Intro & some questions

[Guest guest]

Mild to moderate loss often with amplification they do very well. However what

you said about SN is true there is often a distortion factor that isn't helped

with amplification. Also anyone who sais that a person has normal hearing with

a hearing aid is wrong, it just doesn't sound the same and so while it helps

there are always going to be issues. For instance in a crowded room he probably

will have a hard time distinguishing sounds, he may hear noise and not be able

to really seperate it all. This is why in a classroom setting FM systems are so

important. Classrooms can be very loud and the child needs to be able to hear

the teacher and not the child next to him who is squirming. mild to severe

means that he is missing some important sounds, even though the loss is only

mild I am assuming in the low frequency still you miss certain sounds even at

that level. So even aided there can be a problem with clearity. I think that

getting your son into speech therapy as soon as possable would be a good idea.

I personally chose TC with ASL. There has been some discussion lately as to

whether or not this is possable, but it is, I don't directly translate what I

say, I sign it in ASL word order and I say it in simple english (he's 3 and

still has very little language). Many people chose a form of ASL in english

word order for TC and others use SEE or SE. I recomend reading up on all of

these as well as cued speach which gives visual cues for certain sounds helping

people to see what they can't hear. And there is AV which is auditory verbal.

I think reading up on all of them is a good idea before deciding on one or the

other. Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

and at least consider some form of augmentitive communication even if that is AV

therapy which does not use sign. Your son is 6 months old which is around the

age when he starts babbling more and understanding simple sounds like " no " so

now is a key time to start whatever it is to choose. Don't worry about the

amount of time it takes to learn because you will always have the oportunity to

stay one step ahead. Yes it is good to get 3,4 or 5 steps ahead and at some

point that will probably happen, but right now just focus on the basics of

whatever you choose, you have a lot to learn and that is very stressful. I

have not been offered classes for any form of communication since my son's loss

is debatable. I don't see why but that's a long story. My son has been

developing and picking up speach and sign very slowly so it on one hand allows

me enough time to teach myself, but on the other hand I have plenty of room for

him to really start picking it up.

Intro & Some Questions

Hello:

My name is and my son, Will, was diagnosed with mild-mod in

one ear and mild-severe in the other. He has been aided since he

was 2 months old. He is now 6 months old. I also have a 2.5 year

old daughter, Jasmine, who is hearing. I am reading everything I

can find on line and trying to learn all I can. I have a few

questions:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

2) I'm interested in people's experiences with ASL or another sign

language. I don't know the cause of his hearing loss and don't know

if it is stable or if it will deteriorate. I think that it may be

important for him to have access to both the hearing and deaf

worlds. As a bi-racial person, I know what it is like to grow up

caught between two worlds. I want him to be successful, but I also

want him to have a place where he feels most comfortable. Also,

since he is so young, I don't know whether he will be a really

verbal person or if he will have another preferred

learning/communication style. I have been thinking about learning

ASL and using it with him, in addition to encouraging speech. I

know tons of multi-lingual people -- including one profoundly deaf

person who is tri-lingual. Is it really that hard for someone to

learn ASL and develop spoken English? I would love to hear from

people who have experience with this -- especially if their kid has

a mild-mod loss.

I'm excited about this site -- I have been reading through it for

hours.

Take care,

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]

Mild to moderate loss often with amplification they do very well. However what

you said about SN is true there is often a distortion factor that isn't helped

with amplification. Also anyone who sais that a person has normal hearing with

a hearing aid is wrong, it just doesn't sound the same and so while it helps

there are always going to be issues. For instance in a crowded room he probably

will have a hard time distinguishing sounds, he may hear noise and not be able

to really seperate it all. This is why in a classroom setting FM systems are so

important. Classrooms can be very loud and the child needs to be able to hear

the teacher and not the child next to him who is squirming. mild to severe

means that he is missing some important sounds, even though the loss is only

mild I am assuming in the low frequency still you miss certain sounds even at

that level. So even aided there can be a problem with clearity. I think that

getting your son into speech therapy as soon as possable would be a good idea.

I personally chose TC with ASL. There has been some discussion lately as to

whether or not this is possable, but it is, I don't directly translate what I

say, I sign it in ASL word order and I say it in simple english (he's 3 and

still has very little language). Many people chose a form of ASL in english

word order for TC and others use SEE or SE. I recomend reading up on all of

these as well as cued speach which gives visual cues for certain sounds helping

people to see what they can't hear. And there is AV which is auditory verbal.

I think reading up on all of them is a good idea before deciding on one or the

other. Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

and at least consider some form of augmentitive communication even if that is AV

therapy which does not use sign. Your son is 6 months old which is around the

age when he starts babbling more and understanding simple sounds like " no " so

now is a key time to start whatever it is to choose. Don't worry about the

amount of time it takes to learn because you will always have the oportunity to

stay one step ahead. Yes it is good to get 3,4 or 5 steps ahead and at some

point that will probably happen, but right now just focus on the basics of

whatever you choose, you have a lot to learn and that is very stressful. I

have not been offered classes for any form of communication since my son's loss

is debatable. I don't see why but that's a long story. My son has been

developing and picking up speach and sign very slowly so it on one hand allows

me enough time to teach myself, but on the other hand I have plenty of room for

him to really start picking it up.

