions.

> > > >

> > >

> > > ________________________________________________________________

> > > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> > > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> > > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> > > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > > post is

> > > the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> > > copyright

> > > restrictions.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > >

> > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > > subject to copyright restrictions.

> > >

> >

> > ________________________________________________________________

> > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

> >

> >

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each post

> is

> > the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> copyright

> > restrictions.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each post

> is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> copyright restrictions.

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

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Guest guest

Sure wish there was more knowledge around our part of the world here about

cued speech. I keep coming back to knowing we should learn it, and use it

along with sign but then it changes everything about her services in school.

Information can be so confusing. First there is ASL, then there is SEE,

then there is Pidgeon, then there is Visual Phonics (I know VP is not a mode

of communication, but I think it could be valuable in learning to read),

then there is Cued Speech. How can a family do it all??? I guess just pick

one and hope it is the right one for your child. You sound like a good mom,

Laurie.

Re: Welcome to all!

> >

> >

> > Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to

> > this

> > list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing.

> > My

> > older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in one

> > ear

> > and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the same

> > time

> > your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> > starting

> > to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

> > hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened for

> > , because then there would have been no need for " catching up "

> > at

> > all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> > choice)

> > has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a matter

> > of

> > months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be

> > now

> > (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> > things

> > that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> > infant

> > hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from

> > the

> > beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> > pretty

> > safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

> > population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> > should

> > be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the schools

> > should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

> > though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live in

> > more

> > populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and

> > only

> > because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf education.

> > Oh,

> > well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

> >

> > Darla

> > On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

> > > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom of

> > two

> > > boys, both

> > > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can

> > that

> > > be

> > > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 - Sam

> > -

> > > he has a

> > > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> > aided,

> > > communicate

> > > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in Hanover,

> > > New

> > > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of

> > the

> > > family - my

> > > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has always

> > > been hard of

> > > hearing.

> > >

> > > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way too

> > > late to my way

> > > of thinking!

> > >

> > > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living in

> > a

> > > fairly

> > > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> > pretty

> > > spread out.

> > > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

> > >

> > > Best

> > > Barbara

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > >

> > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> > Each

> > > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > > subject to copyright restrictions.

> > >

> >

> > ________________________________________________________________

> > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

> >

> >

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> > post is

> > the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> > copyright

> > restrictions.

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > subject to copyright restrictions.

> >

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post

is

> the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

> restrictions.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post

is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

copyright restrictions.

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Guest guest

PLEASE! It was absolutely NOT my intent to offend whatsoever! I guess I

felt I had to defend my reasons for investigating Cued Speech as CI's as

they seem to generate a lot of controversy and I have been told I was being

abusive to even consider it. I think sign language is beautiful, expressive

and a NECESSARY part of any deaf persons education, and should be part of

the hearing person's as well.

You know, I'm going to be very honest here, and you can take it for what

it is worth. I know I'm in the very early stages of discovering my

daughters deafness and all its ramifications. We're barely on the threshold

of uncovering any options available to us, as well as all the limitations

due to the nature of her loss, our geographical location, our lack of

knowledge and finances. And because of all these factors, emotions are

running very high right now. I'm tearfully sitting here, saddened because I

seem to have unintentionally offended some of you, and saddened because I

feel this is such a pins-and -needles endeavor. I'm just trying to learn

everything I can, and while I do respect EVERY communication option, I've

hit walls of over sensitivity and prejudice on nearly every front. How can

respect be generated if we are not allowed to investigate and gain knowledge

without feeling under attack? I'm very sorry if I made anyone feel that

way, because I do know how it feels.

Again, I do apologize for any misunderstanding my wording has caused and

I'll try to learn what I can by just observing and listening more,

questioning and commenting less.

Blessings to you all, Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

> has no hearing at all

> and I know the deaf culture would have me just leave her be and teach her

> signing only.

