Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Families to Families
Today we attended our first "Families to Families" event in Norfolk. It was great meeting and interacting with other families who have deaf/hard of hearing (D/HOH) children. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of people signing. Of course I loved that the event had a theme, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar!" All of the activities for the kids were connected to caterpillars and butterflies. There was face painting, play-doh fun, balloon art, and a caterpillar crawl tunnel. The parents got together and discussed strategies for reading to our D/HOH children (see below). The event concluded with a deaf mom signing the "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," while an interpreter read aloud.
One highlight of the event was talking to a 30-something woman. She was HOH until 14, when she lost all hearing. At 29, she received her first implant. At 31, she received her second implant. So, she was completely cut off from sound for 15 years before being implanted. Talking to this young woman reminded me of my need to learn and teach Sean more sign language. It's his second language/back-up language, if you think about it. :) Thanks to the internet there are SO many online resources for learning sign language.
One highlight of the event was talking to a 30-something woman. She was HOH until 14, when she lost all hearing. At 29, she received her first implant. At 31, she received her second implant. So, she was completely cut off from sound for 15 years before being implanted. Talking to this young woman reminded me of my need to learn and teach Sean more sign language. It's his second language/back-up language, if you think about it. :) Thanks to the internet there are SO many online resources for learning sign language.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Ringworm, really?!
I can't tell you how many times I have spotted ringworm on my students. So when Sean developed this weird looking rash right behind his processor, the thought of ringworm didn't even cross my mind! My first thought was eczema that got a little out of hand, followed by an irritation from the processor. Never did I think ringworm! Of course we couldn't let this funky looking rash go without a visit to dermatology! Diagnosis: ringworm!
Really? Of ALL the possible places to develop ringworm, Sean had to get it right behind his processor!!!
This made for an interesting 10 days. Sean wasn't allowed to wear the processor behind the ear and refused to wear it with my adaptation of a longer coil cable and clip to his shirt. So for 5 days, Sean had to adapt and listen with only one ear. Of course I was a nervous wreck sending him to school and stressing about how tough it would be for Sean's brain to have to adapt to listening with one ear. Not surprising at all, he did very well!
The real challenge was when the area was clearing up, we tried to reintroduce the processor and Sean rejected it. :( It was as if the sound was too loud, not that the processor was uncomfortable. Talk about another battle with an already stubborn toddler! After a couple of days of trying, we were able to get Sean back to wearing both processors!
Really? Of ALL the possible places to develop ringworm, Sean had to get it right behind his processor!!!
This made for an interesting 10 days. Sean wasn't allowed to wear the processor behind the ear and refused to wear it with my adaptation of a longer coil cable and clip to his shirt. So for 5 days, Sean had to adapt and listen with only one ear. Of course I was a nervous wreck sending him to school and stressing about how tough it would be for Sean's brain to have to adapt to listening with one ear. Not surprising at all, he did very well!
The real challenge was when the area was clearing up, we tried to reintroduce the processor and Sean rejected it. :( It was as if the sound was too loud, not that the processor was uncomfortable. Talk about another battle with an already stubborn toddler! After a couple of days of trying, we were able to get Sean back to wearing both processors!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Doctors
The television show, The Doctors, aired a very powerful cochlear implant story today. If you missed it, you can click on the link below to view!
The story is about a mom who lost her hearing close to the age of 30. She has gone without sound for the last 15 years. She finally decided to get a cochlear implant and hears her 8 year olds voice for the first time!
The story is a little graphic, but definitely gives awesome details of how a cochlear implant works!
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_synopsis/1184?section=synopsis
The story is about a mom who lost her hearing close to the age of 30. She has gone without sound for the last 15 years. She finally decided to get a cochlear implant and hears her 8 year olds voice for the first time!
The story is a little graphic, but definitely gives awesome details of how a cochlear implant works!
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_synopsis/1184?section=synopsis
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Preschool Eval and Audiology check
Today was filled with appointments for Sean! Preschool Evaluation and Audiology check-up.
Music to OUR ears...
"Sean is one of the most impressive preschoolers with cochlear implants to come through our doors!"
We received these comments from the City of Chesapeake Public Schools Preschool Evaluation team. I can't tell you how much joy these words brought to my heart. We (Sean's team) have worked so hard to get Sean where he is today. It's amazing the progress, in just 7 months, our little man has made, learning to listen and speak. There's no denying that the last 20 months have been VERY challenging! Filled with understanding and accepting multiple diagnosis' (bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, mondini malformation, Pendred Syndrome), hearing aids, ENT appointments, audiology appointments, booth testing, speech therapy 3 x's a week, cochlear implant surgery, activation, "learning to listen," and not to mention the "terrible 2's!"
