Moot Thoughts & Musings

This afternoon we rode the train into center city again to attend a seminar about educational issues for children with cochlear implants. It was helpful for me because it brought together a lot of the information that I knew sort of floating around my head, and I was able to then apply and categorize the information with regards to educational strategies. For the immediate future, it helped to have an idea of the spoken language progression and how to visualize those steps to progress.

Until now we have been focusing our language efforts almost entirely on ASL. For one, we think it's extremely important for Ellis to have this language as a deaf individual. It is the language that utilizes his strengths to their capacity and the language of his deaf peers. And secondly, as an infant and toddler, these are prime language acquisition years, and we feel that it has been important that he be given language not wasting time with futile hearing exercises. Now that he will have access to sound, he already has a very strong language base to bring meaning to this new experience.

The seminar was helpful in giving me ideas for how to think about this added aspect in our lives. But we do not intend to give up signing. There are varying degrees along the spectrum of protest for signing alongside having a CI. While I certainly can appreciate the necessity of providing sound in order to teach to listen, I think there will be a place in the day to turn off our voices and enjoy Ellis's strength.

I feel like we're in unchartered territory. I don't know where to find meaningful discussions and research that really get at the heart of the carefully nuanced situation we desire for our home. However, I do appreciate the conversations I'm able to have with the people at CHOP, they seem eager to dialogue about this nuance, to engage my dissatisfaction with what is on the table now. If they had come across as biased toward the auditory side of the spectrum, I think I would've shut off. We may not even have gone on with the CI. I don't know. Anyway, all that to say we had thought-provoking afternoon.

And Ellis! What a gem!! I didn't get a babysitter. I asked around a little, but I didn't try too hard, because E is having more separation anxiety lately, and I didn't want to stress him out since I don't know how much all this has been affecting him psychologically. And I thought the seminar would only last for like an hour. Well, we were there for over three!! and Ellis played cheerfully the whole time!!!! Had I known how long it was going to be, I would've at least brought my computer so he could watch Cars or something. But, what a kid!!! *parental beam of pride* ;-)