Please, on this list we respect all options. I realize you're new, but we

also have to respect the views of our members who belong to the deaf

culture. Qualifying the statement doesn't mean we can make statements that

make followers of other modes of communication feel like they have to be on

the defensive. I've already gotten complaints about your message so it's not

just me being overly picky. Please be more careful next time.

Kay

listenup@...

Listen Up Web

http://www.listen-up.org/

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Guest guest

I'm sorry anyone was offended, and I'm sure you didn't mean to, Laurie.

There is a lot of controversy involved in the area of deafness and

education, communication choices, etc., that is somewhat unfortunate, as

I think we're all trying to do our best with our children. There is no

one way, in my opinion, and every family needs to find what works best

for them. Regardless of what resistance you hit, or what extremes you

hear about ( " only this way works " , etc.), just keep plugging away at

whatever feels right for your child. It's hard, sometimes, to find words

that don't offend, because this is something most parents feel very

strongly about. I guess what would have been helpful is if someone would

have pointed out to you that ALL of deaf culture doesn't feel any one way

about all of this, either, and that while maybe some would tell you

signing is the only way to go, I've come in contact with many who are in

favor of ASL (as am I) who also understand the reasons to go in other

directions, as well. I talked to a parent who was deaf and has deaf

children and deaf parents herself who told me there were some members of

her own community who disparaged her for allowing her son to use his

voice. She told me, " If you find something that works for you and is best

for your child, just keep going. Don't worry what others may say. " That

is not to say that you or anyone else is being disparaging, I just wanted

to show that a member of the deaf community felt something separate from

what some of her friends and fellow members of the same community was

feeling. I found that to be very inspiring, and I think about it often

when I encounter people who may not understand what it is I'm doing or

why. I feel I don't necessarily have to explain myself, but since I give

presentations to parent groups, parent advisors, and just lately, sign

language interpreters, I feel it is important to let them know this was a

personal choice, give the reasons for my choice, and educate them on

things they may not have known about before. The groups I've talked with

have been very open for the most part, and I haven't changed anyone's

mind, really, about the direction they were going in if they had one.

What I've found has happened is that the groups I've talked with are glad

to hear about something they may not have known as much about and they

realize it was a personal decision I made that works well for our child.

I've learned a lot from the groups I've talked with, as well, and one

interpreter wants to swap signing and cueing in some way, such as

teaching or learning. We're still working it out! Hang in there,

Laurie. I know you're working hard to do all you can to give your child

what she needs. All of us have been there, and are still there.

On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 08:27:55 -0400 " Laurie & Steve Slawta "

writes:

> PLEASE! It was absolutely NOT my intent to offend whatsoever! I

> guess I

> felt I had to defend my reasons for investigating Cued Speech as

> CI's as

> they seem to generate a lot of controversy and I have been told I

> was being

> abusive to even consider it. I think sign language is beautiful,

> expressive

> and a NECESSARY part of any deaf persons education, and should be

> part of

> the hearing person's as well.

> You know, I'm going to be very honest here, and you can take it

> for what

> it is worth. I know I'm in the very early stages of discovering my

> daughters deafness and all its ramifications. We're barely on the

> threshold

> of uncovering any options available to us, as well as all the

> limitations

> due to the nature of her loss, our geographical location, our lack

> of

> knowledge and finances. And because of all these factors, emotions

> are

> running very high right now. I'm tearfully sitting here, saddened

> because I

> seem to have unintentionally offended some of you, and saddened

> because I

> feel this is such a pins-and -needles endeavor. I'm just trying to

> learn

> everything I can, and while I do respect EVERY communication option,

> I've

> hit walls of over sensitivity and prejudice on nearly every front.

> How can

> respect be generated if we are not allowed to investigate and gain

> knowledge

> without feeling under attack? I'm very sorry if I made anyone feel

> that

> way, because I do know how it feels.

