I have mentioned before that every Health Care Professional has there own opinions about the effects of SSD in children. I have came across many Doctors and some Audiologists who believe that my son's developmental delay and speech delay/disorder can not be contributed to him being deaf in one ear. Most want to blame it on the trauma he went through and birth. I know I am not a Doctor, and I haven't had the "proper education and training" in this area, and I don't see and treat a big population of children on a daily basis. But I know what life is like for one SSD child because I LIVE it everyday. I have worked with my son day after day for over 3 years. I see where he progresses and where he does not. I have done my own research. Along with talk to other parents with SSD children, some have speech issues and some do not. I have also talked to adults that have lived with SSD, some have struggled with speech and some haven't. Most of them (children and adults) did not have a traumatic start like my son and still had speech issues! Most of the Professionals who blame the delay on issues from his birth, are also the ones who said he would never be "normal" either. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am entitled to mine. Our family, friends, his teachers and Therapists at school who really know Christian also know their is much more to this boy then what he went through at birth. He is a strong-willed little boy will love, compassion, energy and a smile that shines as bright as the sun. He catches on developmentally more quickly than most people give him credit for, usually the Doctors who visit with him a couple times a year for 15 to 30 minutes and don't see how hard he works and how far he comes everyday. If they spent more time with him they would see he doesn't have a learning disability, he just has a disadvantage of hearing as well as most children and it makes it harder to keep up with development and speech with those as the same age as him.
The reason I am blogging about this subject is because I found a great article about Single Sided Hearing Loss and I wanted to share the article with our followers (most of which are an important part of Christian's life) and you may learn something from it and our followers who are parents of children with Unilateral Hearing Loss as well. I also just felt the need to vent and express while the subject of Single Sided Hearing Loss was brought up.....
http://www.californiaearinstitute.com/ear-disorders-singled-sided-hearing-loss-children-ear-institute.php
I am always interested to hear what other people think about SSD or Unilateral Hearing Loss to any degree , feel free to express or vent if you wish! :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Start of Summer
Our summer is off to a GREAT start. It's been a busy one...but a good one so far. We met with his pediatrician the week before last to discuss OT options for the summer while he is out of school. We decided to send him to the rehab center he attended a couple years ago for PT. He has not started any services yet. No one has contacted me with any information yet, but I will be contacting them soon if I don't get a call soon. I still plan on him getting ST at school through the summer.
His teacher, assistant teacher and teachers aide came to visit him on Friday. They were happy to see him and he was happy to them! He began signing a lot of things to his teacher (although neither one of us know what he was talking about). God truly blessed us when He put them in our life! They mean the world to my family and I and it meant a lot that they took the time to stop by and see him during summer break. I hope and pray that things work out and he will be placed with them next year for preschool.
Last summer it was a challenge to get Christian in the pool. He would kick, scream, cry and be very fearful of the water. But this year is completely different! He loves it!!!! He is comfortable enough to float around in the water by himself (with floaters of course) and jabbers and giggles the whole time he is in there. He worked up enough courage to jump in the water with me (with me holding him) this afternoon, but his head never went under the water. We did it several times.
I started Christian out in a smaller pool this year (which is usually a struggle too) but this year he took right up with it as well!
No new words yet. No new signs either. He is trying to imitate sounds and tries to repeat words often.
Biggest sensory issue so far is chewing. He has chewed two holes in his "squish" (his stuffed dog) and my mom has had to sew it up twice in the last 2 weeks. So oral input is the main issue right now. Chewing gum, gummy bears and fruit snacks is what he prefers. Although he does like the teething vibrators every now and then.
I wanted to send him to a special needs camp that was taking place at the end of this month but my schedule will be full and I won't be able to take him. I am disappointed that we won't be able to go but hopefully next year. My wonderful mother offered to spend her vacation week taking him but I would rather be there with him. I am sure I could learn just as much there as he would benefit from being there.
We go for his routine hearing evaluation in a couple of weeks at Vanderbilt. I am really hoping he will behave and tolerate the testing well so he will not have to be restrained like usual. But I already know his left ear is working good and strong (he hears way too much for it not too) but it is always nice to hear an audiologists say so and a test to prove so.
Hopefully I will have more great things to report the first week of July! :)
His teacher, assistant teacher and teachers aide came to visit him on Friday. They were happy to see him and he was happy to them! He began signing a lot of things to his teacher (although neither one of us know what he was talking about). God truly blessed us when He put them in our life! They mean the world to my family and I and it meant a lot that they took the time to stop by and see him during summer break. I hope and pray that things work out and he will be placed with them next year for preschool.
Last summer it was a challenge to get Christian in the pool. He would kick, scream, cry and be very fearful of the water. But this year is completely different! He loves it!!!! He is comfortable enough to float around in the water by himself (with floaters of course) and jabbers and giggles the whole time he is in there. He worked up enough courage to jump in the water with me (with me holding him) this afternoon, but his head never went under the water. We did it several times.
No new words yet. No new signs either. He is trying to imitate sounds and tries to repeat words often.
Biggest sensory issue so far is chewing. He has chewed two holes in his "squish" (his stuffed dog) and my mom has had to sew it up twice in the last 2 weeks. So oral input is the main issue right now. Chewing gum, gummy bears and fruit snacks is what he prefers. Although he does like the teething vibrators every now and then.
I wanted to send him to a special needs camp that was taking place at the end of this month but my schedule will be full and I won't be able to take him. I am disappointed that we won't be able to go but hopefully next year. My wonderful mother offered to spend her vacation week taking him but I would rather be there with him. I am sure I could learn just as much there as he would benefit from being there.
We go for his routine hearing evaluation in a couple of weeks at Vanderbilt. I am really hoping he will behave and tolerate the testing well so he will not have to be restrained like usual. But I already know his left ear is working good and strong (he hears way too much for it not too) but it is always nice to hear an audiologists say so and a test to prove so.
Hopefully I will have more great things to report the first week of July! :)
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