Hearing Impaired and Possibly Dyslexic (UPDATE IN COMMENTS)

[Harriet Vane]

So glad to hear of your plan moving forward. That's great!!!! Throw in a dyslexia/vision evaluation as well and I think you will have a good, comprehensive picture. Don't be surprised if one thing leads to another (as in more evaluations or different specialists). That's just the way it goes.

 

:hurray:

[geodob]

It appears that she has become quite skilled at lip reading.

Where it would be interesting to know how she actually processes lip reading?

Specifically whether she processes the words as a sound or as a kinesthetic movement?

 

With people who are Deaf  and learn to lip read.

The words aren't represented and concieved of as a sound.

Rather words are represented and concieved of as a kinesthetic movement.

So that they 'feel the words'.

Then when they read text, the written words are associated with particular movements, rather than sounds.

 

Perhaps you could ask Daisy something?

If she watches something on TV, with the sound turned down.

Can she then lip read and understand what the people are saying?

 

If she can? Then as she reads their lips. Does she imagine the sounds of the words that people are saying?

Or does she just, 'feel the words' that they are saying?

 

Where lip reading and sign language are equally valid ways of mentally processing language.

Where her hearing impairment was quite likely from birth.  So that she would have begun learning to lip read as a baby.

So that it is quite a natural way of processing language to her?

 

The way that lip reading and sign language is processed in the brain?

Is by way of a 'mirror process'.

Where signs or lip movements observed, cause a mirror response in the brain. Just as if the observer was making signs or lip movements themselves.

So that they feel what the other person is saying or signing.

 

But what needs to considered, is using this as an alternative way to read text?

[imagine.more]

Hm, interesting theory geodob. I just asked her those questions and unfortunately she says she can't understand what people are saying if they are talking but there's no sound. She says the TV people move around too much and even if I were to sit here and talk without sound she can't understand that either. 

 

I got the details of her evaluation from the school and it's interesting. The school psychologist claimed Daisy read a 3rd grade passage and answered comprehension questions on it. Of course we found out later the passage included detailed pictures...duh, she answered questions from the pictures.  Almost every one of her scores show her at a 1st grade level. Here's her scores in grade equivalents (they also included standard score and RPI)

 

General Intellectual Ability 1.0

Verbal Ability K.9

Verbal Comprehension K.9

Thinking Ability K.8
Visual-Auditory Learning <K.0

Spatial Relations 7.4

Sound Blending 1.4

Concept Formation <K.0

Visual Matching 3.6

Cognitive Efficiency 2.5

Visual Matching 3.6

Cognitive Efficiency 2.5 

Visual Matching 3.6

Numbers Reversed 1.6

Phonemic Awareness 1.4

Sound Blending 1.4

Incomplete Words 1.4 

Working Memory 1.1

Numbers Reversed 1.6

Auditory Work memory K.2

 

So her spatial relation is excellent, amazing really! it's above even the grade level she ought to be in (6th). Her visual matching is decent too. And in the middle of a paragraph at the end of the report i saw the words "Specific Learning Disability" which is where they classify Dyslexia and other reading disorders in PA. 

[Paige]

Does she have classroom accommodations such as a headset and teachers with microphones? I think that would help tremendously. If her hearing aids cannot compensate to get her hearing to almost perfect, then she needs more for classrooms and busy environments. I think she is probably a naturally bright child who has compensated very well because she has convinced people that her hearing doesn't affect her much. Some kids are very good at faking it. The testing is good because it shows where she is and what you should focus on, but with her history, IMO, it has no relevance as to her future abilities. She is young and there's no reason to assume she can't catch up quickly (or slowly) if she has accommodations that will help her and a safe home to support her.

[1shortmomto4]

Unfortunately hearing aids don't work like eye glasses - you don't get that perfect fix and hearing is totally normal.  There are sounds that a person will never ever hear no matter the hearing aids - it is what it is and that is what can be so hard for people to understand when dealing with someone with hearing aids.  There are FM systems that a teacher wears somewhere on their body and the hearing aids filter it through the hearing aids - but, alas, it has its downfalls.  They then hear everything - even the stomach of the speaker gurgling which then impacts the hearing processes going on in the brain and taking up power energy because the brain has to figure out the noise, identify its source to the brain and then work on other sounds.  As you know, we are able to tune out sounds that might be happening in the background but the hearing impaired - some can, some can't and even when they can it can be a very long long time until they get that strong.  This is so much a brain issue - more sound that the sense of sight.  My ds lip read for years - even though he obviously he heard sounds - this wasn't something that just turned off one day.  The brain becomes hardwired from a young age and it takes a lot of time to re-wire the brain with the aids  - a very exhausting process and sometimes it just isn't worth it to the child.  They make do.  What is key if asking the child - what helps you when you are in the classroom?  When do you understand the teacher best?  Is it where you sit in the room?  (front and center although my ds finds front on off to one side because he picks up too much noise from behind (see, filtering issue).  If you work on group projects in the classroom is there somewhere that the group can work that doesn't bring in all other voices (which is what the hearing aid is suppposed to pick up) - a separate room.  This really becomes a dialogue not just between educators and parents but the child herself.