Intro & Some Questions

Hello:

My name is and my son, Will, was diagnosed with mild-mod in

one ear and mild-severe in the other. He has been aided since he

was 2 months old. He is now 6 months old. I also have a 2.5 year

old daughter, Jasmine, who is hearing. I am reading everything I

can find on line and trying to learn all I can. I have a few

questions:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

2) I'm interested in people's experiences with ASL or another sign

language. I don't know the cause of his hearing loss and don't know

if it is stable or if it will deteriorate. I think that it may be

important for him to have access to both the hearing and deaf

worlds. As a bi-racial person, I know what it is like to grow up

caught between two worlds. I want him to be successful, but I also

want him to have a place where he feels most comfortable. Also,

since he is so young, I don't know whether he will be a really

verbal person or if he will have another preferred

learning/communication style. I have been thinking about learning

ASL and using it with him, in addition to encouraging speech. I

know tons of multi-lingual people -- including one profoundly deaf

person who is tri-lingual. Is it really that hard for someone to

learn ASL and develop spoken English? I would love to hear from

people who have experience with this -- especially if their kid has

a mild-mod loss.

I'm excited about this site -- I have been reading through it for

hours.

Take care,

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]

Mild to moderate loss often with amplification they do very well. However what

you said about SN is true there is often a distortion factor that isn't helped

with amplification. Also anyone who sais that a person has normal hearing with

a hearing aid is wrong, it just doesn't sound the same and so while it helps

there are always going to be issues. For instance in a crowded room he probably

will have a hard time distinguishing sounds, he may hear noise and not be able

to really seperate it all. This is why in a classroom setting FM systems are so

important. Classrooms can be very loud and the child needs to be able to hear

the teacher and not the child next to him who is squirming. mild to severe

means that he is missing some important sounds, even though the loss is only

mild I am assuming in the low frequency still you miss certain sounds even at

that level. So even aided there can be a problem with clearity. I think that

getting your son into speech therapy as soon as possable would be a good idea.

I personally chose TC with ASL. There has been some discussion lately as to

whether or not this is possable, but it is, I don't directly translate what I

say, I sign it in ASL word order and I say it in simple english (he's 3 and

still has very little language). Many people chose a form of ASL in english

word order for TC and others use SEE or SE. I recomend reading up on all of

these as well as cued speach which gives visual cues for certain sounds helping

people to see what they can't hear. And there is AV which is auditory verbal.

I think reading up on all of them is a good idea before deciding on one or the

other. Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

and at least consider some form of augmentitive communication even if that is AV

therapy which does not use sign. Your son is 6 months old which is around the

age when he starts babbling more and understanding simple sounds like " no " so

now is a key time to start whatever it is to choose. Don't worry about the

amount of time it takes to learn because you will always have the oportunity to

stay one step ahead. Yes it is good to get 3,4 or 5 steps ahead and at some

point that will probably happen, but right now just focus on the basics of

whatever you choose, you have a lot to learn and that is very stressful. I

have not been offered classes for any form of communication since my son's loss

is debatable. I don't see why but that's a long story. My son has been

developing and picking up speach and sign very slowly so it on one hand allows

me enough time to teach myself, but on the other hand I have plenty of room for

him to really start picking it up.

Intro & Some Questions

Hello:

My name is and my son, Will, was diagnosed with mild-mod in

one ear and mild-severe in the other. He has been aided since he

was 2 months old. He is now 6 months old. I also have a 2.5 year

old daughter, Jasmine, who is hearing. I am reading everything I

can find on line and trying to learn all I can. I have a few

questions:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

2) I'm interested in people's experiences with ASL or another sign

language. I don't know the cause of his hearing loss and don't know

if it is stable or if it will deteriorate. I think that it may be

important for him to have access to both the hearing and deaf

worlds. As a bi-racial person, I know what it is like to grow up

caught between two worlds. I want him to be successful, but I also

want him to have a place where he feels most comfortable. Also,

since he is so young, I don't know whether he will be a really

verbal person or if he will have another preferred

learning/communication style. I have been thinking about learning

ASL and using it with him, in addition to encouraging speech. I

know tons of multi-lingual people -- including one profoundly deaf

person who is tri-lingual. Is it really that hard for someone to

learn ASL and develop spoken English? I would love to hear from

people who have experience with this -- especially if their kid has

a mild-mod loss.

I'm excited about this site -- I have been reading through it for

hours.

Take care,

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]

Hi - welcome! I have two boys, both have hearing loss. My older son,

Tommy is 12 with a severe/profound loss; my younger son Sam is 9 with a profound

loss.

