Teaching a Deaf Child to Hear and Speak

By James Hall

Editor: I recently got a phone call from James Hall, who has written a great book for parents whose child is born with significant hearing loss. When that happened to him, he dedicated himself to ensuring that his child have every possible advantage. He's written it all up in a book called "A Father's Love: Teaching a Deaf Child to Hear and Speak...Perfectly" and he's making it freely available.

Here's a synopsis of his book. To download your copy and/or learn more, please point your browser to
www.deafchildrencanspeak.com

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April 2009

How to Use this Parents' Manual

This book is written for the following purpose:

To help guide parents of recently diagnosed deaf and hard of hearing children who have chosen oral language. To help explain what to do and what services need to be in place for the absolute best outcome for their child. To provide a clear roadmap to help parents not make mistakes; any mistake can jeopardize the success of a child's oral language journey. To have a reference guide during the next 3 - 5 years for the oral language process.

This book explains in detail to the medical / educational community how to achieve "Perfect Speech, Language and Audition" with no deficits in a cochlear implanted deaf child. This is no longer a guessing game. Follow the written format and excellent success will be achieved. (This may not be possible with all deaf children, I certainly realize that each child is different.)

When this book is coupled with the cochlear implant / language development book titled "AusPlan" this will give the absolute strongest foundation and roadmap needed for the success of a cochlear-implanted / hard of hearing child.

Note: Any mention of an "Auditory Oral" program can be used interchangeable with the term "Auditory Verbal".

The references in this book which refer to "The Special Education department, or local school district" could also refer to any "Early Start" program as designated by your particular state. The key here is the entity which holds the purse strings for the IDEA funding.

The following chapter descriptions of "A Father's Love" can be used as an index to find information quickly. This is a more extensive listing than what is found in the book and describes how to use each chapter.

Introduction - This briefly explains the purpose behind this book, the title of the book, and briefly explains what each chapter covers.

Chapter 1 - This chapter covers the emotions of being told your child is deaf or hard of hearing. This explains what to do next, and explains the IFSP and IDEA law and how to interact with the personnel20who make up the team of professionals willing to help your child.

Chapter 2 - What sacrifices do parents need to make for the success of their child? This chapter explains the sacrifices and parental commitment required to help a deaf child succeed with oral language. This chapter explains the mindset needed along with a line item list of services and procedures which need to be in place to help a child succeed with oral language. A line item list is provided for the "must have" language toys, videos, and procedures that should be used at home.

Chapter 3 - This chapter is absolutely necessary so the parent can be on the same page and hold a substantive conversation with the audiologist who is working with your child. This explains in detail how a cochlear implant works, how to read an audiogram, understanding hearing thresholds, the speech banana, mappings, the CI surgery, bilateral implants, hearing aids, care and maintenance, etc.

Chapter 4 - Listed in this chapter is everything that needs to be in place for the absolute best results and long term success of a cochlear-implanted child. The list includes: early diagnosis, early cochlear implantation, types of oral language programs, the CI surgeon, the pediatric audiologist, a family support network, an understanding of insurance, the IFSP / IEP process, the needed interaction with the Special Education / Early Start team members, etc.

Chapter 5 - By reading this chapter and coupling this book with the AusPlan book (Children's Hospital Oakland's Audiology Dept. 510-428-3885) you will be able to be in sync with the speech therapist for the next 3 - 5 years of this language journey. You will be able to hold a substantive conversation with the SLP, TOD, or other professionals working with your child. You will be able to report in complete and accurate terminology how your child is doing at home. You will know all needed terminology of speech for the IFSP / IEP meetings. You will know precisely and accurately where your child fits on the language hierarchy, and the next step in their audition, speech, and language development. You will understand completely the building blocks of natural language development and be in full control of your child's language goals.

Chapter 6 - This chapter is written so a parent can take their child's hearing age and chronological age and compare them to the program described. By comparing such programs a parent will then be able to decide if their child's services are adequate. Of course every child is different and certain medical conditions will dictate more or fewer services, but the four year program listed is in my opinion a model program for the habilitation of deaf / hard of hearing children. At the beginning of each year the program is described with class times, therapy times, and what is being worked on. At the end of each year the mentioned child's hearing age, chronological age, and what has been mastered receptively and expressively are listed. Again this is for comparison purposes and will provide a needed guideline of what this particular child has received for four years and what the end results were. In addition to this, the IFSP / IEP procedures are explained along with the decision for bilateral implants, how to train the "new" or "second" ear, using hearing children as language models, the Transitional IEP meeting, and utilizing the Head Start program.

Chapter 7 - Who will pay the $110,000 - $160,000-plus needed to see your child through this oral process? This chapter explains in detail the IDEA law, using the IFSP / IEP procedures to your advantage, how to have the Government pay for your child's private oral school and therapists, how to facilitate a powerful IFSP / IEP meeting and get what you want. How to be the "quarterback" and purveyor of information so every professional can do their job better to help your child hear and speak. How to work with insurance companies and get things covered that they do not want to cover. How to pay the "discounted" rate for uncovered benefits, and understanding the "Early Start" program. Read this chapter and then purchase a well written IDEA / IFSP / IEP book to be in complete control of funding for your child's education.

Chapter 8 - Is it possible for every deaf child to have perfect speech, language, and articulation? Is it possible for every deaf child to have excellent receptive language skills which rank in the 97th percentile for open-set words? Can every child differentiate 5 - 10 rhyming words with no visual cues? Can every deaf child be ahead of their hearing peers in cognitive skills? This is what this book is about. I strongly feel that if parents and educators put everything they possibly can into this process more children than not will have "Perfect Speech and Language." All we can do as parents is put absolutely everything into this process and pray that our child will reach such heights. My child has reached such heights and I have written this book to help you and your child on your oral journey.

This chapter explains in detail every medical procedure my child went through, at what age she had her first hearing test, ABR test, CT scan, cochlear implant surgery, when she started oral training, when she had her second cochlear implant surgery, her EVA, and Mondini Dysplasia diagnosis, and her receptive and expressive language progress. Use this chapter to give yourself a baseline of where your child stands from a strictly medical standpoint.

Chapter 9 - This chapter lists where to buy the needed language tools and toys that are mentioned, where to buy the AusPlan Book, The IFSP / IEP legal books form Nolo press, contact information for cochlear implant manufacturers, needed programs such as "Music Together," and where to find every "OPTION" School in the USA. It also lists various children's hospitals which have CI programs, where to buy soundfield and FM systems, an organization which will fight your insurer (free of charge in most cases) so your child can have a CI implant. It also lists a national contact database for speech language pathologists (ASHA), and a website which has a listing of SLP's, (AG Bell) http://www.agbellacademy.org/locate-therapist.htm

Good luck on your educational journey.