> Again, I do apologize for any misunderstanding my wording

> has caused and

> I'll try to learn what I can by just observing and listening more,

> questioning and commenting less.

> Blessings to you all, Laurie

> Re: Welcome to all!

>

>

> > has no hearing at all

> > and I know the deaf culture would have me just leave her be and

> teach her

> > signing only.

>

> Please, on this list we respect all options. I realize you're new,

> but we

> also have to respect the views of our members who belong to the deaf

> culture. Qualifying the statement doesn't mean we can make

> statements that

> make followers of other modes of communication feel like they have

> to be on

> the defensive. I've already gotten complaints about your message so

> it's not

> just me being overly picky. Please be more careful next time.

>

> Kay

> listenup@...

> Listen Up Web

> http://www.listen-up.org/

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

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Guest guest

> I guess I

> felt I had to defend my reasons for investigating Cued Speech and CI's

You don't need to defend your choices on this list. I know it's a bit

difficult for newcomers to our list to realize they don't have to defend

their choices or their thoughts. Believe me, I know what it's like to be

attacked for a choice I have made regarding my son. That's why this

discussion list was created in the first place, and why I am very strict

about the rules. We wanted to have at least one place where parents could

get past that and get down to the business of finding answers, support, and

information that will help them help their child. Many times it seems as if

we're on an emotional roller coaster. We want everyone here to feel

comfortable enough here to ask for support during their lows, or just vent

when they're frustrated. We also want to hear about the joys and triumphs.

I'd like to share with you something I was very surprised to find out many

years ago on a discussion list similar to this one (parents only, no debate,

all communication options represented). Without the debates, I found that I

was better able to really listen to everyone, how they felt, what they

wanted, and what they were looking for. The more I looked, the more I found

that we're almost always looking for the same things, we want the same

things for our children, we have the same feelings. It just makes sense for

us to get past the battles and on to helping each other out.

I know first-hand that opposing choices can become good friends and offer

emotional support to each other. My 13 year old son only knows one sign (I

Love You), but during my worst emotional low (when my son finally lost

enough hearing to qualify for a CI), I found that the person who helped me

through that the most, who exchanged countless e-mails with me, who was

worried enough about my state of mind to call me long distance and stayed on

the phone as long as she felt I needed her, who really listened to what I

had to say and helped me discover exactly why it upset me so much, was a

wonderful lady who is very pro Deaf Culture. We have a very special

friendship that I'll treasure forever.

Hugs to all,

Kay

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I apologize, Kay, for my emotional response this morning. I really had no

idea the wording I chose would be so inflammatory. I really am just trying

to find out everything I can, take every road and leave no stone unturned.

And I really have no opinion as to one methods superiority over any other's.

From what I can see, every one has strong merits and one's choice needs to

be based solely on the needs of their individual child.

We are currently signing in a kind of survivalist mode, as classes for

adults are not available until Fall. I have no idea what the future holds

for my baby girl. I just know I have to try to make my world as accessible

to her as possible, try to communicate with her in her world, and hope the

two can co-exist harmoniously...maybe they will if Momma closes her mouth!

:) Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

> I guess I

> felt I had to defend my reasons for investigating Cued Speech and CI's

You don't need to defend your choices on this list. I know it's a bit

difficult for newcomers to our list to realize they don't have to defend

their choices or their thoughts. Believe me, I know what it's like to be

attacked for a choice I have made regarding my son. That's why this

discussion list was created in the first place, and why I am very strict

about the rules. We wanted to have at least one place where parents could

get past that and get down to the business of finding answers, support, and

information that will help them help their child. Many times it seems as if

we're on an emotional roller coaster. We want everyone here to feel

comfortable enough here to ask for support during their lows, or just vent

when they're frustrated. We also want to hear about the joys and triumphs.

