Re: hearing impaired and apraxic

February 13, 2001

Fish- I am still learning about apraxia, but It has to do with processing

words from the brain out the mouth? Vowels are easier to say than contants?

I found a web site www.apraxia.org/ www.apraxia-guide.com I think it is

hard to weed though all this apraxia and hearing impairment. My son really

likes his preschool now but it is his last year there.

Ruth - Mom to Dylan 4 1/2 mod hl,apraxia,

hearing impaired and apraxic

>

> > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids for

> > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They feel

> > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

> > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he called

> > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My concerns

> > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well with

> > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K. I

> > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools in

> > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for deaf/hearing

> > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he may

> > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

> > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do! I

> > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I think

> > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> > Thank you for your time.

> > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> >

> > 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.

>

February 13, 2001

Ruth,

What is apraxia? My son is also very frustrated because he cannot

communicate well some times. He is in a school that does total

communication. He really likes it.

Donna

Mother to ny5, Mod/Severe hl

hearing impaired and apraxic

> My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids for

> 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They feel

> he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

> saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he called

> my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My concerns

> are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well with

> others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K. I

> think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools in

> Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for deaf/hearing

> impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he may

> get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

> sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do! I

> am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I think

> it is from not being able to communicate well.

> So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> Thank you for your time.

> Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

>

> 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.

>

February 13, 2001

Ruth,

In addition to having a deaf son, I have worked with children for 20 years

as an O.T. I wanted to comment about your question about apraxia. I am in

no way an expert, just wanted to share my perspective. When you say your

child may have apraxia, I am assuming you mean oral apraxia. Apraxia means

that you know what you want to do (or say), but there is a problem in the

execution of that act. In oral apraxia, the child understands language, but

has a difficult time forming the words. This is a very common problem with

stroke patients involving the right side of the body. The person is very

aware, and understands, but cannot speak(or perform simple acts, such as

dressing, writing, etc...). It is also common in children, can be very

mild, and is often seen in children with speech delays. Now, in your case,

your child may or may not have oral apraxia...but.......

Your child is 4 1/2 years old, and you say his hearing loss is min.-mod.

with hearing aids. Many people assume that means he can hear the same as a

hard of hearing person - NOT! If his hearing is corrected to min.-mod., he

probably has a pretty significant hearing loss. A sensori-neural hearing

loss causes distortion in hearing, and then add hearing aids, which further

distort, and your child is not hearing speech clearly at all. What you

described for cookie " oo-ee " , is typical deaf speech. He hears the vowels,

and can tell there is a block in the sound, but can't discriminate those

sounds. Therefore, cookie, the k sounds are pauses in sound, but he can't

hear the k, so he says oo-ee. My son, also 4 1/2, and also corrected with

HAs to min-mod loss, does the same thing.

Of course, what you choose is based on your beliefs, your child, and your

personal situation. I just thought maybe my 2 cents might help clarify a

little bit.

Pam

mom of Drew, , Shane and (severe-profound hl)

hearing impaired and apraxic

> >

> > > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids for

> > > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They feel

> > > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

> > > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he called

> > > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> > > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My concerns

> > > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well with

> > > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K. I

> > > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools in

> > > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for deaf/hearing

> > > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he may

> > > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

> > > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do! I

> > > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I think

> > > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> > > Thank you for your time.

> > > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> > >

> > > 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.

>

February 13, 2001

Pam, thank you for your 2 cents ! I appreciate it. I am not so sure he has

apraxia either. Sometimes he seems like he is thinking before he tries to

say something. So you are saying that constants(sp) are harder for them to

hear and say than vowels.Is your son speaking in sentences yet? Am I

expecting to much? He is the same age as Dylan. Dylan was aided at two yrs

old so he was deaf for two two years. I kept tell the dr something was up

with him.I just want the best for him. Thank you for your time,

Ruth ( mom of Dylan(hl) , Adam 4 1/2 twins and older bro n 7)

hearing impaired and apraxic

> > >

> > > > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids

for

> > > > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They

feel

> > > > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

> > > > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he called

> > > > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> > > > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > > > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My

concerns

> > > > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well

with

> > > > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K. I

> > > > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools in

> > > > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for

deaf/hearing

> > > > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he may

> > > > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

> > > > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do! I

> > > > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I think

> > > > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > > > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> > > > Thank you for your time.

> > > > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> > > >

> > > > 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.

> >

>

> 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.

>

February 13, 2001

> So you are saying that constants(sp) are harder for them to

> hear and say than vowels.