Hearing aids - at least at this point - don't make hearing 20/20 like glasses

can do for vision. My boys also have a SN (sensorineural) hearing loss so not

only do they need amplification, the sounds still are distorted. Also, hearing

aids don't do a good job of localizing sound. I'll call to one of my boys and

see them look all around the room trying to find me if they can't see me. Your

son will want an FM system in addition to his hearing aids. My boys have used

their FM system in school but others on this list use their child's FMs all the

time. Little " boots " snap on to the bottom of the hearing aids that give the

aids more settings; then the person talking wears a microphone (there are

several types) so the sound goes to the wearer's ear. You can set the FM so

that it's just the voice of the speaker (FM setting) or speaker plus background

noise (FM + HA). The speaker's voice is about 6 db louder than the background

noise, whch is pretty significant. The FM helps my boys immensely in school.

As to how it might impact his life? Every child is so different so that's hard

to say. My boys - even with their significant hearing loss - have done very

well and neither was identified as early as your son. My younger son, who has

the more significant hearing loss (he's 95-100 db audiogram) is going into 4th

grade. He was identified at 15 months and aided almost immediately. He tested

out of special ed at the end of first grade and has done very, very well - he

had a report card at the end of third grade that a hearing child would be

pleased to have! Sam's a jock - loves " any sport with a ball " (which thank

goodness excludes hockey so we don't have to get up for 4:00 a.m. ice time!).

Both boys have good, close friends.

Our older son was identified at 3-1/4 years - pretty late - so we played

catch-up with him. We did hold him back a school year (although he is also

young - he has a late summer birthday) - he's doing very well now and going into

- gasp! - 6th grade which is middle school here. Tom loves Greek classics (why

do I - the math/computer nerd - find that amazing?!) and is an avid reader and

studies Taekwondo. Tom also has ADHD which is a really, er, interesting

co-diagnosis. Tommy is engaging, funny, smart - but he goes 1000 miles per hour

so can drive you nuts!

Both my boys communicate orally and both wear hearing aids with FM systems.

Hope this helps! I'm glad you're here.

Barbara

--- You wrote:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

Hi - welcome! I have two boys, both have hearing loss. My older son,

Tommy is 12 with a severe/profound loss; my younger son Sam is 9 with a profound

loss.

Hearing aids - at least at this point - don't make hearing 20/20 like glasses

can do for vision. My boys also have a SN (sensorineural) hearing loss so not

only do they need amplification, the sounds still are distorted. Also, hearing

aids don't do a good job of localizing sound. I'll call to one of my boys and

see them look all around the room trying to find me if they can't see me. Your

son will want an FM system in addition to his hearing aids. My boys have used

their FM system in school but others on this list use their child's FMs all the

time. Little " boots " snap on to the bottom of the hearing aids that give the

aids more settings; then the person talking wears a microphone (there are

several types) so the sound goes to the wearer's ear. You can set the FM so

that it's just the voice of the speaker (FM setting) or speaker plus background

noise (FM + HA). The speaker's voice is about 6 db louder than the background

noise, whch is pretty significant. The FM helps my boys immensely in school.

As to how it might impact his life? Every child is so different so that's hard

to say. My boys - even with their significant hearing loss - have done very

well and neither was identified as early as your son. My younger son, who has

the more significant hearing loss (he's 95-100 db audiogram) is going into 4th

grade. He was identified at 15 months and aided almost immediately. He tested

out of special ed at the end of first grade and has done very, very well - he

had a report card at the end of third grade that a hearing child would be

pleased to have! Sam's a jock - loves " any sport with a ball " (which thank

goodness excludes hockey so we don't have to get up for 4:00 a.m. ice time!).

Both boys have good, close friends.

Our older son was identified at 3-1/4 years - pretty late - so we played

catch-up with him. We did hold him back a school year (although he is also

young - he has a late summer birthday) - he's doing very well now and going into

- gasp! - 6th grade which is middle school here. Tom loves Greek classics (why

do I - the math/computer nerd - find that amazing?!) and is an avid reader and

studies Taekwondo. Tom also has ADHD which is a really, er, interesting

co-diagnosis. Tommy is engaging, funny, smart - but he goes 1000 miles per hour

so can drive you nuts!

Both my boys communicate orally and both wear hearing aids with FM systems.

Hope this helps! I'm glad you're here.

Barbara

--- You wrote:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

Hi - welcome! I have two boys, both have hearing loss. My older son,

Tommy is 12 with a severe/profound loss; my younger son Sam is 9 with a profound

loss.

Hearing aids - at least at this point - don't make hearing 20/20 like glasses

can do for vision. My boys also have a SN (sensorineural) hearing loss so not

only do they need amplification, the sounds still are distorted. Also, hearing

aids don't do a good job of localizing sound. I'll call to one of my boys and

see them look all around the room trying to find me if they can't see me. Your

son will want an FM system in addition to his hearing aids. My boys have used

their FM system in school but others on this list use their child's FMs all the

time. Little " boots " snap on to the bottom of the hearing aids that give the

aids more settings; then the person talking wears a microphone (there are

several types) so the sound goes to the wearer's ear. You can set the FM so

that it's just the voice of the speaker (FM setting) or speaker plus background

noise (FM + HA). The speaker's voice is about 6 db louder than the background

noise, whch is pretty significant. The FM helps my boys immensely in school.

