Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 (hearing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Dear Tina, I have two boys (ages 8 and 6). My younger son has a mild sloping to profound, bilateral, sensory neural, hearing loss. He wears aids. Our family homeschools. There is a support list for families who are homeschooling and have children who are deaf or hard of hearing. There is also a resourceful website with a page listing the basics about homeschooling if your are considering that option. Check out: deafhomeschool and www.deafhomeschool.com Good luck and God bless, - Orlando FL Tina wrote: > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 (hearing) > > > > > > 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. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Dear Tina, I have two boys (ages 8 and 6). My younger son has a mild sloping to profound, bilateral, sensory neural, hearing loss. He wears aids. Our family homeschools. There is a support list for families who are homeschooling and have children who are deaf or hard of hearing. There is also a resourceful website with a page listing the basics about homeschooling if your are considering that option. Check out: deafhomeschool and www.deafhomeschool.com Good luck and God bless, - Orlando FL Tina wrote: > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 (hearing) > > > > > > 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. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi , Thanks so much for the reply...Sounds like you are outnumbered by males. has a severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss... she was implanted in her severe ear. We still have trouble making her wear the implant. She will wear for a couple of hours at a time. If the board of education monitors the homeschooling would they not be required to help with the cost of teaching material? Thanks again, Tina > > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 (hearing) > > > > > > > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi , Thanks so much for the reply...Sounds like you are outnumbered by males. has a severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss... she was implanted in her severe ear. We still have trouble making her wear the implant. She will wear for a couple of hours at a time. If the board of education monitors the homeschooling would they not be required to help with the cost of teaching material? Thanks again, Tina > > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 (hearing) > > > > > > > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Hi , Thanks for the support Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:36:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tanya@... writes: Here in Florida, because Caleb is registered with the county, I could bring him to our local public school for speech therapy and to work with a teacher of the deaf - on the school's schedule. There are also enrichment programs offered. As far as books and curriculum, we are responsible for purchasing these materials ourselves. I must notify the county each year of Caleb's progress. From what I understand this is very similar to NY's rules. However, our home schooled kids are required to take all the standardized testing that the kids in the regular schools are required to take. Their progressing through the grade levels is contingent on passing these exams with appropriate grades. I don't know what the ramifications are for a home schooled child who doesn't pass these tests, I only know that they are required of all children here in NY. the home schooled kids I know have all passed the exams at appropriate levels. These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. We also have Regents exams here in NY -- state level final exams for all high school courses. In order to get a NY State HS diploma, there are very stringent rules about which exams have to be passed. I would ask your state about the rules involved with the standardized exams when making the decision to home school. Better to be informed at the beginning than to learn it later on and try to scramble to meet the requirements at the last minute. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:36:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tanya@... writes: Here in Florida, because Caleb is registered with the county, I could bring him to our local public school for speech therapy and to work with a teacher of the deaf - on the school's schedule. There are also enrichment programs offered. As far as books and curriculum, we are responsible for purchasing these materials ourselves. I must notify the county each year of Caleb's progress. From what I understand this is very similar to NY's rules. However, our home schooled kids are required to take all the standardized testing that the kids in the regular schools are required to take. Their progressing through the grade levels is contingent on passing these exams with appropriate grades. I don't know what the ramifications are for a home schooled child who doesn't pass these tests, I only know that they are required of all children here in NY. the home schooled kids I know have all passed the exams at appropriate levels. These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. We also have Regents exams here in NY -- state level final exams for all high school courses. In order to get a NY State HS diploma, there are very stringent rules about which exams have to be passed. I would ask your state about the rules involved with the standardized exams when making the decision to home school. Better to be informed at the beginning than to learn it later on and try to scramble to meet the requirements at the last minute. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:36:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tanya@... writes: Here in Florida, because Caleb is registered with the county, I could bring him to our local public school for speech therapy and to work with a teacher of the deaf - on the school's schedule. There are also enrichment programs offered. As far as books and curriculum, we are responsible for purchasing these materials ourselves. I must notify the county each year of Caleb's progress. From what I understand this is very similar to NY's rules. However, our home schooled kids are required to take all the standardized testing that the kids in the regular schools are required to take. Their progressing through the grade levels is contingent on passing these exams with appropriate grades. I don't know what the ramifications are for a home schooled child who doesn't pass these tests, I only know that they are required of all children here in NY. the home schooled kids I know have all passed the exams at appropriate levels. These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. We also have Regents exams here in NY -- state level final exams for all high school courses. In order to get a NY State HS diploma, there are very stringent rules about which exams have to be passed. I would ask your state about the rules involved with the standardized exams when making the decision to home school. Better to be informed at the beginning than to learn it later on and try to scramble to meet the requirements at the last minute. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:48:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, JillcWood writes: These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. I forgot to mention, our district starts this kind of testing in 1st grade. It is a reading proficiency test. Even the home schooled kids in our district are required to take it. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:48:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, JillcWood writes: These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. I forgot to mention, our district starts this kind of testing in 1st grade. It is a reading proficiency test. Even the home schooled kids in our district are required to take it. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Okay, here I am at almost 1 am, after working far too long, with far too much adrenaline and not yet ready to sleep. The one thing that immediately comes to mind is that your child is currently attending what you feel is the appropriate placement. This is a plus in several ways. You have a support in place in that this school is already doing what is needed for your child. You can ask that they do an assessment of her. Many kids on this list have traveled to their local D/HOH school in order to be evaluated by people who actually have experience with D/HOH kids. Those results and recommendations have to be considered by your local school district when discussing and deciding your daughter's LRE (least restrictive environment) and appropriate placement. You mention that they don't like to reimburse you. I would tell them they can stop reimbursing me just as soon as they provide daily transportation to and from the school. Ask what their plans are for transporting your child in order to eliminate the reimbursement cost. And simply moving her to a local program is not an acceptable solution. A few questions: Is this school placement in your child's IEP and is the local district paying for it? Does your child have an IEP in place (or whatever an Early Intervention plan is called in your state)? How is her placement described in it? If the school has agreed to place her in this program, then they need to give VAILD reasons why they intend to alter her placement. Her LRE has been established, they must now demonstrate how that has changed -- how have HER NEEDS changed? And them paying for transportation is not a valid reason for changing the placement unless they can prove that the expense is placing an undo hardship on the district's financial health. (I doubt they can do that) Simply saying they have a local program available isn't enough. They have already demonstrated it is insufficient in that 1) it cannot support her communication mode and 2) can't even keep her processor on the correct side of her head! They need to show how this local program can match the quality and services of the school that is 65 miles away. If they cannot provide the equivalent services, then they don't have a case for moving her. Here's where you daughter's placement is helpful to you. You can easily find out what services are available at the school. Are the classroom teachers all TODs? Is there a nurse on staff who is knowledgeable with CIs and their care and maintenance? Are there SLPs on staff? What are their teachers special qualifications? Is there an audiologist nearby? What do they have available at a moment's notice that you don't even think about -- and make yourself a list. Your local district probably cannot provide those services and supports at a reasonable price. If you want to keep this placement for your child, it is doable. But you have to decide a few things, including if the commute is acceptable. If you decide that is indeed what you want, then you can fight for it. However, if you decide that you prefer to force the local school to provide for your daughter's needs within the local district, then you need to show what those needs are and get them listed in her IEP. Once her needs are spelled out in that document, it is legally binding and the district has to follow it. If they don't, they are breaking the law. Once again, you have an advantage in your child's current placement. You can probably get the information you need from the current school. They can write letters of recommendation as to what the appropriate services and supports should be. Unless the local district agrees to meet those needs, then her appropriate placement (and LRE) will still be the D/HOH school. I don't know what the needs are for an implanted child, but others here do and your child's current school obviously does. Get them to spell it out for you. When we learned of our son's hearing loss, it was only 35 dbs. The D/HOH schools required a loss of 50 dbs or more for a child to be admitted. Even if I could convince our district to place him there, the D/HOH school would not have accepted