Early Intervention
Yesterday we were visited by a team to evaluate Ellis for early intervention services. They were really nice, down-to-earth, friendly, helpful people. (I was so glad, having no experience with social services folks and having a general suspect for the social sciences). So they accepted him into their program. A teacher, physical therapist, and speech therapist/audiologist were on the evaluation team along with the services coordinator.
Except for anything to do with hearing, they said he was doing marvelously. The PT was really pleased with his motor skills, and they all remarked how well he was taking in things visually, which is good, because he is essentially compensating for hearing with seeing. So they're setting us up with a teacher for the hearing impaired to come every other week. (Provided by the school district at no cost to us! Your tax dollars at work, folks.) Behaviourly they found no responses to sounds at all. I hope he has some residual hearing! It seems more and more that he may not. Even 2% hearing is a lot to work with. Anyway, the meeting was good, and they're putting us in the way of lots of information, which is more helpful.
In some ways, I feel free to start learning sign language now. I'm not sure how to express this, but before I felt like I wasn't sure if I should or not. But now I feel like it's okay. We want him to have everything method of communication of available...work on speaking and using any residual hearing he might have and have sign language to use. Some parents are really against their deaf children using sign language, which I don't really get, because it also denies them access to the deaf community. (To me, that's like adopting an African-American baby and then denying his/her cultural heritage.) And though I want Ellis to be able function well and independently in the hearing world, I want him to have access to the resources and encouragement the deaf community could provide, too. I feel encouraged.
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glad to know it went well. pretty amazing that yall can get so much help without paying extra.
Posted by: bobw | 04.10.05 13:07
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6% wage tax in Philadelphia, 2% in Montgomery County, belive me, we are paying!
Posted by: mom2 | 04.10.05 13:27
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That's really great for you guys J, and I'm glad that you are excited about learning sign language. But I still want Ellis to be a miracle and get healed by the power of God and become a testimony. I guess I just don't think this has to be a "trial Ellis must bear". I think it needs to be a miracle waiting to happen! Hallelujah! But I'm just a crazy charismatic...
Posted by: katiek | 04.10.05 13:55
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I'm glad it went well, too :o)
Early intervention is great. I am all for getting resources from the government when you can. I mean, we pay enough in taxes to get SOMETHING every once in a while...
Posted by: kristen | 04.10.05 14:41
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Three cheers for EI, a postive byproduct of high taxation! Jeannette, I'm so glad you're feeling encouraged... and that you're blogging about all this. Lord willing, your story will encourage others.
Rebecca, who would like to be a miracle/testimony herself twice over!
Posted by: Rebecca | 04.10.05 14:50
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That's great news Jeannette! I'm glad you had a good experience!
Posted by: charity | 04.10.05 15:21
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I'm glad the meeting went well. And I'm very glad that Ellis is getting the assistance which, along with your loving support, will help him thrive. Learning sign language will be a lot of fun. I wonder if you might enjoy a book called _Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World_, by a hearing woman whose father ran a school for the deaf. She was/is also the grandchild of deaf grandparents, and, if I remember correctly, she writes a lot about deafness and cross-cultural issues. If you should want a copy of the book, just email me and I will gladly send you mine.
Posted by: YelloCello | 04.10.05 15:48
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I'm so glad for you that you're in a place now where there are actual resources. It sounds like you guys have so many people to rely on, not just family and friends, but the entire community! Can you imagine what your life would be like as a displaced NOLA resident somewhere like Baton Rouge, trying to make things like that happen? I'm so glad (for a multitude of reasons) that you guys were led to the decision to move to Philly. =)
Posted by: Erica | 04.10.05 16:57
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I did early intervention for about four months (before deciding I wanted to work with high school or middle school spec. ed.)--it is truly an amazing program. As a current grad student in spec. ed., the research consistently sings the praises of early intervention. I know Ellis' deafness must be a burden on your family, but I'm so glad that he is getting the help he needs so early on.
Posted by: Abby | 04.10.05 20:57
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I'm glad that your visit with services went well. When my son Tristan was born three months premature, we were issued an automatic referral to Easter Seals for evaluation and a PT came to our house for initial evaluation. (Seeing the report was a bit weird; it's always strange to see yourself or your home summed up in those clinical reports, i.e. "small room, brightly painted, clean and neat, mother laid blanket out for patient.")
One never knows what drives parental decisions. I don't have any idea what the situation is like in public schools these days or what it would be like in elementary school, but in college, of course, sign language is used interpretatively for anybody who needs it through the ADA. Perhaps it's not the barrier today that some consider it to be.
I'm sure the waiting and learning is taxing. I'm glad that you feel encouraged.
Posted by: michelle | 05.10.05 23:00
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I'm glad to hear he's doing will in terms of motor skills and other milestones. That is encouraging. I'm also glad your visit went well and that the government is paying for this stuff. Because I think they should.
Posted by: Anastasia | 06.10.05 08:39