I'd like to share with you something I was very surprised to find out many

years ago on a discussion list similar to this one (parents only, no debate,

all communication options represented). Without the debates, I found that I

was better able to really listen to everyone, how they felt, what they

wanted, and what they were looking for. The more I looked, the more I found

that we're almost always looking for the same things, we want the same

things for our children, we have the same feelings. It just makes sense for

us to get past the battles and on to helping each other out.

I know first-hand that opposing choices can become good friends and offer

emotional support to each other. My 13 year old son only knows one sign (I

Love You), but during my worst emotional low (when my son finally lost

enough hearing to qualify for a CI), I found that the person who helped me

through that the most, who exchanged countless e-mails with me, who was

worried enough about my state of mind to call me long distance and stayed on

the phone as long as she felt I needed her, who really listened to what I

had to say and helped me discover exactly why it upset me so much, was a

wonderful lady who is very pro Deaf Culture. We have a very special

friendship that I'll treasure forever.

Hugs to all,

Kay

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

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Guest guest

> maybe they will if Momma closes her mouth!

We all make mistakes. Don't worry about it, but do learn from it.

> I just know I have to try to make my world as accessible

> to her as possible, try to communicate with her in her world,

> and hope the two can co-exist harmoniously.

With an attitude like that, I'm sure you'll both do great.

Hugs,

Kay

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Guest guest

Hi Darla. I have " met " Sarina Roffe online. She's an awesome lady! She

sent us a whole packet of great information and even though I'd read the

book Choices in Deafness, I didn't realize it was her until I reread that

particular chapter a few days ago. She's very helpful and easy to talk to.

I really think we are going to work with both ASL and cueing. My boys are

taking sign classes now and Steve and I will likely start in the Fall as

there aren't any adult ones available now. We're learning what we can from

a great little video called Special Signs. It's just 55 of the basics,

stuff babies and their parents would hopefully be able to communicate with.

's picked up drink, more, eat and thank you pretty quickly. Have a

nice evening. Hugs, Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

> >

> >

> > Hi, Barbara. Thanks for the welcome, because I'm a " newcomer " to

> > this

> > list. I have a son who is almost 8 years old, too. He's hearing.

> > My

> > older boy, who is 10 years old, has a severe-to-profound loss in

> one

> > ear

> > and a profound loss in the other. He was diagnosed around the

> same

> > time

> > your younger son was diagnosed--17 months. Around here, they're

> > starting

> > to test infants right after they're born, and they're catching the

> > hearing losses amazingly soon. I wish that could have happened

> for

> > , because then there would have been no need for " catching

> up "

> > at

> > all. Luckily, Cued Speech (our family uses that communication

> > choice)

> > has enabled him to internalize the language quickly enough (a

> matter

> > of

> > months--he was 3 at the time) that he's right where he needs to be

> > now

> > (he just finished 4th grade). Besides, I guess we can't change

> > things

> > that are already done, and we weren't lucky enough to have the

> > infant

> > hearing screenings they're doing now in a lot of states right from

> > the

> > beginning. What state do you live in? We're in GA. We're in a

> > pretty

> > safe, suburban-type area, also, but it is harder to find a bigger

> > population of deaf kids when you live in a smaller area. But we

> > should

> > be able to choose where we want to live and conversely, the

> schools

> > should be expected to provide the needed services. It is strange,

> > though, how sometimes parents are made to feel they need to live

> in

> > more

> > populated areas in order to get the services their kids need, and

> > only

> > because some areas aren't educated on the subject of deaf

> education.

> > Oh,

> > well. I digress! Thanks for the welcome.

> >

> > Darla

> > On 29 Jul 2000 07:31:52 EDT Barbara.T.Mellert@...