Sean has been receiving speech therapy services through Early Intervention for the last 18 months. Once he turns 3, this April 6th, these services come to an end and the next step is to be evaluated by the public school system to see if Sean is eligible for continued services. Based on Sean's medical diagnosis, Deaf/Hearing Impaired, he should be eligible for special education within the public schools. So, as excited as we were to hear from the preschool evaluation team, we now worry that because he is doing so well, it may be tough to receive continued services. It's clear Sean still has a ways to go "learning to process language."
Oh, I can't forget to mention that the nurse that served on the Preschool Evaluation team was Buzz Lightyear's Mom!! LOL. At first, I thought she was joking that her son was a huge Buzz fan and just "thought" he was Buzz Lightyear. Nope, her son is THE Buzz Lightyear, in Disney World that is!
Sean did amazingly well with his Audiologist, Mike, today. He got a little teary eyed when the "black cord" had to be hooked up to Sean's processor for some "fine tuning" of sound. I guess it's the association of the "black cord" being connected to sound that scared him at activation. It was pretty neat hearing Sean be able to let us know when the processor was turned on or off! Such a smart boy!
Once the processors were fine tuned, we headed into the sound booth! Lucky for Sean, Anne, his first Audiologist who fitted him for HA's, was at CHKD, and she got to go in the booth with Sean and do his first "conditioned response" booth test. So instead of listening and looking for sound and having an animal light up and make noise, Sean now has to listen for the sound and once he hears it, he placed a ping pong ball in the bucket! Thanks to Anne, Mike, and a third Audiologist, Sean did amazingly well and is a start CI student in the booth!
Music to OUR ears...
"Sean is one of the most impressive preschoolers with cochlear implants to come through our doors!"
We received these comments from the City of Chesapeake Public Schools Preschool Evaluation team. I can't tell you how much joy these words brought to my heart. We (Sean's team) have worked so hard to get Sean where he is today. It's amazing the progress, in just 7 months, our little man has made, learning to listen and speak. There's no denying that the last 20 months have been VERY challenging! Filled with understanding and accepting multiple diagnosis' (bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, mondini malformation, Pendred Syndrome), hearing aids, ENT appointments, audiology appointments, booth testing, speech therapy 3 x's a week, cochlear implant surgery, activation, "learning to listen," and not to mention the "terrible 2's!"
Sean has been receiving speech therapy services through Early Intervention for the last 18 months. Once he turns 3, this April 6th, these services come to an end and the next step is to be evaluated by the public school system to see if Sean is eligible for continued services. Based on Sean's medical diagnosis, Deaf/Hearing Impaired, he should be eligible for special education within the public schools. So, as excited as we were to hear from the preschool evaluation team, we now worry that because he is doing so well, it may be tough to receive continued services. It's clear Sean still has a ways to go "learning to process language."
Oh, I can't forget to mention that the nurse that served on the Preschool Evaluation team was Buzz Lightyear's Mom!! LOL. At first, I thought she was joking that her son was a huge Buzz fan and just "thought" he was Buzz Lightyear. Nope, her son is THE Buzz Lightyear, in Disney World that is!
Sean did amazingly well with his Audiologist, Mike, today. He got a little teary eyed when the "black cord" had to be hooked up to Sean's processor for some "fine tuning" of sound. I guess it's the association of the "black cord" being connected to sound that scared him at activation. It was pretty neat hearing Sean be able to let us know when the processor was turned on or off! Such a smart boy!
Once the processors were fine tuned, we headed into the sound booth! Lucky for Sean, Anne, his first Audiologist who fitted him for HA's, was at CHKD, and she got to go in the booth with Sean and do his first "conditioned response" booth test. So instead of listening and looking for sound and having an animal light up and make noise, Sean now has to listen for the sound and once he hears it, he placed a ping pong ball in the bucket! Thanks to Anne, Mike, and a third Audiologist, Sean did amazingly well and is a start CI student in the booth!
Friday, February 1, 2013
How are the implants?
I wish this conversation could have been video recorded because me trying to retell won't do it justice!
While at a going away party for one of our fabulous parent volunteers, the following comment occurred during conversation with two of my co-workers.
Jill: (knows about Sean's CI's) So, how are the implants doing?
Andrea: (new co-worker, who does not know about Sean's CI's) - Nearly chokes on her food, is speechless, and shocked at such a question!
Me: (laughing hysterically)- I clear up the misunderstanding that Jill is referring to my son, Sean, who is deaf and received cochlear implants in June! And that these "girls" are real! LOL!
While at a going away party for one of our fabulous parent volunteers, the following comment occurred during conversation with two of my co-workers.
Jill: (knows about Sean's CI's) So, how are the implants doing?
Andrea: (new co-worker, who does not know about Sean's CI's) - Nearly chokes on her food, is speechless, and shocked at such a question!
Me: (laughing hysterically)- I clear up the misunderstanding that Jill is referring to my son, Sean, who is deaf and received cochlear implants in June! And that these "girls" are real! LOL!
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