As to how it might impact his life? Every child is so different so that's hard

to say. My boys - even with their significant hearing loss - have done very

well and neither was identified as early as your son. My younger son, who has

the more significant hearing loss (he's 95-100 db audiogram) is going into 4th

grade. He was identified at 15 months and aided almost immediately. He tested

out of special ed at the end of first grade and has done very, very well - he

had a report card at the end of third grade that a hearing child would be

pleased to have! Sam's a jock - loves " any sport with a ball " (which thank

goodness excludes hockey so we don't have to get up for 4:00 a.m. ice time!).

Both boys have good, close friends.

Our older son was identified at 3-1/4 years - pretty late - so we played

catch-up with him. We did hold him back a school year (although he is also

young - he has a late summer birthday) - he's doing very well now and going into

- gasp! - 6th grade which is middle school here. Tom loves Greek classics (why

do I - the math/computer nerd - find that amazing?!) and is an avid reader and

studies Taekwondo. Tom also has ADHD which is a really, er, interesting

co-diagnosis. Tommy is engaging, funny, smart - but he goes 1000 miles per hour

so can drive you nuts!

Both my boys communicate orally and both wear hearing aids with FM systems.

Hope this helps! I'm glad you're here.

Barbara

--- You wrote:

1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

I would echo Kerry's comments here. Sam, my younger son with a profound loss,

tested out of speech and language two years ago when he was 7 (at the end of

first grade). We've monitored his progress very closely given his level of

hearing loss - so far, so good. He had an " on grade level " with a plus after it

for reading and language arts - and he wasn't diagnosed at birth but at 15

months.

Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit for

all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements. Tom,

with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam, with a

profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact that

Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back, but

really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom line

is they are totally different kids.

I've been told by several audiologists and teachers of the deaf that they review

Sam's audiogram prior to meeting him that they expect one thing and then are

blown away when they meet him and see his language and speech levels. Everyone

- I mean everyone - told me that both my boys would have problems with reading

(Sam's at an 8th grade level going into 4th grade), language, etc. - so far we

haven't seen that so I'm glad I just moved ahead with what seemed right for Sam

and for Tom.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my boys -

but serves to emphasize that all along I was told " a child with his level of

hearing loss " has actually baffled all the experts. You just never know. Your

mileage may vary! :>)

Barbara

--- You wrote:

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

I would echo Kerry's comments here. Sam, my younger son with a profound loss,

tested out of speech and language two years ago when he was 7 (at the end of

first grade). We've monitored his progress very closely given his level of

hearing loss - so far, so good. He had an " on grade level " with a plus after it

for reading and language arts - and he wasn't diagnosed at birth but at 15

months.

Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit for

all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements. Tom,

with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam, with a

profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact that

Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back, but

really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom line

is they are totally different kids.

I've been told by several audiologists and teachers of the deaf that they review

Sam's audiogram prior to meeting him that they expect one thing and then are

blown away when they meet him and see his language and speech levels. Everyone

- I mean everyone - told me that both my boys would have problems with reading

(Sam's at an 8th grade level going into 4th grade), language, etc. - so far we

haven't seen that so I'm glad I just moved ahead with what seemed right for Sam

and for Tom.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my boys -

but serves to emphasize that all along I was told " a child with his level of

hearing loss " has actually baffled all the experts. You just never know. Your

mileage may vary! :>)

Barbara

--- You wrote:

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

I would echo Kerry's comments here. Sam, my younger son with a profound loss,

tested out of speech and language two years ago when he was 7 (at the end of

first grade). We've monitored his progress very closely given his level of

hearing loss - so far, so good. He had an " on grade level " with a plus after it

for reading and language arts - and he wasn't diagnosed at birth but at 15

months.

Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit for

all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements. Tom,

with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam, with a

profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact that

Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back, but

really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom line

is they are totally different kids.

I've been told by several audiologists and teachers of the deaf that they review

Sam's audiogram prior to meeting him that they expect one thing and then are

blown away when they meet him and see his language and speech levels. Everyone

- I mean everyone - told me that both my boys would have problems with reading

(Sam's at an 8th grade level going into 4th grade), language, etc. - so far we

haven't seen that so I'm glad I just moved ahead with what seemed right for Sam

and for Tom.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my boys -

but serves to emphasize that all along I was told " a child with his level of

hearing loss " has actually baffled all the experts. You just never know. Your

mileage may vary! :>)

Barbara

--- You wrote:

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

--- end of quote ---

[Guest guest]

Welcome, . My daughter is " nearly 3 " as she likes to call it, and

has a severe bilateral sensorineural loss that was diagnosed at birth.

She was aided at 6 months and started auditory-verbal therapy the next

day. I just wanted to highlight two of the comments made in earlier

posts.

<My audiologist says with amplification his hearing should be normal.

The rough rule of thumb is that an aid can cut the hearing loss to half.

So, a mild-moderate hearing loss could absolutely be improved to the

normal hearing level 0-20dB). Previous posters are correct in saying

that clarity is a bit compromised by the hearing aids and localization

can be tricky, but kids adapt easily (especially when they are

identified and aided so young, like Will-- good for you!). Hadley's

loss is around 70dB, and she often tests at 15dB in the sound booth, and

anecdotal evidence from life at home suggest she gets about the same

improvement from her aids when environmental sounds and background noise

are there.