> writes:

> > > Just wanted to welcome all newcomers to the list - I'm the mom

> of

> > two

> > > boys, both

> > > of whom have hearing loss. My oldest is Tom, who is 8 (8! can

> > that

> > > be

> > > possible?!). He has a severe loss. My little guy is 5-1/2 -

> Sam

> > -

> > > he has a

> > > profound loss. Both losses are sensorineural, both guys are

> > aided,

> > > communicate

> > > orally and are mainstreamed in the public schools here in

> Hanover,

> > > New

> > > Hampshire. We believe their loss to be genetic from my side of

> > the

> > > family - my

> > > brother has a moderate, unilateral loss; my uncle also has

> always

> > > been hard of

> > > hearing.

> > >

> > > Tommy was diagnosed when he was 3-1/2, Sam at 15 months. Way

> too

> > > late to my way

> > > of thinking!

> > >

> > > This list is a wonderful place to be - especially for us living

> in

> > a

> > > fairly

> > > rural state where those of us who have deaf/hoh children are

> > pretty

> > > spread out.

> > > It's very safe and comfy - hope you find it to be that way too!

> > >

> > > Best

> > > Barbara

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > >

> > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> > Each

> > > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > > subject to copyright restrictions.

> > >

> >

> > ________________________________________________________________

> > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

> >

> >

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is

> > the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

> > copyright

> > restrictions.

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

> >

> > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential.

> Each

> > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> > subject to copyright restrictions.

> >

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is

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> restrictions.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

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On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 20:32:11 -0400, Laurie & Steve Slawta wrote:

>We're learning what we can from

>a great little video called Special Signs. It's just 55 of the basics,

>stuff babies and their parents would hopefully be able to communicate with.

>'s picked up drink, more, eat and thank you pretty quickly.

You may also want to check out the on-line ASL dictionary at

http://www.handspeak.com/. There are also a host of videos available

for free from Captioned Films and Videos - www.cfv.org - many of which

are sign language tutorials. Nothing beats live interaction, of

course, but until then, there is a wealth of material to get you

started.

The children pick it up so fast, it's amazing! I know I was so jealous

when my (then) 5 year old hearing son, picked up the concept of

" finish " just by association with his (then) 3 year old Deaf sister. I

was sooooo jealous! It took me a lot of study to figure out the

linguistics of the usage of " finish " in ASL. Of course, he didn't

understand the theory of it, but he was using it correctly in every

instance. Of course, nowadays, there are much better resources for

learning than there were when that happened - 18 years ago!

Celeste

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Thanks, Celeste. I have just placed an order with CMP. What a great

resource! Someone mentioned the success they had with the Bravo Family

videos, have you seen them? It's great fun to watch my 5 and 7 yo boys

learning these. They approach it very differently but both very

enthusiastically. Ben, my 5yo is just all thumbs but he is diligent! :)

Hugs, Laurie

RE: Welcome to all!

On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 20:32:11 -0400, Laurie & Steve Slawta wrote:

>We're learning what we can from

>a great little video called Special Signs. It's just 55 of the basics,

>stuff babies and their parents would hopefully be able to communicate with.

>'s picked up drink, more, eat and thank you pretty quickly.

You may also want to check out the on-line ASL dictionary at

http://www.handspeak.com/. There are also a host of videos available

for free from Captioned Films and Videos - www.cfv.org - many of which

are sign language tutorials. Nothing beats live interaction, of

course, but until then, there is a wealth of material to get you

started.

The children pick it up so fast, it's amazing! I know I was so jealous

when my (then) 5 year old hearing son, picked up the concept of

" finish " just by association with his (then) 3 year old Deaf sister. I

was sooooo jealous! It took me a lot of study to figure out the

linguistics of the usage of " finish " in ASL. Of course, he didn't

understand the theory of it, but he was using it correctly in every

instance. Of course, nowadays, there are much better resources for

learning than there were when that happened - 18 years ago!

Celeste

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

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I'm not Celeste, but I learned a lot (and had a lot of fun) with the Bravo

Family series. We also used a series from (I think) Boys Town called Sign

With Me, which was great for teaching the way to sign with small children.

