Comments on: My child is deaf…What do I do?

By: Julie Reese

Julie Reese — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:42:13 +0000

I enjoyed reading the blog and everyone’s responses as well. Everyone is unique in the way they were brought up to be… I agree that the amount of parents’ involvement contributes heavily on the success of deaf individuals. Having siblings and technology also contributes to a person’s ability to succeed in life.

I also believe that one communication style may work better for some people while a different communication style may benefit others. Like for example, you guys did so well with the oral approach. My parents tried that on me but the oral method alone did not work for me. ASL just didn’t do the “trick” for me as it did for other peers my age. So they tried a rare option: Cued Speech. Cued Speech suddenly made everything click for me. It was the learning style I needed in order to plug to the world. My point is, each person has their own unique style of learning. There is no “right” or “wrong” method. It all depends on the learning style of the individual’s brain. I did not learn ASL til much much later in life and I’m still doing my best to become fluent in it. I know it has improved tremendously since I took the VR job two years ago and I’ve learned so much from having ASL interpreters while on the job. I am thankful to have the best of all worlds. But to me, English and Cued Speech will always be my preferred communication method. ASL is my second language although it has become a huge part of my everyday life now. Everyone has their own preferences. No one should judge others for the preferences they have or even their upbringing.

On the other hands, we are all a product of our parents’ choices. I can say the parents all did a mighty fine job with all of us who are blogging on DPHHH as well as those who responding to these blogs today! *winks* :)

Good post, Jay!

By: Kerri Clark

Kerri Clark — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:21:25 +0000

My parents were very young when I lost my hearing – they were about 22, 23 years old. And didn’t have any resources, either. But they were lucky that there was an oral school for the deaf here in Houston. Even though I would learn how to speak at the school, my parents were very aggressive in their involvement of my education. They would write words on flash cards, and tape them to objects, such as refrigerator. And they would teach me to read as well. They did everything possible to help me learn, not only at the school, but everywhere else. I did learn sign language at a later time and it’s great to have the best of both worlds. I like how diverse the deaf / hard-of-hearing community is. Everyone is different, and I learn something new everyday from interacting with them.

It is indeed difficult for parents – they would not know where to start, and what language to go with. Everyone is different in approaching what kind of education they want for their kids. And it’s very rewarding when the parents become more active in their involvement of their child(ren)s education, no matter what language route they choose to communicate with.

Like I said, everyone is different and let them do what they feel is best for them to work with.

By: Longster

Longster — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:42:56 +0000

Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I agree with the importance of parents’ involvement, but that’s just one of the factors for their education. Visual communication on the other hand is where it gets sporadic especially for the parents. You have people learning SEE, PSE, Cued Speech, ASL, oral and perhaps home made sign language. What’s difficult for most parents is the lack of standard language. Most parents (including my parents) have no knowledge or don’t understand the pros or cons for each visual language. We all know English is the main language in the US, but for deaf kids they do struggle to differentiate both visual and written language. It’s almost to the point where one person must learn to speak French and write English at the same time. Personally, I think we ought to standardize some visual language and enforce the rules to all schools just like English has done. The question is how do we know which approach is the best to achieve at a maximum level of education?

By: Cynthia J. Stevens

Cynthia J. Stevens — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:06:04 +0000

I believe whatever the method is best for the child in order to communicate to be able to understand. There are several methods of communication for deaf child. I have 2 deaf sons…both started out on Total Communication. It just depend on the child’s skills. I believe the parents must be involve in their child’s eduation, not just leaving the child in the hand of teacher who teach deaf children. I have seen many parents not being involved at the time when my boys were in school. It was sad to see it. I have worked hard and give much of my time to my boys to get ahead in their reading. Reading was and is still the most important skill for all children, more important for the deaf children. I was raised in oral method, and if I had my life over again, I would use ASL. Oral method was a frustrating experience without any hand sign. Too many words looks alike…if hand sign was including, I would have understood. With my boys, I had them use both oral and signing. They used whatever they feel best for them to understand. I believe it is the child’s decision and skill whichever way they do. Understanding in communication is the most important in order to survive.