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

There's a good book out there, " Not Deaf Enough " that tells the story of

a family whose daughter has a mild hearing loss by P.A.M. Candlish

(http://www.hardofhearingchildren.com). There aren't tons of resources

out there that discuss the impact of a mild hearing loss. Carol Flexer

also has an article on the impact in the classroom:

http://www.totalhearing.net/child_faq_management.htm While both these

authors are personal proponents of AVT, I don't think their

communication choices interfere with their message about the

significance of a mild loss. There are, of course, a ton of resources

for more severe losses and by going through the Listen-Up site, you'll

find most of them!

Good luck with your decision making on what communication choice is

right for your family.

Kerry

[Guest guest]

Welcome, . My daughter is " nearly 3 " as she likes to call it, and

has a severe bilateral sensorineural loss that was diagnosed at birth.

She was aided at 6 months and started auditory-verbal therapy the next

day. I just wanted to highlight two of the comments made in earlier

posts.

<My audiologist says with amplification his hearing should be normal.

The rough rule of thumb is that an aid can cut the hearing loss to half.

So, a mild-moderate hearing loss could absolutely be improved to the

normal hearing level 0-20dB). Previous posters are correct in saying

that clarity is a bit compromised by the hearing aids and localization

can be tricky, but kids adapt easily (especially when they are

identified and aided so young, like Will-- good for you!). Hadley's

loss is around 70dB, and she often tests at 15dB in the sound booth, and

anecdotal evidence from life at home suggest she gets about the same

improvement from her aids when environmental sounds and background noise

are there.

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

There's a good book out there, " Not Deaf Enough " that tells the story of

a family whose daughter has a mild hearing loss by P.A.M. Candlish

(http://www.hardofhearingchildren.com). There aren't tons of resources

out there that discuss the impact of a mild hearing loss. Carol Flexer

also has an article on the impact in the classroom:

http://www.totalhearing.net/child_faq_management.htm While both these

authors are personal proponents of AVT, I don't think their

communication choices interfere with their message about the

significance of a mild loss. There are, of course, a ton of resources

for more severe losses and by going through the Listen-Up site, you'll

find most of them!

Good luck with your decision making on what communication choice is

right for your family.

Kerry

[Guest guest]

Welcome, . My daughter is " nearly 3 " as she likes to call it, and

has a severe bilateral sensorineural loss that was diagnosed at birth.

She was aided at 6 months and started auditory-verbal therapy the next

day. I just wanted to highlight two of the comments made in earlier

posts.

<My audiologist says with amplification his hearing should be normal.

The rough rule of thumb is that an aid can cut the hearing loss to half.

So, a mild-moderate hearing loss could absolutely be improved to the

normal hearing level 0-20dB). Previous posters are correct in saying

that clarity is a bit compromised by the hearing aids and localization

can be tricky, but kids adapt easily (especially when they are

identified and aided so young, like Will-- good for you!). Hadley's

loss is around 70dB, and she often tests at 15dB in the sound booth, and

anecdotal evidence from life at home suggest she gets about the same

improvement from her aids when environmental sounds and background noise

are there.

<Even with a mild loss you need to expect delays in speech and language

, please excuse me for pulling this comment out because I know

your son's situation is different and I understand why you wrote it.

But, for kids who are only dealing with a hearing loss and no other

medical issues, we don't need to expect delays or lower our expectations

for their progress. Your son has been identified so early and aided

quickly-- expect the world for him.

There's a good book out there, " Not Deaf Enough " that tells the story of

a family whose daughter has a mild hearing loss by P.A.M. Candlish

(http://www.hardofhearingchildren.com). There aren't tons of resources

out there that discuss the impact of a mild hearing loss. Carol Flexer

also has an article on the impact in the classroom:

http://www.totalhearing.net/child_faq_management.htm While both these

authors are personal proponents of AVT, I don't think their

communication choices interfere with their message about the

significance of a mild loss. There are, of course, a ton of resources

for more severe losses and by going through the Listen-Up site, you'll

find most of them!

Good luck with your decision making on what communication choice is

right for your family.

Kerry

[Guest guest]

I think the main thing to remember is if the school (like many have) makes a

blanket statement like " hearing impaired/deaf kids just don't advance past a

3rd grade reading level " then that is a red flag waving that the school will

not have many expectations for your child. I feel we need to be realistic

but put tons of hope into what our kids will become.

Our two deaf daughters were both adopted at a later age and neither one

had any form of amplification at 6 and 9 when they came home. I know they

will always have severe language delays, but I won't believe the statement

from any teacher of the deaf that we shouldn't expect them to advance past

the 3 or 4th grade reading level. That kind of statement only saves

someone's rear end and makes them look unaccountable. I agree with Barbara

that we need to take our own individual circumstances into consideration

and look at our whole child, but never, NEVER, expect less from anyone

dealing with your child than they would expect out of their own child in the

same situation.

This day and age and the technology it offers is an awesome time to help

our kids with hearing loss. And no one cares as much about our kids as we do

ourselves. We will be their best advocate and will then teach them that

they will have to advocate for themselves. Tish

> Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit

for

> all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements.

