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Post by spiceman on Aug 28, 2016 20:44:23 GMT -5
Hey, Dale.....this topic is near and dear to my heart! My 13 year old son Cooper is hearing impaired (legally deaf) and wears aids. He's got a condition called Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts (EVA), a progressive disorder that will eventually leave him deaf. He passed the hearing test at birth, but at 2 1/2 we discovered he wasn't hearing. It took a CT scan to reveal the EVA. At that point we got him hearing aids and put him through intense speech therapy. In ideal conditions with aids, he hears about 60% of spoken words, but has become proficient at reading lips. I am sure you have similar experiences! Even though he has maxed out his hearing aids, he is currently not a candidate for Cochlear Implants. He was mainstreamed through school and has learned to overcome obstacles that most of us will never face. I truly believe that it's those obstacles that have shaped the young man that he is becoming! Like you, he has chosen to accept his challenge and use his hearing as fuel, not a crutch. He has been swimming competitively for the past 5 years , without hearing a word that his coach says, or ever hearing a starting signal, or being able to hear his name called at finals (can't have aids in the water). In spite of all the challenges, he has qualified and won at the State Championships, Qualified for the USA Deaf Swim Team and swam at the World Championships, and has a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 4 years. I think we are shaped by how we handle the difficult situations we face. It's hard to watch our kids struggle. But, I think they will be unprepared to deal with the world unless they learn how to handle it. Sorry for the rambling and hijacking the thread! I just wanted to add to your initial point......There are solutions for the hearing impaired. If you are able to give someone new hope or help them get started, that would be a success! If there is anyone that needs information on EVA or kids with a hearing impairment, I am available as well. Thanks for opening yourself up and being honest!
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Post by spiceman on Aug 28, 2016 20:59:16 GMT -5
First, dont be sorry. You did nothing wrong. About you son, sounds like his has faced the problem and starting to overcome it.All I can say is, yes, we will make it. It's hard to over come but he is a tough man and he will do it. I like reading about good thing happening to others that are faced with a handicap.
Also...you hijacked nothing. Have a good day. And sounds like your son is doing great. I give him an A+ Dale
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Post by spiceman on Aug 28, 2016 21:08:54 GMT -5
Any suggestions? If you want cochlear implants: Make an audiologist appt, tell them you have lost all hearing and then when they test, do not react to any sounds that you maybe can hear. In a word, fail the test, on purpose. Wrong response When you get a cochlear implant your ear is useless. Never to be fixed back to natural hearing again. Helen Keller wrote in one of her books," She would not wish deafness on her worst enemy." The hard sense to overcome.
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Post by txrockhunter on Aug 29, 2016 9:21:09 GMT -5
Thanks for the post, spiceman . I know we've talked previously on this subject, but I appreciate the timing on your post. We are coming up on my son's annual appointment and my wife and I are always apprehensive as it gets close. He doesn't seem to have a care or worry. Kids are resilient, as jeremy 's inspirational post points out. You guys are a couple of the good ones. Thanks! Maybe I missed it from an earlier thread, but is your son's annual appointment for something specific? Kids are resilient! I have learned a great deal from my son's journey. He inspires us to do more and be thankful for what we have!
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Post by txrockhunter on Aug 29, 2016 9:23:53 GMT -5
First, dont be sorry. You did nothing wrong. About you son, sounds like his has faced the problem and starting to overcome it.All I can say is, yes, we will make it. It's hard to over come but he is a tough man and he will do it. I like reading about good thing happening to others that are faced with a handicap. Also...you hijacked nothing. Have a good day. And sounds like your son is doing great. I give him an A+ Dale Likewise, Dale..... Keep plugging away and continue that giving spirit!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Aug 29, 2016 10:17:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the post, spiceman . I know we've talked previously on this subject, but I appreciate the timing on your post. We are coming up on my son's annual appointment and my wife and I are always apprehensive as it gets close. He doesn't seem to have a care or worry. Kids are resilient, as jeremy 's inspirational post points out. You guys are a couple of the good ones. Thanks! Maybe I missed it from an earlier thread, but is your son's annual appointment for something specific? Kids are resilient! I have learned a great deal from my son's journey. He inspires us to do more and be thankful for what we have! I notice someone has a new avatar!
There wasn't a thread before, I had messaged with Dale about my son's hearing impairment. He is deaf in his right ear and we worry about the left ear now. He failed his screening at birth in the right ear. We had a diagnosis of moderate hearing loss early on and he wore a hearing aid from kindergarten through third grade. His screenings got worse and now he hears nothing in the right ear. The doc told us that the hearing aid was not helping at all, so he's been without that for a couple years. At school, his teachers wear a mic around their neck and there's a speaker system in the classrooms. Through positioning, he is able to hear what's going on. He's a good student and as long as that continues we won't take any other action. He's knows how to maneuver himself around others and with proper placement at a table, or in the car, or anywhere else, he is able to keep up with conversations. It does come in handy at bedtime. Like Dale says, as long as he lays on his good ear, he can sleep through anything. We'll be at Cincinnati Children's Hospital at the end of the week for his annual visit and screening. A trip to King's Island after the appointment is in order!
