Re: School Question

[Guest guest]

a,

I can't really give my opinion on what has been successful because so far we

have had little success in sign and almost none in speech. is very good

though at making his thoughts known, he just is very stuborn about how he does

it and when he wants to show me something is not interested in what I am telling

him (I'm trying to tell him *how* to tell me what he wants). Anyway I wanted to

say as far as an interpreter goes, it's probably true that she may not be

getting complete benefit from it since she isn't fluent, but if she signs back

to them when she can't be understood it makes communication easier for the

teacher who doesn't know what she's signing. Also do you have to have a typical

interpreter or can you request that the interpreter make things simple? You

know with a baby you don't tell them, " will you please go get me the shoe? " you

say " get shoe " see what I mean. Is this interpreter someone who would be able

to simplify things? I don't mean completely but age appropriate. She isn't

fluent so she would just sign things in a simple way so that your daughter gets

the basic point and if she needs more she can tell her. I don't know if that

makes sense, I was just wondering if they have interpreters who specialize in

working with children or just they interpret and that's it, they don't

specialize to who they are working with. Just an idea.

School Question

I know this question has been here before but here it goes again!

My daughter has been in a prek class this year learning signs in

english order by a TOD. In that class is an aide who also signs and

talks. DD has done well and learned some signs but she is no where

fluent. I'd say she knows maybe 20/40 signs so far this year. She is

verbal and age appropriate for speech/language. She has AN hearing

loss sometimes hearing aids help her sometimes not due to the

fluctuation and dyssynchrony. We are considering the CI. But in the

meantime she needs to acquire all the language she can however she

can. Her TOD is very good and has recommended she go to her local

school (five minutes away from home) to reg. K with accommodations.

They will be (from what I've heard this far) an aid that does the

interpretation. They will pick between the two K classes and place

her in the smallest class. Of course I guess someone will teach the

aid/K teacher how to check her FM/HA...

My question finally, what would ya'll recommend or have tried and

found to be successful.

Now, with giving a brief history and asking my question I'm gonna

throw this at you for an opinion also.

I talked with another TOD and was told (which I've been told this

before by a deaf friend) children as young as my daughter 4, 5 in May

do not benefit well from an interpreter until they are fluent in sign

and she would need a TOD. He said children (which we all know this)

benefit the best with language at such an early age and it was highly

recommended she have access to good academics along with sign. Once

she had sign down and was older and interperter would do the job.

The TOD would teach voice/sign to the class as a whole, the other

kids would benefit and learn sign also if they like. Sorta like a

deaf school but in the least restrictive environment. This way my

daughter would not be singled out and taught by an aide after the

teacher has taught the aid..... I think this makes alot of good

sense but would like the parents opinions also.... Have you

requested this and did it work well? Would the school have to agree

to hire a K teacher over an aide? What worked best for your child?

Thanks

a

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[Guest guest]

<<I think this makes alot of good sense but would like the parents opinions

also.... Have you requested this and did it work well? Would the school have

to agree to hire a K teacher over an aide? What worked best for your child? >>

a,

I think my opinion would depend on the amount of residual hearing your daughter

has now. If she is still getting benefit from her aids (and, I'm assuming, an

FM?), then having her in a mainstream class with a regular teacher and an

interpreter would probably work fine. If she is unable to access the teacher's

voice, then you'd want someone who signs and speaks at the same time. At this

age, it is difficult for children to utilize an interpreter efficiently as they

want to watch the same action as everyone else and are still learning how to

divide their focus. However, it's truly amazing how quickly they learn to pick

up signing peripherally, and it sounds as if learning sign is a goal for you. I

would also not want my child singled out and taught by an aide. This sounds

inefficient, as well as limiting for your daughter. She should have access to

the same level of teaching as the other children.

My son was diagnosed very late and, even though he still has some good residual

hearing in the low frequencies, he was over 2 years behind in language at the

age of 4 1/2. We were fortunate to live near a school only for Deaf and HOH

kids...but one in which everyone (teachers, aids, receptionist, etc.) speaks and

signs (in Signed Exact English) simultaneously. They also require speech (or a

good attempt) from the children as well. We wanted to learn sign because

he has LVAS and therefore could lose the rest of his hearing someday. In 2

years at the school, he went from 2 years delayed to age-appropriate in verbal

and expressive language and left the 1st grade reading at almost a 3rd grade

level. His spelling ability is off the charts. He was able to easily

mainstream into a small private school where he only has an FM and preferential

seating--no sign support--but we are trying to keep up the sign at home and at

church for his future needs. He is thriving. :-)

It is my belief that many kids (and certainly mine!) can benefit from this total

communication approach, although it's certainly not the only way to go. Much

depends on the child, their level of hearing loss, and their style of learning

(the more visual, the better).

