Erin's Teacher of the Deaf visited her classroom for the first time on Wednesday. We were so eager to hear what she thought of how Erin is doing.
She has set up a notebook to keep in Erin's cubby for us to communicate back and forth. I couldn't wait to read what she wrote on the first day. We were very sure that she would rave about how amazingly well Erin is doing. After all, she is pretty much completely caught up on language. She is able to answer age appropriate questions. She loves to tell us goofy stories. She loves to sing nursery rhymes. She can imitate any word we throw at her - even when she doesn't understand it's meaning.
Well.... We were a little shocked to find that the TOD spotted some areas of concern.
During circle time, Erin bobbed her head and smiled during a familiar song, but she didn't sing along. Check -
When circle time broke up and it was time for lunch, Erin quickly followed familiar commands from the teacher. She got her lunch, found her seat, etc. Check +
When the teacher gave commands that were not familiar to Erin, she looked confused for a moment, and then watched her peers for guidance before following the direction. Big Check -
I know it seems minor, but it really stunned us. Even the teacher and the school director (who has followed her since she was an infant) had never picked up on the fact that Erin wasn't following the teachers' directions - she was following her peers. She's our smart cookie and totally fooled us.
So, we've had a reality check. This isn't going to be as easy as we thought it would!
I am very confident that Erin isn't hearing the teacher clearly. I don't feel it is a comprehension issue. She is able to follow new directions at home with no problem at all. The problem is being in the classroom setting. We've done so much in the AVT area, but now she needs to learn to listen in an entirely new way. Unless we plan to hire a private tutor to get her through the K - 12 years (not gonna happen), she needs to adapt to a classroom setting.
The TOD will make three more visits and then we'll meet to talk about what we need to do to help Erin in this area. I am not 100% sold on an FM system just yet. It is a play based curriculum and I have a concern that Erin's teacher will be in one activity area working with a group of children and Erin will be in another activity area, picking up that conversation on the FM system. Not a good situation.
In her current school, the FM system may not be useful until the Pre-K level.
Another reason we have been wanting to hold off is that we've heard that Cochlear is getting ready to launch new FM Hardware for the Freedom system. I would much rather she get a new system for her specific CI than get an older model she might have to use through high school. It is tough to get upgrades once a system is in place.
But, we're keeping an open mind on the matter and will see what the TOD recommends.
We're thrilled to have such a competent set of eyes on Erin's progress in school. She is growing up so fast! She loves her new classroom and is so proud of herself. I can't wait to see what else this year brings.
7 comments:
Sounds as if she's doing great. Using the same strategies she used before.
Same with Lotte. I can see a lot of similarities.
Copying the other children is a very obvious one. It's inevitable, but also a good indicator that she does not understand everything. Important for us and the teachers to realise that, and take action when needed.
We also warned the teachers that answering correctly to a question does not mean Lotte has understood the question. Let's be realistic... guess what the correct answer is to a question that ends with "... don't you think so..?" or "... you shouldn't do that, should you.?".
Lotte - and I'm sure Toes and all the other children - will sometime just answer the question in the way that is expected, just to be done with it.
"No need to understand, just give the right answer." is sometimes the motto... ;-)
But it's wonderful that Toes has people around her that look at her with the right focus, report the positive AND the negative, and act accordingly. That's one of the most important things to ensure the best possible outcome.
The future's so bright.... have to wear shades..
It is so interesting that you write about this...I just met with Drew's preschool this week about how to help Drew adjust to his mainstream school tihs year.
I have been told that the FM System is really not that beneficial for the preschool setting because the children can not tell you if they hear better with or without the FM. Also, they can not be involved in the programming, so setting the ratio's, etc. is very difficult for the audiologist.
I think it sounds as though Erin is doing really well, she is just learning to listen in a new environment, which I am sure is very difficult. I'm interested to see how Drew adapts to this setting when he starts next week.
I can see how an FM system in preschool could be a real problem! Erin could be playing at the playdough table, but overhearing the teacher working with another child at a different center- the language she'd be getting wouldn't even be relevant to what she was doing!
Hopefully the TOD and the teacher will come up with some solutions for dealing with sound in noisy or group situations.
Yeah , sure seems like a reality check..but she's smart..I think that time is your solution..Time and guidance!
Oh and 'bout the FM system of Cochlear you've heard ? do you have any homepage to scope it at ? I'm researching to get one..
This was such an interesting post. . . I know exactly what Erin is doing. . . her eyes are also her "ears." I, too, learned by watching and still depend on my eyes to "hear" for me.
I wouldn't worry too much about this. . .Erin is probably paying attention to the teacher more than most kids do!
Hi!
I just found your blog. My son got his second CI this past Tuesday and he has only been hearing for 6 months now. Your blog and Erin's story is an inspiration for us :)
I was impressed that you were open and perceptive enough to realize that apparent "hearing" could actually be disguised intelligence; canny observation and whiz-kid coping skills.
Many parents raising their kids in the oral/hearing methodologies are similarly fooled for many years. When the child reaches teens and it isn't so easy to cope by guesswork anymore, problems surface. This is often when young people eventually turn to American Sign Language and go to colleges that provide support using visual languages.
Hopefully, today's enlightened parents are aware of that possibility and try to cover all bases. Some may try to supercharge the auditory training to fill in the gaps, others with wider goals include ASL with everything else.
Here's a blog on how deaf children fool hearing parents:
http://www.xanga.com/dianrez/485528525/how-deaf-children-fool-parents-and-what-to-expect.html
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