deaf children

You will want to look into what help you can get from Early intervention. The first stop will be the doctor, they may be helped with hearing aids, but you will need to get into an audiologist, probably also an ENT. You will want to start with simple signs. Getting thier attention will usually take touch, though some can feel it if you stomp on the floor or hit a table they are sitting at. They will probably be delayed if they have not been getting help andso making them feel safe and secure will probably be the first order of business. Good luck.

I must be getting totally jaded because for some reason my first thought was "I bet you money you find out they aren't really deaf." Other ways we get the deaf girl on our baseball team's attention: Lights. Air distubance. (Like you could shake the table their arms are sitting on at dinner). My guess is they do not know much sign language but get a list of the signs they know learn those specifically and then learn new ones together. Also, pecs cards are useful (picture cards for things) You actually can set up a schedule on the pecs cards for their arrival. Laminate pictures of what you do during the day and put a piece of velcro on the back and then stick them all on a longer laminate poster board. I have a bunch of other thoughts for you if you end up getting placed with them.

I was thinking the same thing, that maybe they aren't really deaf so it is not just you thats jaded. I agree about the picture cards, they work nicely. you can make your own using a camera and laminating paper. Also, a sign language video collection that does a great job teaching kids and adults to sign is "Signing Times". They are expensive, but they are great. I use them with my clients with autism. Never found them at a library but I guess that is always a possibility if your library is big.

I recently brought home my deaf son from Russia. He is beautiful, wonderful, and absolutely, positively, deaf. We just had the initial audiogram, and he falls under the severe category, but there is a more advanced test coming up soon. It does happen that children diagnosed as deaf in other countries come home and can actually hear. Our homestudy social worker knew of a case where the girl was just so traumatized by the orphanage experience that she didn't speak. Another incident I know of a boy had giant balls of earwax pulled out, and then he could hear just fine. I also know a couple that adopted from russia as well, and their daughter is in fact deaf. If you yourself are deaf and it is important to you to have a deaf child, please do keep in mind that the diagnosis, ANY diagnosis, may be incorrect! Learn some sign language. You don't have to be an expert when they come home, because they won't have any language. We've been signing just a bit, like baby talk, to keep him from getting confused with too much at once. We always speak when we sign too, because he may be a candidate for a cochlear implant so we want him to understand that speech is language AND sign is language. If you have other children, involve them in learning sign, my older boys enjoyed it and it helped them feel very involved in the adoption process, very invested in their precious little brother. Signing time is the best signing series out there, and they carry it at our local library. Its very expensive to buy all the dvds! I think its meant for hearing children, though. Max likes them ok, but his attention span is very limited - i guess this is a common problem in deaf children. He won't sit long enough to watch a video. We have a program in Ohio, you may have something similar where you live, called the Regional Infant Hearing Program or RIHP. Google it, they have a website with some info. It has some early intervention programs that are great, haven't started them yet though. Realize that they will be VERY developmentally delayed, but will probably catch up. The combination of institutionalization and having no language is very stunting to a child's development. My baby is 2 1/2 and he is mentally like a 10 - 15 month old. It is a lot lot lot of work, but definitely worth it. I'm so glad I did it, he's the most amazing little guy ever. Read as much as you can about adoption and deafness now, because you will not have time later!! If you want to talk I'd love to, feel free to send me a PM!

Also...some deaf people consider it rude to stomp on the floor to get their attention. I flash the lights, but more often I'll put my hand on his shoulder. I have to put my face in his face and sign to really get his attention. This is something hearing people might consider rude, but to deaf people getting close to communicate or using touch to communicate is appropriate. This has helped with bonding as well, because we are always making eye contact and touching.

When our daughter was placed at 4 months old it was believed she was deaf... she is very much a hearing child.Our son, however, uses ASL to communicate due to his autism. We have used signing time! videos and they are an awesome learning tool. I would highly recommend them and they should be available at your library!Good luck.

For your own children or those you know really well, I agree with this. However, if anyone came up to me putting their face in my face in order to communicate with me, I'd be pissed. That's MY space, thank you very much!;) LOL! Tap me on my shoulder, give me a wave, toss me a soft pillow, use the lights, etc. Will be interesting to see an update on the severity of their loss. :)

thank you all so much for the responses. the boys are siblings but have different dads. The youngest ones bio dad is also deaf and I am told the baby is too. He is about to turn 2. The other one wow that is another story all together and very sad. I have not heard back yet if I am going to be getting them or not. This is a family "friend" type thing. It seems these poor little guys are just not wanted by anyone but me. I am learning sign language as part of a drama team at my church so this is good!

Good luck. The preparation is a great experience, even if nothing comes of it. Before our adoption was finalized, I came to this realization - that even if my little lovie never made it home, we profited so much as a family by learning some sign. And now that my middle son is getting older and its become apparent he has some of his own difficulties - we're in the diagnosis process - the sign has become very helpful as a way of reinforcing communication. My oldest son is a wonderful hyperactive little guy, but he's very visual so if I can reinforce communication with sign, he's more likely to actually pay attention to what I'm saying! So you never know when you're going to use it. Like another poster said, its great for autistic kids. And if you are blessed with a baby, signing is GREAT for babies as they can acquire it before spoken words. I had a job working with infants and young toddlers once, and it amazed me how in this facility where they taught baby sign to the kids, these nonverbal kids were actually able to communicate using sign. Also, I would find out as much as you can about their form of deafness and look into options for education now. Get your hands on their medical history if you can - has their hearing been tested? What kind of test? Has it been retested? Would they benefit from hearing aids? Are they elligible for implants? There are so many different ideas about deaf education and communication options, its a bit overwhelming at first. But a lot of that comes down to what is available in your area. Unless you live near a large city, your options might be limited. We have one good school in our area, and ZERO preschools. But at any rate, it really helps to know their degree of deafness and what can be done to give them the most possible modes of communication, as well as to give you an idea of what you're getting into. Also, what kind of environment are they in? Do they have any language now? Were they neglected? Did they receive any appropriate education? Can you put things in place now to give them a head start before adoption? This will make your life muuuuch easier if you can, and it will help them immensely, even if things fall through.

We use sign in church. A few of my friends were laughing at me one time, cause I was in a drama and had to sit on the stage. During parts where I was not actively in the drama, I was signing things at my kids. I thought I was doing it unobtrusivly, as I was sitting off to the side of the stage and keeping my hands down at my side, but a couple of friends saw it and thought it was funny.

it all fell thru this week. I am so very disappointed that we won't be getting these little guys. I have known them for 2 years and know the family history and I know in my heart they won't get the care they so deserve. They have been moved to another state and my hands are tied. Thank you all so much for the encouragement and tips. I am in a drama team at my church too so I am learning sign. Please keep these kids in your thoughts and prayers. They are going to need it.

I will be praying. God has a plan, I truly beleive this. I researched limb differences originally because of a child I never got to adopt (I still pray for him though) but, it was good because when I had no time to make a decision, I was comfortable in my knowledge because of that past research and now have two children with limb differences. Knowledge gained is never wasted. I will pray for those little guys and I know you will too, so the experience was not wasted for them either.