And my son (now five) has borrowed many great videos through the CMP. When

he was about 2 years old, a favorite video of his was Sign Me a Story, with

Bove. It's a lot of fun. She and others perform Little Red Riding

Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears in ASL with voice over. We all

enjoyed watching it, and also learned a lot of signs from it.

Dixie

RE: Welcome to all!

>

>

> On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 20:32:11 -0400, Laurie & Steve Slawta wrote:

>

> >We're learning what we can from

> >a great little video called Special Signs. It's just 55 of the basics,

> >stuff babies and their parents would hopefully be able to communicate

with.

> >'s picked up drink, more, eat and thank you pretty quickly.

>

> You may also want to check out the on-line ASL dictionary at

> http://www.handspeak.com/. There are also a host of videos available

> for free from Captioned Films and Videos - www.cfv.org - many of which

> are sign language tutorials. Nothing beats live interaction, of

> course, but until then, there is a wealth of material to get you

> started.

>

> The children pick it up so fast, it's amazing! I know I was so jealous

> when my (then) 5 year old hearing son, picked up the concept of

> " finish " just by association with his (then) 3 year old Deaf sister. I

> was sooooo jealous! It took me a lot of study to figure out the

> linguistics of the usage of " finish " in ASL. Of course, he didn't

> understand the theory of it, but he was using it correctly in every

> instance. Of course, nowadays, there are much better resources for

> learning than there were when that happened - 18 years ago!

>

> Celeste

>

>

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Thanks Dixie, I'll look for the Sign with Me vids. That's the name of the

book the boys are working with. Hugs, Laurie

Re: Welcome to all!

I'm not Celeste, but I learned a lot (and had a lot of fun) with the Bravo

Family series. We also used a series from (I think) Boys Town called Sign

With Me, which was great for teaching the way to sign with small children.

And my son (now five) has borrowed many great videos through the CMP. When

he was about 2 years old, a favorite video of his was Sign Me a Story, with

Bove. It's a lot of fun. She and others perform Little Red Riding

Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears in ASL with voice over. We all

enjoyed watching it, and also learned a lot of signs from it.

Dixie

RE: Welcome to all!

>

>

> On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 20:32:11 -0400, Laurie & Steve Slawta wrote:

>

> >We're learning what we can from

> >a great little video called Special Signs. It's just 55 of the basics,

> >stuff babies and their parents would hopefully be able to communicate

with.

> >'s picked up drink, more, eat and thank you pretty quickly.

>

> You may also want to check out the on-line ASL dictionary at

> http://www.handspeak.com/. There are also a host of videos available

> for free from Captioned Films and Videos - www.cfv.org - many of which

> are sign language tutorials. Nothing beats live interaction, of

> course, but until then, there is a wealth of material to get you

> started.

>

> The children pick it up so fast, it's amazing! I know I was so jealous

> when my (then) 5 year old hearing son, picked up the concept of

> " finish " just by association with his (then) 3 year old Deaf sister. I

> was sooooo jealous! It took me a lot of study to figure out the

> linguistics of the usage of " finish " in ASL. Of course, he didn't

> understand the theory of it, but he was using it correctly in every

> instance. Of course, nowadays, there are much better resources for

> learning than there were when that happened - 18 years ago!

>

> Celeste

>

>

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

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Dear Laurie,

You should never feel you have to defend your choice. The whole

idea behind choice to me is seeking what is best for your child, your family

and running with it. The most successful children our found in every choice,

where the family stands behind them 100%. Researching, talking, asking

questions is all you can really do...and then grabbing hold of the things you

find peace and comfort in, and running with it, will give you child

everything they need..because they have you ;)

It seems like such a long time ago I stood in your same shoes...but

really it was merely 7 years ago. There where a lot of opinions to deal with

just as you are dealing with them now. We found our peace and comfort in AVT

shortly after was diagnosed. We also moved about 7 months after

starting down this path to a rural community in VT. I cannot even count the

amount of people that came in and out of our lives that tried to change our

choices. I can remember driving all the way to Dartmouth to see two audies

there, that told me because of my child's degree of loss AVT was not the best

choice for her. That she would probably only be able to say a few words by

the time she was four. There where also four or five other audy's who said

the same thing...who offered us book to read ect. I often threaten to write

each of them a letter and share that today, the child who was only going to

say a few words, is going into the 2nd grade as close to age appropriate

language as we could have prayed for.

