If Someone Could Help Please

Hi S.-
This is info that my sister-in-law who is Deaf sent:

"One thing I know for sure that New York is the #1 state for deaf and hard of
hearing population. It also depends where exactly this mom lives whether
in the city or Long Island. If she lives in the city, she should check
finding out about getting early intervention program for zero to 3 which
usually from school system. She can contact Lexington School for the Deaf
to see if they have the program - http://www.lexnyc.com/. Actually I
think there are 6 school for the deaf in the city - don't quote me on this.
Tell her to start with Lexington and I am sure they will connect with right
resources

As far as social service to get more information, she should contact this
agency: FEGS - Service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing -
http://www.fegs.org/deaf/index.cfm which she should get in touch with them
to start. There is League of Hard of Hearing Service - http://www.lhh.org/
which is another option.

I hope this helps.

Hi S.,

I am not sure where you live but you should check with your school district regarding possible services for your daughter (birth to 3 program). Also, I know one response mentioned Lexington school for the Deaf. There is also Mill Neck School for the Deaf.

I am sure you are feeling very overwhelmed and not sure what to do. Try to look at all possible options for your daughter. I was a teacher for the deaf in another state but am now a sign language interpreter on Long Island. When I taught, some of my former students used different auditory devices. Some students didn't use any. You will need to try different things to see what is a best fit for your child.

I have a son who is 13 months and hearing. I use signs with him now. He can tell me if he wants more, water or milk. I have also did this with my nieces and nephews. I encourage you to try sign language so you can have some communication with your daughter now. I always felt the best way to help a child is by offering that child many different oppportunites and ways to succeed.

I hope this helps you in some way. Feel free to send a message if you have any questions or anything.

P.

You need to have her evaluated with Early Intervention in your area. There is one in every county in NJ. There is a great school that alot of kids in the north jersey area that is specifically for hearing Loss, Lake Drive School in Mountain Lakes. They work with the early intervention kids too. If you need any help please send me a message

hi S., did your doctor talk to you about a cochlear implant? they are very successful, your daughter will talk with one. the sooner she gets it the better, time is a big factor. talk to your doctor to see if she is a candidate and to learn more about it. if you dont have a good doctor (i am wondering if it was discussed with you, and if not, why not??), i can refer you to some of the best ones around. my mom has a cochlear implant (as do several of her friends), she has had a severe hearing loss her entire adult life, wore hearing aids for 30 something years, and got implanted about 8 years ago. it has been hugely sucessful, she hears now. her doc that did it is one of the best around, he is in manhattan. my friend's son has one too, he is in a regular 2nd grade class, hearing, etc. his doc is out of LIJ, i go to her for my son, (not for a cochlear) and she is wonderful. let me know if you want some references. cochlear implants are common now, and they are truly a miracle. my mom is a spokesperson for cochlear, she educates people who are considering it. she is going to their conference in tenn. this week. she is also on the board of SHHH (self help for hard of hearing, though they have just recently changed their name).. i/she can definitely get you started in the right direction. hearing loss is not at all what it used to be. email me if you want to know more :)

S., I am hearing impaired or what some people say, hard of hearing. I can talk and everyone says they understand what I am saying. I give that credit to my mom who got me speech therapy, unfortunately I didn't get it until I was 3 1/2 years old. Start her in Early Intervention ASAP, don't worry, she will talk. Once you get her Early Intervention and in my area, in Troy, they come to your home, do evaluation and if she (which she will be) qualified for speech, then they will begin therapy. They will come to your home to do it with her whatever days during the week every week and you as the mother can reinforce what she did with the therapist. Today, I am married and a mother of three, went to college got my bachelor's degree, but couldn't go on further because I had to take care of my mom, she had alzheimer's. She will talk, you can be her advocate, some people may want to hold her back in school because they may think she is not smart, you fight for her, speak on her behalf, encourage her to go far in life, explain there will be people like that, but she must prove them wrong. Encourage her to try her best and help her enuciate her words clearly by making it fun or say, that is good, let's try it this way. You are doing wonderful picking it up and wanting to do something to help her now. I will pray for you and your family and your daughter and don't worry. She has a disability that will affect just hearing things....but with your help, love, encouragement and advocating for her, she'll go far. Let me know if you want to talk or have questions, I'll be here. :)

Hi S.,
I couldn't possibly tell you whether your daughter will develop speech or not, your doctor is the best resource for this. Has she been referred to a speech therapist? I would inquire about this. Good luck!