Tom,

> with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam,

with a

> profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact

that

> Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back,

but

> really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom

line

> is they are totally different kids.

[Guest guest]

I think the main thing to remember is if the school (like many have) makes a

blanket statement like " hearing impaired/deaf kids just don't advance past a

3rd grade reading level " then that is a red flag waving that the school will

not have many expectations for your child. I feel we need to be realistic

but put tons of hope into what our kids will become.

Our two deaf daughters were both adopted at a later age and neither one

had any form of amplification at 6 and 9 when they came home. I know they

will always have severe language delays, but I won't believe the statement

from any teacher of the deaf that we shouldn't expect them to advance past

the 3 or 4th grade reading level. That kind of statement only saves

someone's rear end and makes them look unaccountable. I agree with Barbara

that we need to take our own individual circumstances into consideration

and look at our whole child, but never, NEVER, expect less from anyone

dealing with your child than they would expect out of their own child in the

same situation.

This day and age and the technology it offers is an awesome time to help

our kids with hearing loss. And no one cares as much about our kids as we do

ourselves. We will be their best advocate and will then teach them that

they will have to advocate for themselves. Tish

> Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit

for

> all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements.

Tom,

> with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam,

with a

> profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact

that

> Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back,

but

> really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom

line

> is they are totally different kids.

[Guest guest]

I think the main thing to remember is if the school (like many have) makes a

blanket statement like " hearing impaired/deaf kids just don't advance past a

3rd grade reading level " then that is a red flag waving that the school will

not have many expectations for your child. I feel we need to be realistic

but put tons of hope into what our kids will become.

Our two deaf daughters were both adopted at a later age and neither one

had any form of amplification at 6 and 9 when they came home. I know they

will always have severe language delays, but I won't believe the statement

from any teacher of the deaf that we shouldn't expect them to advance past

the 3 or 4th grade reading level. That kind of statement only saves

someone's rear end and makes them look unaccountable. I agree with Barbara

that we need to take our own individual circumstances into consideration

and look at our whole child, but never, NEVER, expect less from anyone

dealing with your child than they would expect out of their own child in the

same situation.

This day and age and the technology it offers is an awesome time to help

our kids with hearing loss. And no one cares as much about our kids as we do

ourselves. We will be their best advocate and will then teach them that

they will have to advocate for themselves. Tish

> Every child is different and I agree with Kerry that the sky is the limit

for

> all our kids. I think care should be taken in making blanket statements.

Tom,

> with his severe/profound loss wasn't as far ahead in 3rd grade as Sam,

with a

> profound loss. I think there are many factors at play including the fact

that

> Tom has ADHD, he was diagnosed later, and heck, Tom just has a laid back,

but

> really eccentric personality whereas Sam's drive is almost scary! Bottom

line

> is they are totally different kids.

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

.....I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my

boys.........

Barbara

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

Barbara,

I just wanted to say that I love reading success stories and found this very

useful when I first found out about my daughter's hearing loss. It's not

bragging.

I adopted my daughter at 12 months and I knew about her hearing loss

beforehand, but was not expecting it. While I was going through the lsong

process of adoption, I had a very strong feeling that my child would have a love

of music like my mother did. My mom died 2 years before Jessie came home. I felt

strongly that my Mom and my child would share this connection of music -- hard

to explain. Some may think its odd and some may understand just how I feel.

Anyway, when I found out about the hearing loss, I just assumed that a love of

music was just not going to happen and my strong maternal instinct was wrong. I

thought that she may hear and like music; but really loving music was probably

not going to happen. But, I found out otherwise. My daughter loves music and

will often be the only child dancing in a large group of kids when music is

playing. She even dances to the country music that is on the radio when we are

standing in line at the local store. I've also learned quickly not to limit my

expectations.

My daughter has a moderate/borderline severe loss. She is oral but we did use

some ASL at first which helped tremendously. I feel that I need to do everything

possible to help with her hearing loss. You can't just put HA or implants in/on

and just forget it. Any loss can have a very big impact on learning. But, I

agree totally that the sky is the limit for my daughter. My daughter turned 3

last month and is catching up very quickly in language and tests above age level

cognitively.

H.

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

.....I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my

boys.........

Barbara

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

Barbara,

I just wanted to say that I love reading success stories and found this very

useful when I first found out about my daughter's hearing loss. It's not

bragging.

I adopted my daughter at 12 months and I knew about her hearing loss

beforehand, but was not expecting it. While I was going through the lsong

process of adoption, I had a very strong feeling that my child would have a love

of music like my mother did. My mom died 2 years before Jessie came home. I felt

strongly that my Mom and my child would share this connection of music -- hard

to explain. Some may think its odd and some may understand just how I feel.

Anyway, when I found out about the hearing loss, I just assumed that a love of

music was just not going to happen and my strong maternal instinct was wrong. I

thought that she may hear and like music; but really loving music was probably

not going to happen. But, I found out otherwise. My daughter loves music and

will often be the only child dancing in a large group of kids when music is

playing. She even dances to the country music that is on the radio when we are

standing in line at the local store. I've also learned quickly not to limit my

expectations.