Carol - mom to , 7.9, mod to profound, LVAS

[Guest guest]

HI Carol

Brittany has a fluctuating HL down to 75 dB in the high frequencies.

Yes she does have aids and a personal FM. The problem is her hearing

fades in and out at these fluctuating freuquencies with static type

noise. This loss is called AN. The nerve damage doesn't always take

the message to the brain without it not getting scrambled up before

it gets there. During this time the aids only amplify the static

scrambled sound. Kinda like what you hear on a radio when you run

under a bunch of electrical wires and lose the station or your cell

phone when you almost lose signal and it fades in/out with static.

You never know when the out of sync moments will occur that is the

reason a visual language is recommended. I found out she had a HL

just before she turned 3 and I put her in the county sp. ed. program

to get ST with no visual instruction. She was totally lost. I knew

she needed a different placement the following year(currently. So, I

visited the local school head start program only thing avail for a 4

yo and I visited the Regional Hearing Impaired Class with TC. I chose

the TC class even though it is 40 min. away vs. the 5 minute local

headstart. That is how strong I felt about her being in a signing

class. The headstart teacher did not sign. The HI class teacher

signs exact english order and she has done very well. Brittany is

shy and has always acted as though she was in a shell and since being

in this program she is coming out of that. With saying that she

doesn't always depend on the sign but does benefit during the off

times. It is kinda like an ins. policy that backs up those out of

sync moments. I automatically thought when I made this placement

decision last year she would transfer to her local school for K

(coming up in Aug) with a signing teacher. Boy do I feel like a

fool? She is lacking in social skills, has difficulties hearing her

peers to socialize and I figure that is due to her HL. The school

system says she is age appropriate for speech/language skills but I

can see where my 2 1/2 yo is catching up to her and fast..

Cognitively she is advanced due to the fact I work with her

constantly in a one on one quiet situation.. When I asked her HI

teacher about her going to K next fall with a signing teacher and not

a signing aid so she is not singled out and taught simutaneously. I

was told in the Northern part of the state this might be possible but

not here it is not enough deaf/hoh students to warrant the expense

plus they already have two K teachers why would they want to hire a

third one?.. Then I was told I didn't have a choice.. This makes me

really sad because I know without the visual support from a teacher

she will not keep up. I don't want to fight with the school system.

I want to work with them and get along but when I am told basically

kids in another part of the state has rights but my child doesn't and

the fact I was told I don't have a choice makes me angry. You said

at the end of your post the more visual the better. She is a very

visual learner and her HI teacher says she definitly needs the

visual.... I guess she (HI teacher) as a professional thinks she

will survive with an aid interpreter only even though she doesn't

know enough sign to understand what the aid maybe signing. So, in

that case who does she pay attention to for an education a teacher

she may not hear or an aid interpreting a sign she doesn't know?

I'm sorry this got so long and maybe she will be okay with an aid.

I'm just scared about not knowing if she will be okay... It is gonna

be a long year and I am already stressing.

Thanks

a

> a,

>

> I think my opinion would depend on the amount of residual hearing

your daughter has now. If she is still getting benefit from her aids

(and, I'm assuming, an FM?), then having her in a mainstream class

with a regular teacher and an interpreter would probably work fine.

If she is unable to access the teacher's voice, then you'd want

someone who signs and speaks at the same time. At this age, it is

difficult for children to utilize an interpreter efficiently as they

want to watch the same action as everyone else and are still learning

how to divide their focus. However, it's truly amazing how quickly

they learn to pick up signing peripherally, and it sounds as if

learning sign is a goal for you. I would also not want my child

singled out and taught by an aide. This sounds inefficient, as well

as limiting for your daughter. She should have access to the same

level of teaching as the other children.

>

> My son was diagnosed very late and, even though he still has some

good residual hearing in the low frequencies, he was over 2 years

behind in language at the age of 4 1/2. We were fortunate to live

near a school only for Deaf and HOH kids...but one in which everyone

(teachers, aids, receptionist, etc.) speaks and signs (in Signed

Exact English) simultaneously. They also require speech (or a good

attempt) from the children as well. We wanted to learn sign

because he has LVAS and therefore could lose the rest of his hearing

someday. In 2 years at the school, he went from 2 years delayed to

age-appropriate in verbal and expressive language and left the 1st

grade reading at almost a 3rd grade level. His spelling ability is

off the charts. He was able to easily mainstream into a small

private school where he only has an FM and preferential seating--no

sign support--but we are trying to keep up the sign at home and at

church for his future needs. He is thriving. :-)

>

> It is my belief that many kids (and certainly mine!) can benefit

from this total communication approach, although it's certainly not

the only way to go. Much depends on the child, their level of

hearing loss, and their style of learning (the more visual, the

better).

>

> Carol - mom to , 7.9, mod to profound, LVAS

>

>

>