him. Instead, we had to force the local school to accommodate and support Ian. I had to determine what he needed and how it could be provided. And I knew absolutely nothing about hearing loss, TODs, FMs or anything else a D/HOH child might need or could get. You have an advantage over many parents -- you already know so much and the current school can help you with it all. Your child is already receiving services, so make a list of what they are. I mean a literal list, with everything you can think of. You can take things off later if you decide they aren't needed. But little things can matter a great deal -- like being able to tell which side of a child's head has been implanted. (oy!) Or how to change a hearing aid battery, or trouble shoot an FM system to see if it's working. Little kids can't be expected to tell the adults when things aren't working -- the adults need to be in charge of the maintenance of the equipment. I'll bet that many people at that D/HOH school can perform these everyday tasks. Our school nurse couldn't even open the battery compartment door on Ian's aids -- he showed her how to do it. (sigh) There are many parents here whose kids are appropriately supported in their local schools. Our state has a county-based educational service provider called BOCES. Through BOCES the local districts can hire the services of specialists that would be very expensive to hire for only one child. Our son's TOD is on staff at BOCES and travels to different districts to work with different kids. Ian's the only kid in our entire district who has or needs a TOD. But there are a few scattered throughout the county, so BOCES has TODs on staff. They provide a variety of services from TOD to PT to OT and more. Is there a similar agency in your state? Call your State Ed Dept and ask. We also have a department within the State Ed Dept called the Dept for Communication Disorders. When I dealt with them, the lady at its head was also deaf. She and her staff were very helpful and informative and gave me tons of information about how to deal with many things. Make some calls and find out if such a department exists in your state. If there is, they could be very helpful wit procedures an letting you know how tings are done in your state. The D/HOH school can also help with those procedures. I know this is really hard and incredibly overwhelming. I also know that there are times, sometimes several times in a single day, when you want to give it all up and go hide in a closet. But it is all doable by simply taking it one step at a time. First you get your information together that supports the choices you are making and then you move on from there. One step at a time. And remember, you don't have to sign off on anything you don't want. Those IEP meetings make you feel like you have to decide right then and there. Lots of pressure. But if what the school is suggesting is not what you know to be right, then don't sign off on it. Don't agree. Instead, hand them a pre-written letter requesting a date for the next meeting to discuss things further. I use to carry a pre-written letter into all my meetings because just knowing I had it made me feel empowered. I knew that if things weren't going well, I could call a stop to the non-productive meeting and instantly request a new one without fumbling to hand-write one or needing to write it when I got home. (I used them quite often for a while.) You don't have to be bullied into anything. Quote Mrs Reagan and just say NO (grin) Hope this helps a bit. Ask more questions .. let us know how things are going. We're here to help. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Okay, here I am at almost 1 am, after working far too long, with far too much adrenaline and not yet ready to sleep. The one thing that immediately comes to mind is that your child is currently attending what you feel is the appropriate placement. This is a plus in several ways. You have a support in place in that this school is already doing what is needed for your child. You can ask that they do an assessment of her. Many kids on this list have traveled to their local D/HOH school in order to be evaluated by people who actually have experience with D/HOH kids. Those results and recommendations have to be considered by your local school district when discussing and deciding your daughter's LRE (least restrictive environment) and appropriate placement. You mention that they don't like to reimburse you. I would tell them they can stop reimbursing me just as soon as they provide daily transportation to and from the school. Ask what their plans are for transporting your child in order to eliminate the reimbursement cost. And simply moving her to a local program is not an acceptable solution. A few questions: Is this school placement in your child's IEP and is the local district paying for it? Does your child have an IEP in place (or whatever an Early Intervention plan is called in your state)? How is her placement described in it? If the school has agreed to place her in this program, then they need to give VAILD reasons why they intend to alter her placement. Her LRE has been established, they must now demonstrate how that has changed -- how have HER NEEDS changed? And them paying for transportation is not a valid reason for changing the placement unless they can prove that the expense is placing an undo hardship on the district's financial health. (I doubt they can do that) Simply saying they have a local program available isn't enough. They have already demonstrated it is insufficient in that 1) it cannot support her communication mode and 2) can't even keep her processor on the correct side of her head! They need to show how this local program can match the quality and services of the school that is 65 miles away. If they cannot provide the equivalent services, then they don't have a case for moving her. Here's where you daughter's placement is helpful to you. You can easily find out what services are available at the school. Are the classroom teachers all TODs? Is there a nurse on staff who is knowledgeable with