My daughter has a moderate/borderline severe loss. She is oral but we did use

some ASL at first which helped tremendously. I feel that I need to do everything

possible to help with her hearing loss. You can't just put HA or implants in/on

and just forget it. Any loss can have a very big impact on learning. But, I

agree totally that the sky is the limit for my daughter. My daughter turned 3

last month and is catching up very quickly in language and tests above age level

cognitively.

H.

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

.....I hope this doesn't sound like I'm bragging - I'm very proud of both my

boys.........

Barbara

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

Barbara,

I just wanted to say that I love reading success stories and found this very

useful when I first found out about my daughter's hearing loss. It's not

bragging.

I adopted my daughter at 12 months and I knew about her hearing loss

beforehand, but was not expecting it. While I was going through the lsong

process of adoption, I had a very strong feeling that my child would have a love

of music like my mother did. My mom died 2 years before Jessie came home. I felt

strongly that my Mom and my child would share this connection of music -- hard

to explain. Some may think its odd and some may understand just how I feel.

Anyway, when I found out about the hearing loss, I just assumed that a love of

music was just not going to happen and my strong maternal instinct was wrong. I

thought that she may hear and like music; but really loving music was probably

not going to happen. But, I found out otherwise. My daughter loves music and

will often be the only child dancing in a large group of kids when music is

playing. She even dances to the country music that is on the radio when we are

standing in line at the local store. I've also learned quickly not to limit my

expectations.

My daughter has a moderate/borderline severe loss. She is oral but we did use

some ASL at first which helped tremendously. I feel that I need to do everything

possible to help with her hearing loss. You can't just put HA or implants in/on

and just forget it. Any loss can have a very big impact on learning. But, I

agree totally that the sky is the limit for my daughter. My daughter turned 3

last month and is catching up very quickly in language and tests above age level

cognitively.

H.

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome to the group,

My daughter will be 4 in November and has a bilateral SN moderate loss.

She was aided at 12 months.

I have been reading the other comments, and I agree - it is not right to

make blanket statements about any child, especially to someone who is still

dealing with the news that their child is hearing impaired. It's good to be

warned about possible problems but we also need to focus on the positives.

When was first diagnosed, after I dealt with the shock and

disappointment, I was so optimistic and just expected her to be fine because

I knew she was a bright kid and I would work hard at helping her, but I was

constantly being told doom and gloom things like to expect her to be behind

in speech and reading etc. and that we'd have to work at catching her up all

the time. Well, my optimism was on the right track, because she is doing

fantastically and I'm so glad I didn't accept she would be behind, or I

might not have had such high expectations for her (if my expectations were

ever low, she would prove me wrong over and over). Yes, at times she finds

it harder to hear, but she simply asks me to repeat myself if she misses

something. She accepts her hearing aids are part of her and proudly shows

them to people when asked. She wears them all day long and reluctantly takes

them out at bed time (boy, I wish I could see this in a crystal ball in

those early months when she pulled them out 100 times a day! LOL - it

stopped after 4 months)

She was recently assessed through a study she is involved in and her

receptive vocabulary (at 3 1/2 yrs) was equal to that of a hearing 5 year

old child. As a hearing impaired child she was expected to fall in the below

average range as the test is based on hearing children. 's " age

equivalent score " based on her average scores in all sections of the test

was 4 years 2 months. The average standardised score for a normally hearing

child in receptive and expressive language for this test is 100 -

scored 120 and 104 respectively. (insert incredibly proud and relieved

mother here) :-)

This is just our experience and naturally will not happen with every child,

but I think it's important you hear some success stories to keep your

spirits up and know that anything is possible! Have high expectations for

Will and treat him as you would have without his hearing loss - treasure his

successes and help him through the rough spots. The fact that you're here in

this group and doing all the research shows that he has a wonderful mother

who will always be there to help him.

As for the FM systems, that is something that will come later (he is only 6

months so thinking about what he will need when he is at school is probably

not in the front of your mind just yet!). There's plenty of time to think

about all that later and you will learn lots about FM's through the group as

you go along.

As for signing, it's not something I've really looked into for because

she hears so well with her hearing aids and can hear me well enough without

them (in the bath, at the pool etc), so it hasn't become an issue for us.

Again, there are plenty of people here who will happily help you with this -

just ask!

Take care and I look forward to hearing more from you,

Kerryn (Melbourne, Australia)

(, 3.9, mod; , 11 months hearing)

Intro & Some Questions

> Hello:

>

> My name is and my son, Will, was diagnosed with mild-mod in

> one ear and mild-severe in the other. He has been aided since he

> was 2 months old. He is now 6 months old. I also have a 2.5 year

> old daughter, Jasmine, who is hearing. I am reading everything I

> can find on line and trying to learn all I can. I have a few

> questions:

>

> 1) What is the impact of a mild-moderate loss? My audiologist says

> with amplification his hearing should be normal. However, he has a

> SN loss, and my research says that it is not just an issue of

> amplification, but also of clarity. How might this impact his life.

