Re: Feeling frustrated with TC placement

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

We are in a very similar situation. my son is 3 years old and has very

little sign and no speech (correction he sais " E " for eat). Anyway his supposid

total communication class has children who are severely delayed and don't sign

or speak, hows that for a total communication environment. The reason they call

it TC is because the teachers sign and speek to the children. We are trying to

focus on sign right now, but the school isn't they don't require him to sign

when he wants something, they get all excited when he signs eat or more, which

are signs he uses multiple times a day at home and maybe once a month at school.

I have the same problem, they are supposed to be working on this stuff but

really they are just letting it slide. They are doing the picture thing which

as soon as they schedule the IEP meeting I requested (they are trying to get

ahold of the audi) I will insist they do away with the pictures and he must sign

everything even if he throws a fit. They also need to work on speach reading

and auditory training. That's what my goals are going to be for him and that's

it. I am tired of this. If I were you I too would call an IEP meeting and tell

them you want more goals to aim towards talking and you want your grandaughter

to be in a class where children speek and sign. She needs peers who are good

sign and speech modles.

Feeling frustrated with TC placement

We have our yearly ARD tomorrow and our TC classroom has been a joke

this year. We are raising our CI granddaughter who is turning seven.

She was late identified as being deaf and after being implanted at 3

not ever really wearing it until she came to live with us 2 year ago.

At first they had her CI turned way down, but for 9 months now she

has been set to where she only has a mild hearing loss. The school

has placed her in What they are calling a TC class room this year.

She has k-3 gradecstudents and all the students are deaf and sign

megan is the only one who has a CI and one other student wears a

hearing aid. There is only one student who can speak a little.

Granddaughter does not make any attempts to speak at school at all. I

asked her teacher last week if she did and she said no and I asked if

they ever tried to get her to verbalize a response and she said no.

Does this sound like a total communication class? I don't not know

what a total communication class should be, but I do not think

will ever learn to speak or use her hearing in this class room.

s rides an hour and 15 minutes each way to school. I go over and

take her to private speech for 1 hour once a week. Her private

speech therapist agrees that megan is not going to learn to speak

there, and says that she needs a hour a day of speech, but I am not

able to go but one day a week. She is getting 15 minutes of speech 4

times a week at school. I went and spoke to our home district and

they have a CI kindergardener and one deaf child mainstreamed with

and interperter, both students are failing totally and the school is

trying to get the parents to allow the CI child to have an

interperter.It just seems that there is not any real rehabilitation

available for a CI child who did not have any speech skills before

mplantion and the schools only want to do the easiest method which in

this case is sign,.. and last year I had argue about using pecs

because thats what they wanted to use last year (its easiest). I am

so frustrated and confused about where to place her. I know megan

needed to learn sign, she needed a way to communicate with us, but I

want her to talk, she is verbal at home because we have let her know

we want her to talk. She loves to hear and wear her CI and I don't

understand why this has to be so difficult.

Sorry this is so long , and I sure no one can answer these questions

for me, but it felt good to vent.

sharon

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

We are in a very similar situation. my son is 3 years old and has very

little sign and no speech (correction he sais " E " for eat). Anyway his supposid

total communication class has children who are severely delayed and don't sign

or speak, hows that for a total communication environment. The reason they call

it TC is because the teachers sign and speek to the children. We are trying to

focus on sign right now, but the school isn't they don't require him to sign

when he wants something, they get all excited when he signs eat or more, which

are signs he uses multiple times a day at home and maybe once a month at school.

I have the same problem, they are supposed to be working on this stuff but

really they are just letting it slide. They are doing the picture thing which

as soon as they schedule the IEP meeting I requested (they are trying to get

ahold of the audi) I will insist they do away with the pictures and he must sign

everything even if he throws a fit. They also need to work on speach reading

and auditory training. That's what my goals are going to be for him and that's

it. I am tired of this. If I were you I too would call an IEP meeting and tell

them you want more goals to aim towards talking and you want your grandaughter

to be in a class where children speek and sign. She needs peers who are good

sign and speech modles.

Feeling frustrated with TC placement

We have our yearly ARD tomorrow and our TC classroom has been a joke

this year. We are raising our CI granddaughter who is turning seven.

She was late identified as being deaf and after being implanted at 3

not ever really wearing it until she came to live with us 2 year ago.

At first they had her CI turned way down, but for 9 months now she

has been set to where she only has a mild hearing loss. The school

has placed her in What they are calling a TC class room this year.

She has k-3 gradecstudents and all the students are deaf and sign

megan is the only one who has a CI and one other student wears a

hearing aid. There is only one student who can speak a little.

Granddaughter does not make any attempts to speak at school at all. I

asked her teacher last week if she did and she said no and I asked if

they ever tried to get her to verbalize a response and she said no.