Hi S.,

Both my parents are Deaf (my mom became deaf at the age of 3 from Scarlet fever & my dad became hard-of-hearing from Menigitis at the age of 5). I think the worst thing you could ever do is close your mind to any option....so please please always keep an open mind...and always think of how your child would want to be involved in society when they grow up...from there make every decision you can...

There are so many options some good, some bad, some that are still out (awaiting decisions)...You have speech therapy, colchlear implants (I personally dislike this one...I think its a lot of unnecessary surgery to get some level of vibration to the ear that is never guaranteed and always limits the child's/adult's ability to do things), there is oral training, mainstream schooling with professional interpreters, hearing aids, residential school (like the American school for the Deaf), and so and so. What you need to do is first go to the doctor and find out how severe and permanent your daughter's hearing lost is...from there get in to learning Sign Language...any language...especially one a child can asimulate to the easiest - without frustration or lack of interest is a Great thing...interaction with Signing and the bonding between you and your daughter will definitely help ease the road you take. Hearing aids are great, if they work, and when they work it will help your child develop a sensitity to sound and her own voice and her ability to talk will improve as well, as long as you encourage that through language...There are different types of signing..the most well known is American Sign Language (ASL), but there are variations of oral speech used with sign language that help your child develop both skills very well.

www.lifeprint.com is a great tool for learning ASL. There are many deaf advocacys all over the world and here in CT or your local area...if you would to keep in contact with me or find out more information about signing and oral speech you can contact me through my email address at ____@____.com. I have a great list of contacts and infromation you could use.

I hoped I helped and didn't sound to bias...I try not to be...Oh and another thing...RELAX...it will all work out and it will be the best for your child and yourself whatever path you choose.

There is an excellent school in New Providence NJ called the Summit Speech School. They specialize in children with hearing loss. Even if you are not in this area, you might contact them and see if they can give you any recommendations for your area. Their phone number is ###-###-####.

Get a speech therapist. Birth to Three (or Zero to Three) is a national non profit organization that provides services at HUGELY reduced fees. Your doctor should know about them.

Hi S.

I hope that this all works out for you and that your DD will indeed be talking your ears off before long. In the mean time have you thought about sign language?? I taught my children sign language through a DVD series called Signing Time. The creator of this series created it because her daughter was deaf and she wanted to teach the family so they could communicate. It really is a great learning tool and you can start her now. Children can sign before they can talk even when there are no problems.

http://www.signingtime.com/

This is fun for children of all ages. My 2 older ones still watch the 1st DVD while my 6 month old watches too. And it is great for you to learn the signs.

Good luck....... I know it will work out for you!!!

S.,
What help do you need?

She is 18 months old. Start teaching her sign language. She'll love it and so will you. If you have a computer, it's easy. Just lookup sites for signs. There are at least 2 good ones out there. Find what works for you and her.

You will have a lot of 'home' signs this early, too, so don't worry that she's not signing exactly.

The communication factor is more important than anything else.

Good luck,
Email me if you have any further questions.
M.

Dear MOM,

I belive MOST Schools for the deaf will teach your child techniques on how to talk, many develop decent speech skills. and Since your child can use hearing aids, to help her hear, I suspect this will be the case.

The next thing on your mind should be learning and teaching her Sign language.

There is no way to tell at this point if her hearing loss will deteriorate even further.

http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/

http://www.signingtime.com/

This 2 links will be very helpful in learning about and teaching your family sign language.

You would be surprised at just how easy it is.

And just think, You know what your daughters problem is so now you can set a course to ensure she learns properly.

One thing to keep in mind, hearing deficit is not a MENTAL deficiency. She is perfectly capable of learning everything she needs to know in order to learn grow and deveolp as other children do, and how to function as an adult with children of her own.

M