This Child Is Deaf?

When this video was made, Clementine was four years old. Believe it or not, she IS profoundly deaf. Clementine hears with the help of a cochlear implant, and she has learned to listen and speak at the Tucker-Maxon School in Portland, Oregon. Find out more at www.tmos.org.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• deaf
• cochlear
• oral
• speech
• Tucker-Maxon
• language
• communications
• medicine
• health

[ssgtpapacox]

@kjallits Our son wasn't born AS IS. He got sick when he was 4 months old, and almost died. It was because of miracles and doctors that he is alive today. And we will give him any opportunity possible. Hearing aides and CIs are two completly different things, we tried hearing aides and they did absolutely nothing for him. Technology was also given to us for a REASON! Since our daughter was born with a heart problem, should we deny her a hear transplant because she was born "AS IS".?

[ssgtpapacox]

@Catwalksymphony why not get CI and teach them ASL? that is what I did with my son.

[plator99]

@Fourchetteable

of course you try and act the martyr now, after being a tactless and frenchified mort. From the start it was you who were rude and anything but civil, I wash my hands of you go back to the abbo hoard since they will certainly accept your beastly behavior.

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99 And as you keep conveniently ignoring, I never said anything even hinting that deaf children shouldn't learn to speak. I'm advocating that they sign AS WELL.

It's not actually a complex concept to grasp.

And I did not barge in. My comments were perfectly civil until YOU became rude.

Regardless, I'm done trying to rationalise with you.

[plator99]

@Fourchetteable

I don't have to pretend, you crassly barged in with your opinion, there are no "actual points" for me to disprove. Also, the whole point of learning speech is to communicate with society at large as opposed to an extremely tiny minority, so obvious I didn't feel it necessary to spell it out but it seems I had to for your benefit.

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99

And as I’ve already pointed out, parents don’t always find out that the CI isn’t as effective as they had hoped until years have gone by, by which time their kids education (including language) has already had a substantial delay. You know what would stop their education from being delayed? Sign language.

Can you actually tell me ONE reason why a child raised with a combination of sign and speech would be disadvantaged?

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99

A kid with severe-profound hearing loss who gets a CI usually goes up to moderate-severe level. With moderate-severe they usually go up to mild-moderate. They don't often give CIs to anyone with mild-modetate loss. It's like wearing earmuffs ALL THE TIME.

So WHAT, exactly, is your problem with having children brought up signing AS WELL as speaking? If they have an interpreter in the classroom, they won’t have to exhaust themselves all the time, and their education won’t be delayed.

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99

Try wearing earmuffs for a day. They should muffle sound, but you’ll still be able to hear. It should simulate a mild-moderate hearing loss (depending on the grade of the earmuffs).

See how well you go. See how difficult it is to understand people when they look away from you, or when there’s background noise.

Now imagine doing that ALL THE TIME. The concentration required is massive, you miss out on heaps.

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99

Just for context: the cochlea has around 16,000 delicate hair cells that are used to identify frequencies. The CI has at most 24 electrodes to perform this function.

Lord Ashley, a UK politician who lost his hearing and then got a cochlear described the speech sounds through the CI as like "a croaking dalek with laryngitis". He didn't regret getting it, but it isn't 'normal' hearing.

If that's all kids have to go by during their vital first years of development, they miss out.

[Fourchetteable]

@plator99

Interesting from someone who gave me no actual points to back up their viewpoint except to call me backward, and is yet to give me ONE reason why deaf children should not sign. You've hinted at reasons for deaf children to learn to talk, but given me nothing whatsoever as to why they shouldn't sign.

Seriously, go back and read through what you've said. There is NOTHING there to validate your stance.

Don't pretend you have the argumentative or the moral high ground. You don't.

[plator99]

@Fourchetteable

Im sorry you were never taught useful life skills like how to properly discuss an issue with another person, and it was you whom first tossed prejudgment and misconception upon me, enjoy your censorsed society down under XD

[Fourchetteable]

@kjallits

I hate to disagree with youI think I should point out that sign language is not universal. You know ASL, I know Auslan. Different countries have different sign languages. Gesture is universal but sign language is not.