Visit this page to find out just what your son is, and isn't able to hear:

http://www.audiology.org/consumer/guides/uya.php

It's the best page I've found for understanding the audiogram, but also explains

about how

to translate this into what your child can, or can't hear.

hugs,

Kay

February 13, 2001

I am still learning about apraxia, but It has to do with processing

> words from the brain out the mouth? Vowels are easier to say than

contants?

> I found a web site www.apraxia.org/ www.apraxia-guide.com I think it

is

> hard to weed though all this apraxia and hearing impairment.

Hi Ruth,

The website you gave, www.apraxia.org (also reached by www.apraxia-kids.org)

is a wonderful resource eun by Sharon Gretz and there is a listserv for

parents there which might be helpful if your child is found to have apraxia.

Several members on that list have children with both apraxia and hearing

impairment and it was through them that I found Kay's list! ( was

mis-diagnosed with apraxia before he was found to have hearing loss.)

Carol

February 13, 2001

I am not so sure he has apraxia either. Sometimes he seems like he is

thinking before he tries to

> say something

Hi Ruth,

I'm jumping in one more time--hope you don't mind. My son , 4.9 and

only diagnosed this past summer with hearing loss, also had the pattern of

speech you describe (and which Pam accurately pointed out is typical of a

child with hearing loss.) Because was so " visual " , no one even

suspected the loss and so his speech and language issues were a total

puzzle. Of course now, all the experts are saying " Oh, of course! That's

why he sounds like this! " but until last August, he was diagnosed with

apraxia, aphasia, dysarthria...

Sigh.

You mentioned that your son seems to be thinking before he tries to speak

and I wanted to say that also does that. The more " pressure " he feels

to speak (i.e. everyone is watching him and waiting), the more trouble he

has. I spoke to his teacher and she confirmed what I was guessing--that for

, this is a type of performance anxiety. (It's also a " symptom " , if

only one of many, which made him appear to have apraxia.) knew that

we were concerned about his speech and his ability to produce sounds and he

always tried his best but, no matter how supportive we are of our kids, they

know when their attempts haven't been what we were looking for. In '

case, I think he'd rather just not try sometimes rather than " fail " . Of

course, now I understand why he couldn't produce " f " , " s " , and mixed up his

" p's " and " b's " and " d's " all this time--he had never heard some of those

sounds in his life and the others were just a muted mish-mash.

Does your son's SLP have specific experience with children with hearing

impairment? It makes a huge difference, I have learned. Even after '

hearing loss diagnosis, the school therapist (who admits to no experience

with deafness) tried to work with him as she would with any child with a

phonological disorder. I believe she is a good SLP but what she was doing

was not helpful to . As his parent, I didn't know any better either,

until I started talking to therapists and teachers of the deaf. I truly

believe that if one of them had heard him speak before knowing of his

hearing loss, they would have suggested a hearing test. None of our other

three therapists (one of them a nationally known expert in apraxia) ever did

this.

Sorry so long!

Carol - mom to , 4.9, mod to severe/profound HL

February 13, 2001

Thank you Carol!,Pam and Kay! your help,opinions are greatly appreciated! I

am understanding things alittle clearer

Ruth

Re: hearing impaired and apraxic

> I am not so sure he has apraxia either. Sometimes he seems like he is

> thinking before he tries to

> > say something

>

> Hi Ruth,

>

> I'm jumping in one more time--hope you don't mind. My son , 4.9 and

> only diagnosed this past summer with hearing loss, also had the pattern of

> speech you describe (and which Pam accurately pointed out is typical of a

> child with hearing loss.) Because was so " visual " , no one even

> suspected the loss and so his speech and language issues were a total

> puzzle. Of course now, all the experts are saying " Oh, of course! That's

> why he sounds like this! " but until last August, he was diagnosed with

> apraxia, aphasia, dysarthria...

>

> Sigh.

>

> You mentioned that your son seems to be thinking before he tries to speak

> and I wanted to say that also does that. The more " pressure " he

feels

> to speak (i.e. everyone is watching him and waiting), the more trouble he

> has. I spoke to his teacher and she confirmed what I was guessing--that

for

> , this is a type of performance anxiety. (It's also a " symptom " , if

> only one of many, which made him appear to have apraxia.) knew that

> we were concerned about his speech and his ability to produce sounds and

he

> always tried his best but, no matter how supportive we are of our kids,

they

> know when their attempts haven't been what we were looking for. In '

> case, I think he'd rather just not try sometimes rather than " fail " . Of

> course, now I understand why he couldn't produce " f " , " s " , and mixed up

his

> " p's " and " b's " and " d's " all this time--he had never heard some of those

> sounds in his life and the others were just a muted mish-mash.