My thoughts today are really again, that when you find what you

feel you can support and stand behind that is the best choice for your child.

If there really was a right and wrong way....trust me....all these parents

would know it ;) Good luck, my prayers will be with you through the

challenges and choices that lay ahead. You are a wonderful mother...and your

child will benefit from the strength, and choice you seek to find.

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> When

> he was about 2 years old, a favorite video of his was Sign Me a Story,

with

> Bove. It's a lot of fun. She and others perform Little Red Riding

> Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears in ASL with voice over. We all

> enjoyed watching it, and also learned a lot of signs from it.

Since we're on the topic, I just thought I'd let everyone know that I just

finished uploading some new additions to the bookstore, including 14 new

videos, a new page on books about Deaf Culture, 17 new Children's books, 5

new Fiction books, and more. All the new stuff has been flagged with a

yellow " new " graphic, but unfortunately it just ends up looking like a

yellow blob <sigh>.

http://lonestar.texas.net/~listenup/books/

I have loads more to add, but it'll be a bit before I can get back to it. I

think I've finished with the Children's books relating to deafness/hearing

loss. Most of the stuff still waiting are adult Fiction. Enjoy!

Kay

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I've been away for several weeks on a (wet, disgusting) vacation, so

just wanted to take a minute to welcome all the new members to the

list. I can't believe how much it's grown since I joined last

summer! I am a faithful reader of the list, but don't post much; I

learn tons by just listening.

I'm here because of my son Ben, 23 months, with a severe, bilateral,

sensorineural loss due to connexin 26. He also has a sister,

Isabella, 5, who has a mild loss in the lower frequencies, discovered

because of Ben's diagnosis. She's outrageously verbal, would never

have guessed she had hearing loss. Ben was first identified at

birth; I was told in a fairly insensitive manner. So for those of you

who found out later, there is never a good time to hear this news,

and although I am grateful he was aided so early, I would really have

appreciated having a few weeks just to get used to having a new baby

before having to find out he had a significant issue to deal with.

His loss was confirmed at one month, with an ABR, and I cried every

day for the next month, while I tried to absorb what this meant for

him and for us as a family. I'm a pretty laissez-faire mom; while I

love exposing my children to many experiences, I'm not good with

formally teaching them stuff. So it freaked me a little (and still

does) to think I was going to have to teach this kid to listen and

speak step by step! Me, someone who pays little attention to details!

He is now almost 2, and a very happy, typical, well-adjusted little

boy. I frequently forget he wears hearing aids (they're just a part

of him for me), and the only thing I hate about explaining them to

other people is that sometimes I just don't have the TIME! But I'm

happy to educate people on hearing loss, and how to help Ben

understand them better.

We've gone the oral route with Ben, though I sign a little to

emphasize what I'm saying. I'm not good at all with signing, which

is very frustrating, but have picked up enough basic stuff for now;

at some point I plan to look into cuing. Ben has been saying words

for several months now, though his progress is slower than I would

like. He's got almost 50 words, though he uses them sparingly! And

no 2-word combos yet! Interestingly, he is starting to sign more,

too; before this, he never imitated any of my (pathetically meager)

signs. So at least he seems to be improving on communicating with me.

He gets good gain with his aids, but recent tests show he may have

lost some hearing in his right ear. Very frustrating, since most of

what I read about cx26 says the loss is stable. When the tests first

started showing this, I was very upset, almost like hearing the news

all over again; lately, I've been better with it. I don't know why.