>

> 2) I'm interested in people's experiences with ASL or another sign

> language. I don't know the cause of his hearing loss and don't know

> if it is stable or if it will deteriorate. I think that it may be

> important for him to have access to both the hearing and deaf

> worlds. As a bi-racial person, I know what it is like to grow up

> caught between two worlds. I want him to be successful, but I also

> want him to have a place where he feels most comfortable. Also,

> since he is so young, I don't know whether he will be a really

> verbal person or if he will have another preferred

> learning/communication style. I have been thinking about learning

> ASL and using it with him, in addition to encouraging speech. I

> know tons of multi-lingual people -- including one profoundly deaf

> person who is tri-lingual. Is it really that hard for someone to

> learn ASL and develop spoken English? I would love to hear from

> people who have experience with this -- especially if their kid has

> a mild-mod loss.

>

> I'm excited about this site -- I have been reading through it for

> hours.

>

> Take care,

>

>

>

>

>

> 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]

--

I remember so well when we found out that our daughter had a moderate

to severe hearing loss. I remember many of your same

fears/questions/concerns.

I can tell you that we went with what our hearts told us to and I can

tell you that in the last two years we have changed our techniques

and have followed my daughter's lead(she is 2 1/2 years old). When

she was first diagnosed we went out and got the hearing aids and

chose Total Communication for her. That meant that we were being

very oral with her but combining this with sign.

Well, two things happened in the course of the next 18 months that

changed this all for us. Annika understood many, many signs but

refused, yes refused to use them herself. We would try to do hand

over hand with her and she didn't like it. She also lost more of her

hearing. She now had a profound hearing loss in both ears(left she

heard nothing and right she was at 90 dcbl). Well, this really

surprised me because she was using her hearing aid better than what

the audi told us was possible.

Well, through a lot of research and decisions we decided to have her

implanted. Two main reasons we chose this-1. we believed that her

right ear would continue to deteriate and 2. she had shown us she

wanted to be oral not a signer. On 3/1/04 we had her bilaterally

implanted. And to say that she is doing just great is somewhat of an

understatement. She has blown almost all of her goals written on her

current IIIP down the tubes(part of this is because the school

district refused to set high goals for her but that is a whole other

story)

I am trying to keep this short and yet also want to explain my point

in this response. I want to tell you that you will make it through

this. You will make a choice and go with it but remember that if you

don't think it is working then you can always change. Especially

when your child is older and is able to show you his preference or

tell you. I am not a parent that will swear by a certain method for

every child. Each child is different as is every family. You need

to find what will work for your family and then go with it.

Also I wanted to let you know that if he loses more of his hearing

there are other options out there. He could possibly become a

candidate for an implant. I don't know. I was told at first that

Annika was not going to be a candidate for an implant and then when

we went for a second opinion(a year later) I was told that was not

true and she was a very good candidate. No, implants are not the

answer for everyone but I wanted to say that there are other options

if you want them for a child if their hearing condition worsens.

I can also tell you that I have a friend who has a little boy who has

a moderate hearing loss. He is about 20 months old and is totally

oral. She won't let anyone use sign with him but he has picked up on

some. But he is doing just great. I think he has about 50-60 words

right now and is just starting to take off with his language.

As far as FM systems(I saw this in another post and thought I would

put in my input), we did have a FM system for Annika to use at home

before we implanted her. I really liked this. She was able to watch

cartoons and movies and was able to hear the language without me

turning up the volume so no one could sit in the room with her. I

also used the FM in the car, and in group settings. It was hard for

us to use it because the BTE was so big for her little ears but I

don't ever regret the decision to pursue a FM for her. I really

believe that helped her with her language as she lost more of her

hearing and also made it easier for her to adjust to her implant and

be where she is language wise right now with her CI.

I hope this isn't too much info for you. I just want to say you are

doing just great. You are asking questions but do your own research

and find what works for you and your family and your son. Good luck

to you all.

Mom of 4

Marcus 14

12

Jon 10

Annika 2.5

bilaterally implanted 3/1

hookup 3/25

[Guest guest]

,

My son Caleb was diagnosed with a " mild to moderate " sensory-neural high

frequency hearing loss at around 18 months old. He is now five and his

loss has grown more severe, especially in the highest 2 frequencies on

the audiogram. He is speaking quite well, but he mixes up a lot of

consonant sounds since he hears mostly vowels, and since these sounds

overshadow the others, especially " s " and " f " which he can not hear at

all without his aids. We have always had him in speech therapy because

it was suggested to us by the developmental center where he was first

tested, and because it was offered by our state (Florida) until age

three and then through the school system thereafter; but we have only

just recently inquired about Auditory/Verbal therapy. It has been

difficult to find certified therapists in our area, and AV therapy is

not something that anyone has ever mentioned to us, not even our

audiologist. But it is something that I wish I had know about for Caleb

a few years ago. I feel that we've finally found a " therapy " and a

therapist that understands how to approach speech and language

development in a child with hearing loss, however mild it may be. What

everyone has been saying about aids not being like glasses is right on

the money.

Good luck to you as you continue to find what's best for your family.

Caleb - almost 5 years (bilateral sensory-neural loss)

- age 7 hearing