>

> Does your son's SLP have specific experience with children with hearing

> impairment? It makes a huge difference, I have learned. Even after

'

> hearing loss diagnosis, the school therapist (who admits to no experience

> with deafness) tried to work with him as she would with any child with a

> phonological disorder. I believe she is a good SLP but what she was doing

> was not helpful to . As his parent, I didn't know any better either,

> until I started talking to therapists and teachers of the deaf. I truly

> believe that if one of them had heard him speak before knowing of his

> hearing loss, they would have suggested a hearing test. None of our other

> three therapists (one of them a nationally known expert in apraxia) ever

did

> this.

>

> Sorry so long!

>

> Carol - mom to , 4.9, mod to severe/profound HL

>

> 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.

>

February 13, 2001

Ruth,

You ask, " am I expecting too much? " Of course, you're a mom! Like I say,

" I worry too much " , and people tell me the same thing. No two kids are

alike, and even kids with similar audiograms might appear very differently

with respect to their use of residual hearing. If your son was without aids

for 2 years, then he has a lot of catching up to do. My son had meningitis

at 5 months old, so we knew right away that he had a hearing loss, and we

got HAs immediately. Even so, he progressed much more slowly than other

kids, and that made me worry, but I'm trying to just take each day at a

time. My son also has some other issues, and we never know what to expect,

but I will say I've been pleasantly surprised this year. Yes, he can talk

in short sentences, but it is interspersed with lots of jargon. My personal

opinion is, what's important is that he's developing language, the speech is

an added plus. We sign to him at the same time we're talking, and he is

doing well. But, I know many kids who do not have the verbal skills he

does!

Regarding consonants and vowels, vowels produce sound, and consonants stop

sound. Now, please don't be too critical of me if there are any SLPs out

there, but I'll describe to you my understanding of it. Consonants stop

sound, and are not as easy to hear. Some consonants can be seen on the

outside of the mouth, ie B, M, and some can't be seen at all, ie K,G. Try

saying words and thinking about what happens in your mouth as you form the

consonants. Not surprisingly, M,B, are easier to see, so it gives your

child some visual cues. I know there are people out there who are very

knowledgeable about this, but I'm just trying to explain a little more,

since you asked me. Anyway, consonants that can be seen, such as mama, are

easier to learn than those that can't be seen, such as cookie. Of course,

there's always the subtle differences that look similar but sound different,

such as ba,ma, and da,ta,na. And the fact that our kids have never heard

any of these sounds to relate them to anything, well, it really makes me

appreciate what our kids are able to do!

Best of luck!

Pam

hearing impaired and apraxic

> > > >

> > > > > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids

> for

> > > > > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They

> feel

> > > > > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

> > > > > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he

called

> > > > > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> > > > > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > > > > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My

> concerns

> > > > > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well

> with

> > > > > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K.

I

> > > > > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools

in

> > > > > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for

> deaf/hearing

> > > > > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he

may

> > > > > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

> > > > > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do!

I

> > > > > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I

think

> > > > > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > > > > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> > > > > Thank you for your time.

> > > > > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> > > > >

> > > > > 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.

> > >

> >

> > 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.

>

February 13, 2001

Pam, thank you again, I think I am getting a wake up call! I quess I thought

my child has hearing aids ,now he will learn to talk! excuse my ignorance. I

guess I may be in denial still. This is going to be alot of work for my

little guy but I believe he will be oral someday, he is a tough little

guy.He has gotten through everything else so far.

Is your son doing well now? I think 4-6yrs is such a great age. Dylan is

physically doing well now.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge,I need to wake up and do some more

investigating.I have had alot on my plate with all three of my boys.My

oldest just turned 7 and we are starting to see some daylight at the end of

the tunnel.

Best of luck to you too

Ruth

hearing impaired and apraxic

> > > > >

> > > > > > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his

aids

> > for

> > > > > > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They

> > feel

> > > > > > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble

with

> > > > > > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he

> called

> > > > > > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

> > > > > > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > > > > > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My

> > concerns

> > > > > > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well

> > with

> > > > > > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in

K.

> I

> > > > > > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools

> in

> > > > > > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for

> > deaf/hearing

> > > > > > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he

> may

> > > > > > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am

not

> > > > > > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to

do!

