What I Have Learned About the Hearing Impaired World

My youngest is 3.5, and he is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet!  His smile is electric, and his persistence is enviable.  He was born with a rare brain abnomality, and sometimes, life is challenging.  When he was a newborn, he failed his hearing screen on the left side.  Eventually, we had a sedated ABR done, and learned that he is unable to hear anything from his left ear.  He also has a moderate hearing loss in his right side.  The hearing impairment led to the hearing aid on his right ear, and in October of last year, his cochlear implant on the left side.  When you think about the fact that he has only had the ability to fully hear the world for about 8 months, you would be stunned at his quickly developing vocabulary!
We have the amazing team at VCU Audiology to thank for Brady's incredible progress.  He has also had many amazing therapists that have worked with him in Early Intervention, and now Chesterfield County Public Schools.  Each person we have worked with has made this process a little bit easier!  This week, VCU Audiology is hosting an audiological camp called Camp T.A.L.K..  This camp is specifically for childen with hearing impairments.  Last years camp was amazing, but this year's camp has kicked last year's butt!  Brady has enjoyed every second of camp, and even cheers when we pull into the parking lot!
One of my personal favorite parts of the camp, is the Parent Education classes they hold each day.  Camp started on Tuesday and ran through Friday.  Tuesday, we had 2 different speakers!  Jackie & Kathryn told the parents their story.  Kathryn was born with a hearing loss, and had a very long and difficult journey with her cochlear implants  She is now in college, and technology has come a long way since she was diagnosed with her hearing loss.  Jackie, her mom, told us about her adventure in the hearing impaired world over the last 20ish years.  I took away a lot from this discussion, but one of the most impacting things I learned... saddened me very much.  Kathryn told us that the Deaf Community is not very warm and embracing to cochlear implant owners.  They told us of their involvment with the AG Bell Society, which gave Brady a grant this year!  This group focuses on the Deaf & Hard of Hearing whom wish to speak a spoken language.  As Jackie and Kathryn left a convention hosted by AG Bell, they were stunned to find protestors that lingered outside.  These people actually protest against people getting cochlear implants, and learning to speak instead of learning sign language.  I am sad to think that on top of the difficulty Brady will already encounter in life due to his disabilities, the deaf community will not embrace him either.
After Jackie & Kathryn left, we were able to speak to Pat!  Pat is in charge of the dispute department for IEPs with the Virginia Department of Education.  I imagine that working a job like this would be draining.  It is basically the complaint department for any student or parent whom has special needs.  Pat was kind, listened, and answered every question for all of the parents.  It was so nice to have someone on our side and making us feel comfortable with the IEP process.
Wednesday, the speaker was Stacy, an Occupational Therapist & Assistant Professor at VCU.  She was very informative, and talked to us about sensory processing issues.  Since Brady has sensory processing issues, I was all ears!  She explained to us how children can be understimulated or overstimulated and can either seek, crave, or avert to sensory input.  She also gave us some really great ideas on feeding and teeth brushing... which can be seriously challenging for families with sensory processing children.
Thursday, the speakers were Mary Ellen, an Assistant Professor at VCU.  She teaches the teachers for Special Education!  And she was joined by Phyllis Lupini, a Speech & Language Pathologist with Chesterfield County, and a personal friend!  She was Brady's Speech Therapist in his classroom during the past 6 months!  We adore Phyllis, and I was super excited to see her!  They taught the parents how to read a book to our kids.  You may think that is a common sense type of concept, but it isn't!  When you have a typical child, it can be difficult to keep their attention and read them a story.  Now, take a hearing impaired child, a non verbal child, a child with learning disabilities, or anything else... and it makes this simple routine not fun for anyone.  Adding song, movement, and tactile add ons, mixed with dramatic voices and faces, and it was a true experience!  We had 3 babies in the room, all of which were chattering, babbling, or crying... until Phyllis began reading this book!  The same concept can be mixed with memorization!  Do you know how to spell BOLOGNA??  I know how to spell it because of the commercial that featured it's spelling in a song!  I know all 50 states in alphabetical order because I was taught a song.  I know the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish because we had to stand and say it every day for a week... but the standing part actually made it easier!  Moving while learning is key to allowing your brain to absorb the information. 

Friday was our last day, and we had the opportunity to ask Dr. Peterson, a cochlear implant surgeon for VCU, and Shaun, an audiologist at VCU whom specializes in cochlear implants, anything we wanted about cochlears!  It was such a great opportunity to ask things that we had on our minds after the past week.  It is rare that you get to ask those types of questions without booking an appointment, so it felt like a special treat!  They were both very friendly, patient, and knowledgable!  
Another awesome part of camp, is the community that the parents get together!  We meet so many families going through the exact same thing we are, and we hear their stories, their ideas, their questions... we learn from each other!
I am so sad that camp has ended, and am already looking forward to next summer!
VCU Audiology is hands down, and simply put... AMAZING!  Thank you so much for what you do, and thank you so much to everyone who has helped us in our journey through the hearing impaired world!