Changing your approach

[Guest guest]

Has anyone changed communication style with their deaf or hoh child?

If so, how did you know it was time? Did changing work for you?

I am starting to worry about my son, Sam (age 3.5). He has a profound

hearing loss in his left ear, and a mild-severe sloping loss in his

right. His unaided thresholds are 40-50db.

Sam has been aided for one year now. And involved in AVT for nearly a

year as well. On one hand, he really has made tremendous progess. On

the other hand, he is nowhere near where other kids in that practice

are even kids with more severe hearing loss.

Sam now speaks in mostly 2-4 word phrases or sentences. His speech is

not very clear. He struggles to build vocabulary. In isolation, he

will say certain words, but does not incorporate them into his speech

very well. For instance, he knows how to say " sleeping " , " tired " ,

" go to bed " , but most often will say, " Sammy go night-night now " to

indicate that he is tired or is going to bed or wants to go to his

bedroom to get something. He loves Star Wars, so everything that

has to do with Star Wars is " Jedi Star Wars " .he doesn't say the names

of any of the characters or ships or anything. Just sees something

Star Wars related and says " Jedi Star Wars "

I'm so frustrated because I know there is so much inside of him. And

he can't get it out. And I'm starting to feel like we are doing him

a disservice to not give him every available method possible (I'm

thinking Total Communication may be better for him). Sam is a

fantastic little boy of normal intelligence who has had his

challenges, but has had perfectly normal EEGs and MRIs.

Another part of me worries that we are just not giving him enough

time. Sam was adopted as a toddler at about 14 months old. He lost

his hearing at a year from illness, but prior to that was hearing a

language other than English. So as a toddler his whole world changed.

So I guess, he really has only been " hearing " english for about a year.

I just don't know. Last week, I went to a parent's night at my older

son's kindergarten to review curriculum. So much is done in

Kindergarten these days! And all I kept thinking is that I can't

imagine that Sam will be able to do any of this in just two short years.

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Mom to Gabe, 6 and Sam, 3.5