> I

> > > > > > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I

> think

> > > > > > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > > > > > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

> > > > > > Thank you for your time.

> > > > > > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> > > > > >

> > > > > > 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.

> > > >

> > >

> > > 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.

>

February 14, 2001

Ruth, one thing I thought I should have worded differently. Consonants stop

the flow of air (I said they stopped sound, which is somewhat true). I have

all boys, ranging from 10 to 4. Our house is, well, interesting.

is doing better. He has some other problems, attention, impulsivity,

coordination. But with all he's been through, he's doing great! Really

good to talk with you. Good luck!

Pam

hearing impaired and apraxic

> > > > > >

> > > > > > > My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his

> aids

> > > for

> > > > > > > 2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L

..They

> > > feel

> > > > > > > he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble

> with

> > > > > > > saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he

> > called

> > > > > > > my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is

my

> > > > > > > question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

> > > > > > > interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My

> > > concerns

> > > > > > > are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating

well

> > > with

> > > > > > > others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in

> K.

> > I

> > > > > > > think it is good he is around oral children. We have two

schools

> > in

> > > > > > > Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for

> > > deaf/hearing

> > > > > > > impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid

he

> > may

> > > > > > > get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am

> not

> > > > > > > sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to

> do!

> > I

> > > > > > > am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I

> > think

> > > > > > > it is from not being able to communicate well.

> > > > > > > So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email

me.

> > > > > > > Thank you for your time.

> > > > > > > Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > 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.

> > > > >

> > > >

> > > > 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.

> >

>

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

is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

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February 16, 2001

Ruth,

I want to say WELCOME and I'm sorry I can't give too much advice on school

issues, because my daughter Allana who just turned 3 on the 13th is just

getting ready to entire preschool. I wanted to let you know that we are from

PA also. We live up near Altoona, PA. Allana has a severe/profound hearing

loss. I am quite concerned about school for her because Allana has other

special needs. She has a condition called microcephaly. She has significant

delays in all areas of development, and has vision concerns. The preschool

she will be entering uses the total communication approach. they have some

children that are using sign language, but not because of hearing loss, but

because of communication needs stemming from down's syndrome, etc. My

concern is that there is only 1 school for children with hearing impairments,

and the child can not have any other special needs to go to that school.

That counts Allana out. It will be ackward if she attends our local school

district when she is school age, because I'm the senior high learning support

teacher at our school.

Again welcome. You will get answers to your questions here. There's a lot of

knowledgable people here.

Bobbie (mommy to scott (6) & Allana (3) )

February 16, 2001

Dear Bobbie ,Thank you for your welcome. I have already gotten lots of

wonderful advise and ideas from this group. I am going to try an place Dylan

in a school in our area(Pittsburgh). It is called Depaul Institute. It is a

private school for deaf/hearing impaired and speech and lang delayed. We had

a visit yesterday and I am very impressed.It is a oral school with very

,very little signing. I am alittle worried about that because my son signs

some but he is also starting to be very oral. Sometimes you can understand

him or it is appropriate. WPSD ( Western Pa school for the Deaf) It is

located in Edgwood/Swissvale area Pittsburgh, A very good school also. But I

am only 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. I think you may be further away.WPSD

does take children with medical problems. They are a wonderful there but

they are not as intensive with speech and use more sign lang. I thought that

was the way to go and It was at the time for Dylan, signing helped with

frustration. Now he is really trying to talk so we are trying not to use

sign as much and it is hard. Oh just to let you know for future, Your school

district will be responsible to transport your daughter to any school

outside your district or you can transport her, if it is not to much

trouble.It is going to be really hard to send him that far for school but I

think It is going to really be good for him and once he learns to

communicate better we can bring him back to our school and mainstream him.

Best of luck to you and your family, it is hard and stressful trying to do

the right thing for your child.

Ruth ( mom of Dylan & Adam 4 1/2 & n 7 )

Re: hearing impaired and apraxic

> Ruth,

> I want to say WELCOME and I'm sorry I can't give too much advice on school

> issues, because my daughter Allana who just turned 3 on the 13th is just

> getting ready to entire preschool. I wanted to let you know that we are

from

> PA also. We live up near Altoona, PA. Allana has a severe/profound

hearing

> loss. I am quite concerned about school for her because Allana has other

> special needs. She has a condition called microcephaly. She has

significant

> delays in all areas of development, and has vision concerns. The

preschool

> she will be entering uses the total communication approach. they have

some

> children that are using sign language, but not because of hearing loss,

but

> because of communication needs stemming from down's syndrome, etc. My

> concern is that there is only 1 school for children with hearing

impairments,

> and the child can not have any other special needs to go to that school.