CIs and their care and maintenance? Are there SLPs on staff? What are their teachers special qualifications? Is there an audiologist nearby? What do they have available at a moment's notice that you don't even think about -- and make yourself a list. Your local district probably cannot provide those services and supports at a reasonable price. If you want to keep this placement for your child, it is doable. But you have to decide a few things, including if the commute is acceptable. If you decide that is indeed what you want, then you can fight for it. However, if you decide that you prefer to force the local school to provide for your daughter's needs within the local district, then you need to show what those needs are and get them listed in her IEP. Once her needs are spelled out in that document, it is legally binding and the district has to follow it. If they don't, they are breaking the law. Once again, you have an advantage in your child's current placement. You can probably get the information you need from the current school. They can write letters of recommendation as to what the appropriate services and supports should be. Unless the local district agrees to meet those needs, then her appropriate placement (and LRE) will still be the D/HOH school. I don't know what the needs are for an implanted child, but others here do and your child's current school obviously does. Get them to spell it out for you. When we learned of our son's hearing loss, it was only 35 dbs. The D/HOH schools required a loss of 50 dbs or more for a child to be admitted. Even if I could convince our district to place him there, the D/HOH school would not have accepted him. Instead, we had to force the local school to accommodate and support Ian. I had to determine what he needed and how it could be provided. And I knew absolutely nothing about hearing loss, TODs, FMs or anything else a D/HOH child might need or could get. You have an advantage over many parents -- you already know so much and the current school can help you with it all. Your child is already receiving services, so make a list of what they are. I mean a literal list, with everything you can think of. You can take things off later if you decide they aren't needed. But little things can matter a great deal -- like being able to tell which side of a child's head has been implanted. (oy!) Or how to change a hearing aid battery, or trouble shoot an FM system to see if it's working. Little kids can't be expected to tell the adults when things aren't working -- the adults need to be in charge of the maintenance of the equipment. I'll bet that many people at that D/HOH school can perform these everyday tasks. Our school nurse couldn't even open the battery compartment door on Ian's aids -- he showed her how to do it. (sigh) There are many parents here whose kids are appropriately supported in their local schools. Our state has a county-based educational service provider called BOCES. Through BOCES the local districts can hire the services of specialists that would be very expensive to hire for only one child. Our son's TOD is on staff at BOCES and travels to different districts to work with different kids. Ian's the only kid in our entire district who has or needs a TOD. But there are a few scattered throughout the county, so BOCES has TODs on staff. They provide a variety of services from TOD to PT to OT and more. Is there a similar agency in your state? Call your State Ed Dept and ask. We also have a department within the State Ed Dept called the Dept for Communication Disorders. When I dealt with them, the lady at its head was also deaf. She and her staff were very helpful and informative and gave me tons of information about how to deal with many things. Make some calls and find out if such a department exists in your state. If there is, they could be very helpful wit procedures an letting you know how tings are done in your state. The D/HOH school can also help with those procedures. I know this is really hard and incredibly overwhelming. I also know that there are times, sometimes several times in a single day, when you want to give it all up and go hide in a closet. But it is all doable by simply taking it one step at a time. First you get your information together that supports the choices you are making and then you move on from there. One step at a time. And remember, you don't have to sign off on anything you don't want. Those IEP meetings make you feel like you have to decide right then and there. Lots of pressure. But if what the school is suggesting is not what you know to be right, then don't sign off on it. Don't agree. Instead, hand them a pre-written letter requesting a date for the next meeting to discuss things further. I use to carry a pre-written letter into all my meetings because just knowing I had it made me feel empowered. I knew that if things weren't going well, I could call a stop to the non-productive meeting and instantly request a new one without fumbling to hand-write one or needing to write it when I got home. (I used them quite often for a while.) You don't have to be bullied into anything. Quote Mrs Reagan and just say NO (grin) Hope this helps a bit. Ask more questions .. let us know how things are going. We're here to help. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Okay, here I am at almost 1 am, after working far too long, with far too much adrenaline and not yet ready to sleep. The one thing that immediately comes to mind is that your child is currently attending what you feel is the appropriate placement. This is a plus in several ways. You have a support in place in that this school is already doing what is needed for your child. You can ask that they do an assessment of her. Many kids on this list have traveled to their local D/HOH school in order to be evaluated by people who actually have experience with D/HOH kids. Those results and recommendations have to be considered by your local school district when discussing and deciding your daughter's LRE (least restrictive environment) and appropriate placement. You mention that they don't like to reimburse you. I would tell them they can stop reimbursing me just as soon as they provide daily transportation to and from the school. Ask what their plans are for transporting your child in order to eliminate the reimbursement cost. And simply moving her to a local program is not an acceptable solution. A few questions: Is this school placement in your child's IEP and is the local district paying for it? Does your child have an IEP in place (or whatever an Early Intervention plan is called in your state)? How is her placement described in it? If the school has agreed to place her in this program, then they need to give VAILD reasons why they intend to alter her placement. Her LRE has been established, they must now demonstrate how that has changed -- how have HER NEEDS changed? And them paying for transportation is not a valid reason for changing the placement unless they can prove that the expense is placing an undo hardship on the district's financial health. (I doubt they can do that) Simply saying they have a local program available isn't enough. They have already demonstrated it is insufficient in that 1) it cannot support her communication mode and 2) can't even keep her processor on the correct side of her head! They need to show how this local program can match the quality and services of the school that is 65 miles away. If they cannot provide the equivalent services, then they don't have a case for moving her. Here's where you daughter's placement is helpful to you. You can easily find out what services are available at the school. Are the classroom teachers all TODs? Is there a nurse on staff who is knowledgeable with CIs and their care and maintenance? Are there SLPs on staff? What are their teachers special qualifications? Is there an audiologist nearby? What do they have available at a moment's notice that you don't even think about -- and make yourself a list. Your local district probably cannot provide those services and supports at a reasonable price. If you want to keep this placement for your child, it is doable. But you have to decide a few things, including if the commute is acceptable. If you decide that is indeed what you want, then you can fight for it. However, if you decide that you prefer to force the local school to provide for your daughter's needs within the local district, then you need to show what those needs are and get them listed in her IEP. Once her needs are spelled out in that document, it is legally binding and the district has to follow it. If they don't, they are breaking the law. Once again, you have an advantage in your child's current placement. You can probably get the information you need from the current school. They can write letters of recommendation as to what the appropriate services and supports should be. Unless the local district agrees to meet those needs, then her appropriate placement (and LRE) will still be the D/HOH school. I don't know what the needs are for an implanted child, but others here do and your child's current school obviously does. Get them to spell it out for you. When we learned of our son's hearing loss, it was only 35 dbs. The D/HOH schools required a loss of 50 dbs or more for a child to be admitted. Even if I could convince our district to place him there, the D/HOH school would not have accepted him. Instead, we had to force the local school to accommodate and support Ian. I had to determine what he needed and how it could be provided. And I knew absolutely nothing about hearing loss, TODs, FMs or anything else a D/HOH child might need or could get. You have an advantage over many parents -- you already know so much and the current school can help you with it all. Your child is already receiving services, so make a list of what they are. I mean a literal list, with everything you can think of. You can take things off later if you decide they aren't needed. But little things can matter a great deal -- like being able to tell which side of a child's head has been implanted. (oy!) Or how to change a hearing aid battery, or trouble shoot an FM system to see if it's working. Little kids can't be expected to tell the adults when things aren't working -- the adults need to be in charge of the maintenance of the equipment. I'll bet that many people at that D/HOH school can perform these everyday tasks. Our school nurse couldn't even open the battery compartment door on Ian's aids -- he showed her how to do it. (sigh) There are many parents here whose kids are appropriately supported in their local schools. Our state has a county-based educational service provider called BOCES. Through BOCES the local districts can hire the services of specialists that would be very expensive to hire for only one child. Our son's TOD is on staff at BOCES and travels to different districts to work with different kids. Ian's the only kid in our entire district who has or needs a TOD. But there are a few scattered throughout the county, so BOCES has TODs on staff. They provide a variety of services from TOD to PT to OT and more. Is there a similar agency in your state? Call your State Ed Dept and ask. We also have a department within the State Ed Dept called the Dept for Communication Disorders. When I dealt with them, the lady at its head was also deaf. She and her staff were very helpful and informative and gave me tons of information about how to deal with many things. Make some calls and find out if such a department exists in your state. If there is, they could be very helpful wit procedures an letting you know how tings are done in your state. The D/HOH school can also help with those procedures. I know this is really hard and incredibly overwhelming. I also know that there are times, sometimes several times in a single day, when you want to give it all up and go hide in a closet. But it is all doable by simply taking it one step at a time. First you get your information together that supports the choices you are making and then you move on from there. One step at a time. And remember, you don't have to sign off on anything you don't want. Those IEP meetings make you feel like you have to decide right then and there. Lots of pressure. But if what the school is suggesting is not what you know to be right, then don't sign off on it. Don't agree. Instead, hand them a pre-written letter requesting a date for the next meeting to discuss things further. I use to carry a pre-written letter into all my meetings because just knowing I had it made me feel empowered. I knew that if things weren't going well, I could call a stop to the non-productive meeting and instantly request a new one without fumbling to hand-write one or needing to write it when I got home. (I used them quite often for a while.) You don't have to be bullied into anything. Quote Mrs Reagan and just say NO (grin) Hope this helps a bit. Ask more questions .. let us know how things are going. We're here to help. Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Hey Tina, Yes. I am out numbered; even our cockatiel is a boy. ;-) Homeschooling requirements are different for each state. Here in Florida, because Caleb is registered with the county, I could bring him to our local public school for speech therapy and to work with a teacher of the deaf - on the school's schedule. There are also enrichment programs offered. As far as books and curriculum, we are responsible for purchasing these materials ourselves. I must notify the county each year of Caleb's progress, but all in all, our state is pretty lenient when it comes to homeschooling. Last year, Caleb attended our church preschool (mainstream) 3 afternoons a week, and we did Auditory Verbal Therapy with a AVT-cert. two to three times per month. This year, Kindergarten, Caleb takes classes two mornings a week at a church that provides homeschool enrichment courses, and I homeschool him the rest of the week. There is also a support group for homeschoolers offered as a ministry of the same church, and there are fieldtrips and other social gatherings. There are a lot of options for you. You just have to find out what works. We make decisions one year at a time around here. I do agree with the person who posted about getting your daughter's map checked. It is sort of strange that she doesn't want to wear the implant more often. I spent a lot of time last year with the audiologist reviewing, re-evaluating, and learning to better manage Caleb's hearing issues. That's the first thing that must be done no matter what schooling option you decide. Hope this info. helps you a bit. God bless, Tina wrote: > Hi , > Thanks so much for the reply...Sounds like you are outnumbered by males. > has a severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss... she was > implanted in her severe ear. We still have trouble making her wear > the implant. She will wear for a couple of hours at a time. > If the board of education monitors the homeschooling would they not be > required to help with the cost of teaching material? > Thanks again, > Tina > > > > > > > > > > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 > (hearing) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 I take it you aren't anywhere near Vanderbilt then? I hear they have a very good school there (but I think it is Oral). Maybe they can help you with curriculum, training, etc?. I know at least one family that's there who I did a bilateral implant appeal for. Sheri >Tina wrote: > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 >(hearing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 I take it you aren't anywhere near Vanderbilt then? I hear they have a very good school there (but I think it is Oral). Maybe they can help you with curriculum, training, etc?. I know at least one family that's there who I did a bilateral implant appeal for. Sheri >Tina wrote: > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 >(hearing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 I take it you aren't anywhere near Vanderbilt then? I hear they have a very good school there (but I think it is Oral). Maybe they can help you with curriculum, training, etc?. I know at least one family that's there who I did a bilateral implant appeal for. Sheri >Tina wrote: > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 >(hearing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 In Florida, we have two standardized tests: F-CAT, and Florida Writes. Homeschoolers are not required to take either of them - even in high school; although, the public school offers them to homeschoolers who wish use the results as their annual evaluation for the county. We are required to hand in either an assessment written by a certified teacher (usually the teacher reviews a portfolio, and interviews the child), the results of a some sort of standardized test given by a certified teacher, or an evaluation from a child psychiatrist at the end of each school year. We are also required to keep a portfolio that the county can request to view as long as they give at least fifteen days notice. As I said, Florida is pretty lenient. Each state is different. God bless, JillcWood@... wrote: > > In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:48:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > JillcWood > writes: > > These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. > > > > > I forgot to mention, our district starts this kind of testing in 1st > grade. > It is a reading proficiency test. Even the home schooled kids in our > district > are required to take it. > > Best -- Jill > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 In Florida, we have two standardized tests: F-CAT, and Florida Writes. Homeschoolers are not required to take either of them - even in high school; although, the public school offers them to homeschoolers who wish use the results as their annual evaluation for the county. We are required to hand in either an assessment written by a certified teacher (usually the teacher reviews a portfolio, and interviews the child), the results of a some sort of standardized test given by a certified teacher, or an evaluation from a child psychiatrist at the end of each school year. We