Guest guest Posted March 16, 2000 Report Share Posted March 16, 2000 Kim & Christie - that's a good question ??? How does Sam communicate with people who don't know sign ??? Crystal's speechie is looking into a augmentative device for her also. The way I see it, it can't hurt. It's better that she should have more then 1 means of communication then none at all !!! My family says that in the last few days, they've witnessed Crystal vocalize & sign a word simlutaneously. ( personally, I think they're hallucinating !! ) I guess it's possible. I'd like to reserve judgement until I see it myself. < grin > I also am considering a school for the deaf. Kiss the kids for me. Take care & God bless... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 16, 2000 Report Share Posted March 16, 2000 Hello Christie, I've been thinking that Teddy would do better in a school for the Deaf. I don't think they offer anything in between here. It's either the special needs school or up to the next town for the School for the Deaf. I just really want to communicate with him and I'm not sure that his school will do enough. What I'm going to do is see how he does his 1st year (he'll be 3 this August) and then decide. My speech therapist says that he should learn to communicate with augmentative equipment (a computer that talks when he hits the right buttons.) She seems to feel that so few people communicate in sign language that it's better to not push for that to be his main mode of communication. How does your son communicate with people who don't know sign? Kim Raub (mother of Teddy - 2 1/2 w/diffuse PMG) He uses sign language, runs around, rides a big wheel, has trouble chewing & swallowing solid foods, has 1 identical twin (without PMG), 2 big brothers and a busy Daddy. We live in CT. school Patty, Sam is in a multi-age (1st-3rd grades) class which has a combination of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students. Sam has a few intelligible words, but is mostly non-verbal. He communicates mainly with sign, which is why we chose this class. Our main goals at school are to increase his communication skills and have a chance to socialize with other kids who sign. He also receives some PT, OT, speech, and adaptive phy-ed at school. I home school Sam for 1/2 the day; that's when he works mostly on his reading and writing. He is very distractible, so it's hard for him to really concentrate in a classroom full of kids. Writing is very difficult for him, but it is improving. It sounds like our kids are nearly the same age, Sam will be nine in April. Christie, mom to Sam (8 yrs old, BPP) > -----Original Message----- > > > > Christie, > What kind of class is Sam enroled in? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MAXIMIZE YOUR CARD, MINIMIZE YOUR RATE! Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as 0.0% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees. Apply NOW! http://click./1/2122/2/_/594487/_/952369292/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2000 Report Share Posted March 17, 2000 Christie - I sure hope so. I have my fingers crossed, anyways !!! Lotsa luv to you & yours... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2000 Report Share Posted March 17, 2000 Chris- Believe your family! Sam often signs & vocalizes at the same time. The sign is just on more kind of input that helps his brain tie together sounds and words and meanings. Christie > -----Original Message----- > From: crsmoogie@... > Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 4:48 PM My family says that in the last few days, they've > witnessed Crystal > vocalize & sign a word simlutaneously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2000 Report Share Posted March 17, 2000 Kim & Chris- Sam started schooling in early childhood special ed classes when he was 2 1/2. They used a good amount of sign in those classes, as well as experimenting a little with some communication devices. For kindergarten we sent Sam to our community school in a mainstream classroom. The class he is in now was not available at that time, and we weren't sure about a class for the deaf, because he's not deaf. Our school was a fine place and everything, but we had difficulty getting him an interpreter (because he's not deaf), so he did not get nearly as much out of kindergarten as he could have. In our district, there is not a seperate deaf school, but the elementary Sam goes to has the district's deaf and hard of hearing program. I would suggest asking different people in the system (teacher, speech therapist, audiologist, etc.) what programs are available for deaf & hard of hearing students. They may not automatically think of these classes as a possibility for your child. The class Sam is in now is a combination of deaf & hearing kids, but was mostly targeted to deaf kids or kids with family members who are deaf. We did not even hear of it the first year it was offered, and only one person in the district even thought of it as an option the next year. Even then we had to fight a little to get him in. I think the best thing about being in a class with kids who sign is that it has been his first real opportunity to make friends. As far as communicating with people who don't sign, Sam also uses a Dynavox. If you are looking at augmentative communication I HIGHLY reccommend this one. They have a web site: www.dynavoxsys.com . There is also the option of using an interpreter. In dealing with Sam's communication issues, I have found so many different points of view, it can be hard to decide what's best. Some therapists say, " Don't teach him to sign, or he won't talk. " Most agreed that he will use whatever is easiest for him, if he is able to talk, he would most certainly opt for that over signing. then we had some who thought he should not be signing, but only use a device, because " most people don't know sign. " Which left me thinking, " Well, if more people learned sign, then these kids wouldn't be so isolated, and Sam will just be one more person who knows sign, even if he learns to speak well. " I don't believe in pushing a child to use any particular form of communication, I believe in supplying him with as many means as possible (teach sign, use pictures, work on speech, comm. device, whatever) so that he will have access to whatever works for him. Sam knew from a very young age whether or not he was with people who understood sign, and he adapted his communication. If he was around people he knew didn't sign, he usually didn't bother with it, and simply reverted to pointing. I think having signing peers is a big deal, I don't think a lot of kids would have the patience or understanding for communication with someone using a device. I hope some of this is helpful, just go with what you think is best for your child, if a particular program doesn't work, you can always change. Plodding along, the best we know how, Christie, mom to Sam (8 yrs old, BPP, a nut for NASCAR racing) > -----Original Message----- > From: Raub Family > Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 2:33 PM > I've been thinking that Teddy would do better in a school for the Deaf. My speech therapist says that he should learn > to communicate with augmentative equipment How does your son communicate with people who don't know > sign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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