Hi Sarah,
I'm so sorry for the difficult emotional process you are going through now. And I'm very thankful that your son got better. You have a lot of great advice here. I don't think I have much to add, but just wanted to lend some support.
My step-son lost his hearing due to medical treatments required at birth. Children's hospital in Oakland has always been very good and supportive. He is 15 now and still gets much of his treatment there.
I know it is a very difficult decision to choose CI or hearing aids. So much depends on the kind and extent of hearing loss. And ultimately, you never know exactly how the surgery will turn out.
The most important advice you have received is to learn sign language now. Language development is delayed in deaf children because they are so often not exposed to language. You must learn to talk to him in sign language just like you would talk to a hearing child. Signing time is a great series - it is available on demand and at the library if you do not want to make the financial investment.
Get all the support you can. This is a difficult time filled with difficult emotions. Please take good care of yourself.
Warmly,
Carrie
I am so very sorry to hear what happened to your son. You seem to have an amazing attitude...that's half the battle. I have not experienced the same thing as you have, but my son has been a patient at the California Ear Institute for ear tubes. I know they treat many different hearing issues. I don't know where you're located, but CEI is in San Ramon in the East Bay. It might be worth your while to call them and inquire and if they are not able to treat your son, perhaps they would have some information or resource for you. The doctors and staff are incredible there. I hope you are able to find him what he needs.
God Bless and I wish you much luck.
,;
Hi sarah. My mom sent this and asked me to respond. I am a teacher of the Deaf in NY & NJ and have personal experiences with children who have Cochlear Implants.I also studied the pros and cons in my Deaf Ed Masters Program in NYC.
Let me start by telling you NO ONE can make this decision for you. I realize Dr's are telling you they can "fix" your son's hearing, but the truth is, if ANYTHING goes wrong or doesn't work, your child is still deaf. Cochlears feed the brain the information, but the children must be trained to interpret the sounds into meaning (this takes years). If you do chose to implant him, do it asap for a better chance of success. I am not for or against them. I see the pros of hearing aids & implants but I will say I have strong opinions about American Sign Language and the Deaf Community...let me explain...
Even if your child has an implant he is still deaf when it is turned off therefore because of my direct interaction with implanted deaf children & adults, I beg you to learn to sign and teach your son as well. Children benefit from becoming fluent in more than one language and ASL for deaf children IS their natural language. It is important for these children to feel comfortable in the Deaf and Hearing worlds! So use speech & sign in your home as much as possible!
Look online and email the Deaf Community to get their perspective on this...
Also, seek out programs that offer an interpreter, Deaf Ed teacher, and General Ed teacher working together so your child has every opportunity to learn and NOT slip through the system.You may also visit Fremont School for the Deaf...it is one of the best in the country!
If you have any other questions or comments please email me anytime! I would love to hear from you...You may email me directly(this is my mom's account) at: [email protected](that's an underscore inbetween the chychy and the 2000)
Lots of love & luck,
Chynna
P.S. My youngest sister has Downs Syndrome, so I am familiar with the grieving period families go through & in the end we are the luckiest people to have challenged individuals in our lives! :)
Hi your question was emailed to me
My 2nd son was born profoundly deaf 10*06 and had bilateral implants at exactly age 1 by Dr Roberson at let them hear in palo alto. We have done speech therapy 3x week and is going to the auditory oral school of san Francisco. He is speaking!
We have been down the road and I am happy to chat and share and connect you with an entire community of parents with deaf kids who speak.
It may be overwhelming and accept that you will grieve! But know that it will be okay and have faith that everything will be okay!
Call or email me. I live in san Fran and just had a baby 2 months ago.
Warmest regards
Michelle
Hi Sarah,
I grew up with 3 deaf brothers (I am hearing)and my family was always very involved in the deaf community. Now after teaching my son American Sign Language, I lead a weekly playgroup for families teaching ASL to babies birth through 16 months at DayOne Center in San Francisco.