are also required to keep a portfolio that the county can request to view as long as they give at least fifteen days notice. As I said, Florida is pretty lenient. Each state is different. God bless, JillcWood@... wrote: > > In a message dated 5/4/2006 11:48:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > JillcWood > writes: > > These tests start in 3rd grade and continue yearly through high school. > > > > > I forgot to mention, our district starts this kind of testing in 1st > grade. > It is a reading proficiency test. Even the home schooled kids in our > district > are required to take it. > > Best -- Jill > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 Can you tell me more about auditory-verbal therapy? Re: Re: desperate in tennessee Hey Tina, Yes. I am out numbered; even our cockatiel is a boy. ;-) Homeschooling requirements are different for each state. Here in Florida, because Caleb is registered with the county, I could bring him to our local public school for speech therapy and to work with a teacher of the deaf - on the school's schedule. There are also enrichment programs offered. As far as books and curriculum, we are responsible for purchasing these materials ourselves. I must notify the county each year of Caleb's progress, but all in all, our state is pretty lenient when it comes to homeschooling. Last year, Caleb attended our church preschool (mainstream) 3 afternoons a week, and we did Auditory Verbal Therapy with a AVT-cert. two to three times per month. This year, Kindergarten, Caleb takes classes two mornings a week at a church that provides homeschool enrichment courses, and I homeschool him the rest of the week. There is also a support group for homeschoolers offered as a ministry of the same church, and there are fieldtrips and other social gatherings. There are a lot of options for you. You just have to find out what works. We make decisions one year at a time around here. I do agree with the person who posted about getting your daughter's map checked. It is sort of strange that she doesn't want to wear the implant more often. I spent a lot of time last year with the audiologist reviewing, re-evaluating, and learning to better manage Caleb's hearing issues. That's the first thing that must be done no matter what schooling option you decide. Hope this info. helps you a bit. God bless, Tina wrote: > Hi , > Thanks so much for the reply...Sounds like you are outnumbered by males. > has a severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss... she was > implanted in her severe ear. We still have trouble making her wear > the implant. She will wear for a couple of hours at a time. > If the board of education monitors the homeschooling would they not be > required to help with the cost of teaching material? > Thanks again, > Tina > > > > > > > > > > > Hi, My name is Tina and I have a almost 4 yr old daughter who was > > > implanted in Nov. of 2004. I desperately need feedback from mothers > > > and fathers who " know " where I am coming from. We live in a small > > > town in Tennessee, the closest school for the deaf is 65.3 miles away. > > > I know this because I have been driving to the school twice a day > > > (261.2 miles per day) 4 days a week since January. I have been humbled > > > and I must stand up and proclaim.... I Am Not SuperMom!!! anyhoo all > > > kidding aside...We have been having problems with the board of > > > education.. they don't like to fork out the mileage reimbursment > > > money...they want to send to the pre-school here in our > > > county..she went there before we started the school for the deaf but > > > she hated it... they didn't know sign (we use signed english)and they > > > had never seen a deaf child with a cochlear implant. ( I picked her up > > > one day and they had her earhook hung on her left ear, coil dangling > > > [she's implanted on the right])... I know that I could probably make > > > them keep her at the school for the deaf but I just don't know that I > > > can handle it. My family is suffering ( I have a husband and 2 other > > > girls 11 and 14. My house is suffering and my mental health is > > > suffering. I almost hate to post this because it sounds like it is > > > all about me... that is not true..I just don't want to put the needs > > > of one child above the other. I am wondering if maybe I could home > > > school ? I know it wouldn't be easy because I am not a teacher, > > > I am a doer...but... I just need options...Please please help!!!! > > > Tina (mother of (nucleus 24,nov 04)Krista 11 and Cady 14 > (hearing) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Hi everyone, Thanks so much for all the feedback. We live in Counce,TN... about 5 miles from the Pickwick Dam for those familiar with TN.. it is a little town right in the corner on the TN, AL ,MS line. is going to school in , at the West TN School for the Deaf. was diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss at birth after spending a week in NICU. She was fitted with hearing aids and we were told that she would do fine. We moved (from MS to TN) and decided to have her reevaluated in TN since we didn't feel like the aids were helping. That was when we found that she had severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss with auditory neuropathy. It was an emotional roller coaster from then on. They said she was a candidate for a cochlear implant and she was implanted just 3 months later at Vanderbilt childrens hosp.. I barely had time to accept that she was deaf much less get comfortable with making that kind of decision for her. The speech therapist they sent to our home was a joke... she would come in and let pull out her toys to play with while she sat and talked to me and wrote in her little book. She had never worked with a child with a CI and I think she was more interested in finding out about it than teaching speech. I told them to find us someone else... but they just let it ride until she fazed out at 3. During this whole time we had been having problems with getting to wear her " ear " (that's what we call her CI). She would