Does this sound like a total communication class? I don't not know

what a total communication class should be, but I do not think

will ever learn to speak or use her hearing in this class room.

s rides an hour and 15 minutes each way to school. I go over and

take her to private speech for 1 hour once a week. Her private

speech therapist agrees that megan is not going to learn to speak

there, and says that she needs a hour a day of speech, but I am not

able to go but one day a week. She is getting 15 minutes of speech 4

times a week at school. I went and spoke to our home district and

they have a CI kindergardener and one deaf child mainstreamed with

and interperter, both students are failing totally and the school is

trying to get the parents to allow the CI child to have an

interperter.It just seems that there is not any real rehabilitation

available for a CI child who did not have any speech skills before

mplantion and the schools only want to do the easiest method which in

this case is sign,.. and last year I had argue about using pecs

because thats what they wanted to use last year (its easiest). I am

so frustrated and confused about where to place her. I know megan

needed to learn sign, she needed a way to communicate with us, but I

want her to talk, she is verbal at home because we have let her know

we want her to talk. She loves to hear and wear her CI and I don't

understand why this has to be so difficult.

Sorry this is so long , and I sure no one can answer these questions

for me, but it felt good to vent.

sharon

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

It sounds to me as if your grandchild is still doing a lot of listening at

this point. WIth her only having been implanted for two years and improper

settings on the implant for an additional 9 months she should have some emerging

speech. I agree that if she is in a TC classroom then they should be using TC

to communicate. I'm sure you have sat in on some of the classes but you didn't

mention what you had seen. Were they voicing as they signed? Did they

encourage the kids to use their voices? How many other kids are in the class?

Having a child who only has a " hearing age " of 1 year 3 months (give or take)

and expecting that child to understand instruction in a kindergarten

classroom of 20+ very excited 5 year olds may be unrealistic even with an

interpreter.

(You didn't mention your grand daughters signing ability or level)

If this were my child, I would seek at least 1.5 hours of speech in the

schools in addition to the hour a week with the pvt. therapist. I would have

the

two therapists communicate so they could compliment each other's lessons if

possible. Using auditory verbal techniques during the lessons would be a

wonderful way to start teaching how to listen and make sense of what she

is

listening to.

I would talk to the school. If the TC classroom isn't appropriate I would

look at other options within the school so she has opportunities to be with

other speaking children. Center time in the regular kindergarten class, as well

as lunch and recess would be opportune times for her to begin making sense of

what is going on around her. If the HI classroom isn't the place for her, look

into the other special ed rooms if their populations are low. I know I asked

for my daughter to be placed into the special ed room for certain subjects

like spelling, and math. Problem areas for her but with the small group in the

room it was a great chance for her to listen. If she didn't get it the group

was small enough that the teacher could re-explain things to her if necessary.

She was doing grade level work, just in the smaller group so she could hear

the instruction.

Learn as much as you possibly can because it is certainly educational. What

I have also found helpful is I keep a notebook with all my child's audiograms,

IEP's, report cards, testings etc for that year seperated by index tabs.

Lindsey is a freshman in HS now and we are on on volume 3 but at least I have a

record of how far she has come. From teachers telling me she is gifted to

others telling me she is learning disabled, it is very interesting.

Good luck. YOur journey is just beginning.

Gail

[Guest guest]

It sounds to me as if your grandchild is still doing a lot of listening at

this point. WIth her only having been implanted for two years and improper

settings on the implant for an additional 9 months she should have some emerging

speech. I agree that if she is in a TC classroom then they should be using TC

to communicate. I'm sure you have sat in on some of the classes but you didn't

mention what you had seen. Were they voicing as they signed? Did they

encourage the kids to use their voices? How many other kids are in the class?

Having a child who only has a " hearing age " of 1 year 3 months (give or take)

and expecting that child to understand instruction in a kindergarten

classroom of 20+ very excited 5 year olds may be unrealistic even with an

interpreter.

(You didn't mention your grand daughters signing ability or level)

If this were my child, I would seek at least 1.5 hours of speech in the

schools in addition to the hour a week with the pvt. therapist. I would have

the

two therapists communicate so they could compliment each other's lessons if

possible. Using auditory verbal techniques during the lessons would be a

wonderful way to start teaching how to listen and make sense of what she

is

listening to.

I would talk to the school. If the TC classroom isn't appropriate I would

look at other options within the school so she has opportunities to be with

other speaking children. Center time in the regular kindergarten class, as well

as lunch and recess would be opportune times for her to begin making sense of

what is going on around her. If the HI classroom isn't the place for her, look

into the other special ed rooms if their populations are low. I know I asked

for my daughter to be placed into the special ed room for certain subjects

like spelling, and math. Problem areas for her but with the small group in the

room it was a great chance for her to listen. If she didn't get it the group

was small enough that the teacher could re-explain things to her if necessary.

She was doing grade level work, just in the smaller group so she could hear

the instruction.

Learn as much as you possibly can because it is certainly educational. What

I have also found helpful is I keep a notebook with all my child's audiograms,

IEP's, report cards, testings etc for that year seperated by index tabs.

Lindsey is a freshman in HS now and we are on on volume 3 but at least I have a

record of how far she has come. From teachers telling me she is gifted to

others telling me she is learning disabled, it is very interesting.

Good luck. YOur journey is just beginning.

Gail