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Post by txrockhunter on Aug 29, 2016 13:33:23 GMT -5
Holy cow Garage Rocker......now I really understand where you are coming from! My son used the FM System in school (now home schooled) and, like yours, will always have to position himself to accommodate his hearing. I am assuming that he does some lip reading? Do you guys practice any sign language? That is fantastic about his success in school and he's becoming his own advocate! Learning how to learn is one of life's most valuable lessons! Yes, the benefits are great.......being able to sleep in silence, turning off your aids in a noisy restaurant, watching football and knowing what the refs are going to call before anyone else, because you can read their lips, etc...... Been to Kings Island a long time ago (30 years)....I think there was a ride called the Beast? That's a great way to wrap up a visit to the hospital! If you don't mind, keep me up to speed on the appointment! Yes, new avatar. Got tired of looking at the other one.
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Post by spiceman on Aug 29, 2016 15:43:43 GMT -5
I'm touched by your response. Yes, I do some signing but the hard part is nobody else knows it very good or not at all. I lost my hearing so fast a signing teacher came to my house. I lost my hearing in 6 months...brain tumors. Not to sound bad but I have double vision, no balance (can't walk), along with other things but I'm still alive so I won. Yahoo As far as taking off your implant and hearing nothing works for me. Take the worst thing you have and make the best of it. I have got lots of responses on the cochlear post and I love that. I would love to do a talk for the group (RTH) but we all live in to many places.
Kings Island is growing, lots of new rides but with that comes a larger price to get in. Only about half hour from my house.
Thank you very much. Dale
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Post by Garage Rocker on Aug 30, 2016 15:51:44 GMT -5
I'll let you know how it goes, Jeremy. Can't wait to get back on the Beast, it's been 20+ years since I've been there. I know there are newer coasters, but you can't beat the rawness of a fast wooden coaster. Anxious to take my boys there, they haven't been before. txrockhunter
We don't do any signing and I'm not sure how much he reads lips. He does turn his head so he can hear what you're saying. And if you walk with him, you have to place yourself on his left side. I'm sure we'll go over all options again this time around at his appointment.
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Post by spiceman on Aug 30, 2016 20:32:48 GMT -5
I understand, I'm the same way even with the implant. People need to walk on the left side of me. I still look at there lips but only to match the sound up with the right person. You here everything but different than I'm used to. Lip reading is only 30 percent effective. Story, please don't take it bad but it's funny. I worked for a husband and wife and I was the tester. Went up to the husband and started talking the wife came up on the wrong side of me. Started talking but I couldn't hear her. He smiled and said " how do you sign pushy?" I said all I know is "cat". They hit the floor laughing but I didn't understand. She wrote on paper for me, he said"pushy". I thought he said pussy. I looked in the mirror and said both words. Not much difference in the lips.:) If you don't laugh then you cry and I'm tired of crying. :))
Dale
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Post by 1dave on Aug 31, 2016 10:00:14 GMT -5
I'm touched by your response. Yes, I do some signing but the hard part is nobody else knows it very good or not at all. I lost my hearing so fast a signing teacher came to my house. I lost my hearing in 6 months...brain tumors. Not to sound bad but I have double vision, no balance (can't walk), along with other things but I'm still alive so I won. Yahoo As far as taking off your implant and hearing nothing works for me. Take the worst thing you have and make the best of it. I have got lots of responses on the cochlear post and I love that. I would love to do a talk for the group (RTH) but we all live in to many places. Kings Island is growing, lots of new rides but with that comes a larger price to get in. Only about half hour from my house. Thank you very much. Dale Use the signing that is very obvious (pointing to things, self, see, eating, sleeping)
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Post by spiceman on Aug 31, 2016 20:52:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the post, spiceman . I know we've talked previously on this subject, but I appreciate the timing on your post. We are coming up on my son's annual appointment and my wife and I are always apprehensive as it gets close. He doesn't seem to have a care or worry. Kids are resilient, as jeremy 's inspirational post points out. You guys are a couple of the good ones. Thanks! Maybe I missed it from an earlier thread, but is your son's annual appointment for something specific? Kids are resilient! I have learned a great deal from my son's journey. He inspires us to do more and be thankful for what we have!
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Post by spiceman on Aug 31, 2016 20:53:44 GMT -5
My sons appointment for what? I have the implant. Dale
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Post by spiceman on Aug 31, 2016 20:59:39 GMT -5
But after while you runout of things to say with simple words. Most sign words use the first letter of the word and the motion or area helps describe the word but the hard words are the words that don't use that process.
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Post by spiceman on Aug 31, 2016 22:28:48 GMT -5
You might not know this. Deaf people only have a 3 or 4 grade level vocabulary. Also, when you sign it is different than how you talk. Sign is Subject, verb, verb, adjective. That also makes it difficult to Understand. And there is a difference between states. Some states have different words mean different things. Countries have nothing in common. It would be neat if everyone used the same sign because then you could that speak different languages. I will stop.. Thanks Dale
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