fight and scream and cry like her heart was broken every time we put it on. We made several trips back to Nashville for remapping until they finally told us that we would just have to make her wear it...she was enrolled at the WTSD at the time and her CI Dr told us that she didn't need to be there because in his words " she is not deaf anymore " !!! huh? I was just coming to terms with her being deaf and now she's not? OK I can change my mind.. She's not deaf, so we pull her out of WTSD and put her the dreaded preschool I talked about in an earlier post. I finally get someone from the Cochlear Corp to come out and they map her processor. we finally start to see some progress.We decide to just let her learn at her own pace while we work on teaching her sign.. during this time it finally dawns on me " is deaf... I don't care what that Dr said.. she is a deaf child with a cochlear implant. Well I must go for now... the princess is awake.. does anyone else have that problem? she has not slept a whole night in her entire life. she wakes up crying between 1:30 and 3:00 every night. Best wishes Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: Re: desperate in tennessee > >Can you tell me more about auditory-verbal therapy? I will try, but also please look at http://www.auditory-verbal.org/ AVT is therapy that teaches a child to use their residual hearing, however much they have or don't have, to learn lanugage and speech. It stresses mainstreaming. Also it is a real parent partnership because most of the " therapy " is teaching the parent how to teach the child. Language and speech is usually caught not taught. So when there is a hearing loss it has to be taught but in AV it is taught developmentally. Kids hear for close to a year before they talk and the hearing builds the auditory and language " input " centers of the brain. When that is done, babies start to talk - " output " . They are usually opposed to signing while kids are learning auditory skills but some AVTs are more open to sign than others. It is very different than " speech " therapy you might get at a school, they aren't interested in pronunciation as much as building the brain's auditory and language centers. I've described AV as coaching parents through systematic teaching of listening, language and speech. It is like homeschool for language but the parent is the teacher, but every week your coach makes sure you are on track, and gives you a detailed lesson plan for the next week. The coach also makes sure the child is on track, so if there is a problem with their hearing, CI or HA, they usually pick up on it. My daughter called it " hearing aid school " and she thought it was great FUN. It is all done through play. Got to go, in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: Re: desperate in tennessee > >Can you tell me more about auditory-verbal therapy? I will try, but also please look at http://www.auditory-verbal.org/ AVT is therapy that teaches a child to use their residual hearing, however much they have or don't have, to learn lanugage and speech. It stresses mainstreaming. Also it is a real parent partnership because most of the " therapy " is teaching the parent how to teach the child. Language and speech is usually caught not taught. So when there is a hearing loss it has to be taught but in AV it is taught developmentally. Kids hear for close to a year before they talk and the hearing builds the auditory and language " input " centers of the brain. When that is done, babies start to talk - " output " . They are usually opposed to signing while kids are learning auditory skills but some AVTs are more open to sign than others. It is very different than " speech " therapy you might get at a school, they aren't interested in pronunciation as much as building the brain's auditory and language centers. I've described AV as coaching parents through systematic teaching of listening, language and speech. It is like homeschool for language but the parent is the teacher, but every week your coach makes sure you are on track, and gives you a detailed lesson plan for the next week. The coach also makes sure the child is on track, so if there is a problem with their hearing, CI or HA, they usually pick up on it. My daughter called it " hearing aid school " and she thought it was great FUN. It is all done through play. Got to go, in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Re: Re: desperate in tennessee > >Can you tell me more about auditory-verbal therapy? I will try, but also please look at http://www.auditory-verbal.org/ AVT is therapy that teaches a child to use their residual hearing, however much they have or don't have, to learn lanugage and speech. It stresses mainstreaming. Also it is a real parent partnership because most of the " therapy " is teaching the parent how to teach the child. Language and speech is usually caught not taught. So when there is a hearing loss it has to be taught but in AV it is taught developmentally. Kids hear for close to a year before they talk and the hearing builds the auditory and language " input " centers of the brain. When that is done, babies start to talk - " output " . They are usually opposed to signing while kids are learning auditory skills but some AVTs are more open to sign than others. It is very different than " speech " therapy you might get at a school, they aren't interested in pronunciation as much as building the brain's auditory and language centers. I've described AV as coaching parents through systematic teaching of listening, language and speech. It is like homeschool for language but the parent is the teacher, but every week your coach makes sure you are on track, and gives you a detailed lesson plan for the next week. The coach also makes sure the child is on track, so if there is a problem with their hearing, CI or HA, they usually pick up on it. My daughter called it " hearing aid school " and she thought it was great FUN. It is all done through play. Got to go, in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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