> That counts Allana out. It will be ackward if she attends our local school

> district when she is school age, because I'm the senior high learning

support

> teacher at our school.

>

> Again welcome. You will get answers to your questions here. There's a lot

of

> knowledgable people here.

>

> Bobbie (mommy to scott (6) & Allana (3) )

>

February 16, 2001

Listen-up listmates,

Does Any one out there have a child going to De institute? Any comments

or concerns?

Than you,

Ruth

Re: hearing impaired and apraxic

>

> > Ruth,

> > I want to say WELCOME and I'm sorry I can't give too much advice on

school

> > issues, because my daughter Allana who just turned 3 on the 13th is just

> > getting ready to entire preschool. I wanted to let you know that we are

> from

> > PA also. We live up near Altoona, PA. Allana has a severe/profound

> hearing

> > loss. I am quite concerned about school for her because Allana has

other

> > special needs. She has a condition called microcephaly. She has

> significant

> > delays in all areas of development, and has vision concerns. The

> preschool

> > she will be entering uses the total communication approach. they have

> some

> > children that are using sign language, but not because of hearing loss,

> but

> > because of communication needs stemming from down's syndrome, etc. My

> > concern is that there is only 1 school for children with hearing

> impairments,

> > and the child can not have any other special needs to go to that school.

> > That counts Allana out. It will be ackward if she attends our local

school

> > district when she is school age, because I'm the senior high learning

> support

> > teacher at our school.

> >

> > Again welcome. You will get answers to your questions here. There's a

lot

> of

> > knowledgable people here.

> >

> > Bobbie (mommy to scott (6) & Allana (3) )

> >

February 16, 2001

Hi, welcome to Listen-Up, and no, you did not ramble, but I will. Is your

son mild to mod loss while wearing the aids or without them? Speech

therapists told me my daughter had verbal apraxia too, but I'll never know

for sure because it was before diagnosing her mild to mod loss. She was

only able to pronounce " d,t,and m " consonants. " b,p " came at age 3 1/2.

With aids, she has learned all the sounds, except some are fuzzy, " z, s, th,

ch " . At age 4, she got her aids, had speech therapy 2-3 times a week, and

everybody finally understood most of what she said at about age 5.

Her first yr with aids (4), we had her repeat the 3 yr old level preschool.

Now she is 6 1/2 and fully mainstreamed in Kindergarten and has 5 yr old age

appropriate language skills. I'm glad we held her back a year. (We do

teach her sign language after school.)

It is hard to decide on schools. See if you can visit and talk to some

parents.

Good luck, Randie

From: craddock@...

Reply-To: Listen-Up

To: Listen-Up

Subject: hearing impaired and apraxic

Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 16:11:55 -0000

My son is 4 1/2 is mild to mod loss with aids He has had his aids for

2.5yrs he is not really speaking yet, he knows some sign L .They feel

he has apraxia? Dylan says cookie like " oo-ie " he has trouble with

saying contants.He can say " Ma " which thrill me! finally he called

my name.He is doing better but it seems so slow. But here is my

question- They want to mainstream him into kindergarten with a

interpeter and hearing support the second half of the day.My concerns

are with Kindergarten. since he is not really communicating well with

others.He likes routine but I know it is not always routine in K. I

think it is good he is around oral children. We have two schools in

Pittsburgh(I live 35 miles away)one is a oral school for deaf/hearing

impaired and another which uses alot of signing. I am afraid he may

get frustrated if he can not sign in the oral school and I am not

sure in the other school if they will be oral enough! What to do! I

am visiting each school here. We have behavioral issues but I think

it is from not being able to communicate well.

So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions feel free to email me.

Thank you for your time.

Ruth ( This is my first post,hope I did not ramble to much )

_________________________________________________________________

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February 16, 2001

The definition of apraxia I know is not being able to control certain

muscles. People can have apraxia of various parts of the body. One could

also have oral apraxia (difficulty with eating) and/or verbal apraxia

(difficulty with moving your mouth, toungue, etc. for speaking). Before

knowing my daughter was hh, speach therapists told me she could hear the

words correctly, but nueroligically, could not process how to repeat them.

Her speech errors many times were inconsistent. Fork= mik, doc, etc....

Randie

Reply-To: Listen-Up

To: <Listen-Up >

Subject: Re: hearing impaired and apraxic

Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 10:53:14 -0800