I can't do anything about it, and if he loses his hearing totally,

I'll look into the CI. But it's just that much more info I'll have to

research, so I'm not rushing right now.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, just wanted to reconnect with the

group, and welcome the newcomers!

Stefanie

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Hi, Stefanie. I understand what you mean with the " formal teaching "

thing. Depending on how fluent you get, sometimes the manual methods

help with that so that exposing your child to language is a mainly a

matter of ongoing communication. We used the oral approach from when my

son was diagnosed (17 months) until he was about 2 1/2 years old. More

like 3, actually. Using the oral approach for us was a lot of formal

teaching and listening and stuff. But he did learn a valuable skill of

watching faces. You really need that when you're deaf! We started using

Cued Speech when he was 3. As I said, then it became language all the

time in a natural way with us just conversing--mainly me doing the

majority of talking at first and exposing him to all the language out

there visually and in my normal discourse through the day. Could you

explain what connexin 26 is? I don't think I've heard that before.

Thanks,

Darla

On Fri, 4 Aug 2000 00:05:45 -0500 Stefanie Cloutier

writes:

> I've been away for several weeks on a (wet, disgusting) vacation, so

> just wanted to take a minute to welcome all the new members to the

> list. I can't believe how much it's grown since I joined last

> summer! I am a faithful reader of the list, but don't post much; I

> learn tons by just listening.

>

> I'm here because of my son Ben, 23 months, with a severe, bilateral,

>

> sensorineural loss due to connexin 26. He also has a sister,

> Isabella, 5, who has a mild loss in the lower frequencies,

> discovered

> because of Ben's diagnosis. She's outrageously verbal, would never

> have guessed she had hearing loss. Ben was first identified at

> birth; I was told in a fairly insensitive manner. So for those of

> you

> who found out later, there is never a good time to hear this news,

> and although I am grateful he was aided so early, I would really

> have

> appreciated having a few weeks just to get used to having a new baby

>

> before having to find out he had a significant issue to deal with.

> His loss was confirmed at one month, with an ABR, and I cried every

> day for the next month, while I tried to absorb what this meant for

> him and for us as a family. I'm a pretty laissez-faire mom; while I

>

> love exposing my children to many experiences, I'm not good with

> formally teaching them stuff. So it freaked me a little (and still

> does) to think I was going to have to teach this kid to listen and

> speak step by step! Me, someone who pays little attention to

> details!

>

> He is now almost 2, and a very happy, typical, well-adjusted little

> boy. I frequently forget he wears hearing aids (they're just a part

>

> of him for me), and the only thing I hate about explaining them to

> other people is that sometimes I just don't have the TIME! But I'm

> happy to educate people on hearing loss, and how to help Ben

> understand them better.

>

> We've gone the oral route with Ben, though I sign a little to

> emphasize what I'm saying. I'm not good at all with signing, which

> is very frustrating, but have picked up enough basic stuff for now;

> at some point I plan to look into cuing. Ben has been saying words

> for several months now, though his progress is slower than I would

> like. He's got almost 50 words, though he uses them sparingly! And

> no 2-word combos yet! Interestingly, he is starting to sign more,

> too; before this, he never imitated any of my (pathetically meager)

> signs. So at least he seems to be improving on communicating with

> me.

>

> He gets good gain with his aids, but recent tests show he may have

> lost some hearing in his right ear. Very frustrating, since most of

>

> what I read about cx26 says the loss is stable. When the tests

> first

> started showing this, I was very upset, almost like hearing the news

>

> all over again; lately, I've been better with it. I don't know why.

> I can't do anything about it, and if he loses his hearing totally,

> I'll look into the CI. But it's just that much more info I'll have

> to

> research, so I'm not rushing right now.

>

> Anyway, sorry for the long post, just wanted to reconnect with the

> group, and welcome the newcomers!

>

> Stefanie

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore

> subject to copyright restrictions.

>

________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

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