I couldn't agree more with the teacher from NY! You would best benefit your son to give him as many options as possible. By teaching your baby signs (hearing or not), it is great for their brain development and language/ reading skills throughout childhood. With a deaf child, ASL gives him the option of integrating into the deaf community as a child or adult, as well as implants will allow him to integrate into the hearing community. I would be happy to speak with you further, I know many resources in the Bay Area. You are not alone! [email protected]
I have been an itinerant teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing, and my father and mother are in the field in varying capacities, so I would be MORE than happy to be a resource to you. Are you here in CA? I can give you the general spiel on Cochlear implants, but the very first thing that I would start doing is learning and teaching your son sign language. If you decide to persue a cochlear implant, and there are good arguments for and against, the cochlear implant programs want to see that you are working with your child on language even before the implant, so you have a better chance of being chosen if your son already signs and is developing language in that capacity. If you don't go that route it is still critical that he begin learning sign because this is the time when he is aquiring the MOST language!
I know this is a very scary time, and what a shock to have a baby born hearing then lose it and have to go through this. my email is [email protected] I would be happy to help in any way that I can since I have some background in this. I can give you my phone number if you email me too so that you can get your questions answered in person
again happy to be a resource, good luck in your quest.
Hey Sarah it's MALEA Keira's sister. So NorCal center for deafness it's here in Sacramento. And for the in plants childrens hospital in Oakland. My mominlaw will puck up some info and I will get it to ya. I'll get ur address from Keira. Oh and she said CCS would cover it ifyou get qualified. If you have any other questions please email me Keira has my email address.
Hi Sarah,
What a difficult adjustment for you and your family. Our thoughts are with you.
I have two suggestions:
1) Sign language: If you are not already using American Sign Language, teach yourself ASL. We taught our babies to sign starting at 7 months (by signing milk at every single feeding 8 times a day, for a month), and they first signed back to us at 8/9 months.
ASL is a rich language, and very intuitive because it is visual, and many of us are visual learners. [The sign "milk" looks like you are milking a cow]. Many words can be signed with a single sign, which makes it an ideal language for babies. There is a terrific sign language DVD series called Baby Signing Time by Rachel Coleman, which you may have seen on PBS. Rachel discovered her daughter Leah was deaf, when Leah was a year old. The series is designed for children of all ages including babies, and this series is far superior to any other sign language video series out there. The visuals are fun and colorful, and there is video of other babies signing, which is very powerful. You can watch and learn along with your son, and when he is a few months older, you can use signing as another way to reconnect with him. Closed captioning is available on some systems, too, which will be helpful for you. These DVDs are available at the library. Research suggests that signing expands a child's vocabulary, too, which is why it is taught in preschools and schools, to hearing and partially-hearing children.
2) "Sound and Fury" documentary: There is an enlightening documentary available on Netflix about two families, and their decisions surrounding cochlear implants. The title is "Sound and Fury", and this film received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. You'll find more info about it, here: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Sound_and_Fury/60003753
~ Pippa
Hello!
I work at the School for the Deaf in Fremont as a teacher and have been working with Deaf students for more than 10 years. I would love to chat with you about your options and my experiences with students (those who've had language at an early age and those who haven't). I've also worked with students with cochlear implants. You can email me at [email protected] or feel free to call me at 510 566 0474. A good website with resources for families with newly identified Deaf babies: http://www.csdf.k12.ca.us/outreach/resources/babies.htm
Hope to chat with you,
Amy
Hi Sarah,
My daughter was born profoundly deaf. She was implanted with cochlear implants at 10 months old. She is now 3 years old and talks wonderfully. She was implanted with the Nucleus Freedom by Cochlear. Her surgeon is Dr. Joseph Roberson at the California Ear Institute in Palo Alto. She attends the Jean Weingarten Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City. My husband & I are very fortunate and happy with our decision to have our daughter implanted with cochlear implants. Please feel free to email me([email protected]) if you have any other questions or just need someone to chat with. It is a big decision but you will get through it. Her are some numbers and web sites for you to checkout:
California Ear Institute- 650-462-3172
Jean Weingarten Oral School for the Deaf- 650-365-7500, www.deafkidstalk.org
AG Bell Organization- www.agbell.org
Oral Deaf Education-877-672-5332, www.oraldeafed.org
I hope this helps. There is a lot of information out there. Please let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck to you and your family.
Christine
my son too, suffered hearing loss from meningitis... he had it at 5 weeks old... i didnt know that it could be a side effect of it. and didnt find out until he was 2!!! and now hes almost three and getting into speech therapy and hopefully a prek school for the deaf...