 

She may need her aids adjusted so that they pick up voices louder and tone out the background noises - it may take a few visits to get that set just right (it is all computerized - but not something you can do at home).  Also, when you see the audiologist find out what sounds she can not hear - with or without the aids - that is key for someone that would be teaching her reading (or spelling).  Many people, unless you have a child with a hearing impairment, have no idea how the aids work or how to help.  These types of hearing losses are a lot different than helping a child who is completely deaf - just not the same.

[Terabith]

What test was this?

[OneStepAtATime]

Unfortunately hearing aids don't work like eye glasses - you don't get that perfect fix and hearing is totally normal.  There are sounds that a person will never ever hear no matter the hearing aids - it is what it is and that is what can be so hard for people to understand when dealing with someone with hearing aids.  There are FM systems that a teacher wears somewhere on their body and the hearing aids filter it through the hearing aids - but, alas, it has its downfalls.  They then hear everything - even the stomach of the speaker gurgling which then impacts the hearing processes going on in the brain and taking up power energy because the brain has to figure out the noise, identify its source to the brain and then work on other sounds.  As you know, we are able to tune out sounds that might be happening in the background but the hearing impaired - some can, some can't and even when they can it can be a very long long time until they get that strong.  This is so much a brain issue - more sound that the sense of sight.  My ds lip read for years - even though he obviously he heard sounds - this wasn't something that just turned off one day.  The brain becomes hardwired from a young age and it takes a lot of time to re-wire the brain with the aids  - a very exhausting process and sometimes it just isn't worth it to the child.  They make do.  What is key if asking the child - what helps you when you are in the classroom?  When do you understand the teacher best?  Is it where you sit in the room?  (front and center although my ds finds front on off to one side because he picks up too much noise from behind (see, filtering issue).  If you work on group projects in the classroom is there somewhere that the group can work that doesn't bring in all other voices (which is what the hearing aid is suppposed to pick up) - a separate room.  This really becomes a dialogue not just between educators and parents but the child herself.

 

She may need her aids adjusted so that they pick up voices louder and tone out the background noises - it may take a few visits to get that set just right (it is all computerized - but not something you can do at home).  Also, when you see the audiologist find out what sounds she can not hear - with or without the aids - that is key for someone that would be teaching her reading (or spelling).  Many people, unless you have a child with a hearing impairment, have no idea how the aids work or how to help.  These types of hearing losses are a lot different than helping a child who is completely deaf - just not the same.

I understand what you are saying about the hearing and lack of understanding.  Definitely, it may take time to really educate the school and to find all the ways that might be used successfully to help this child.  Reduced hearing from early childhood or birth can really affect so much of what she has been able to absorb and how she has learned how to learn,  Very valid point that reduced hearing loss is very different than being completely deaf.

 

Lack of experience and understanding aren't just regarding reduced hearing, though, just as an aside here.  I have fragmented vision.  Glasses help, but don't fix the problem.  Trying to judge which is the real line to sign my name on, or where the actual box is that I am supposed to check, etc. is quite challenging.  Because I wear glasses, people assume the glasses correct all my vision issues.  I wish that were true.  My niece has a progressively deteriorating vision problem that is only slightly assisted by glasses, but her teacher last year insisted that since she had glasses she should be able to see just fine and frequently refused accommodations or dragged his feet on providing accommodations even though she is legally blind, even with the glasses.  He thought that her family was just trying to pull a snow job on the school since her eye doctor is not local.  It was a really frustrating and depressing experience for her and meant she was fighting for her rights a great deal of the first half of the year (Junior in H.S. and wanted to be her own advocate).  

 

[imagine.more]

Terabith, they administered the Woodcock Johnson Assessment. 

 

Heidi, yes to all of the hearing aid comments. You're absolutely right that they're not a 100% fix, even with the FM system (which she does have in school). The teachers are often overly optimistic about her hearing abilities because she does fake it quite well. In fact her hearing aids are squeaking today due to a small tear (audiologist appointment is on Wednesday) and she was trying to convince me she doesn't need them today. Then she lost her glasses and insisted she didn't need them either, ugh! 12 year olds  :001_rolleyes:

[1shortmomto4]

12 is a rough age - big time of transitions and then the "horror"mones begin to churn and things can get really challenging.  I will share that I've done lots of research since my son's diagnosis and when we've had days I'd read lots of discussions between young adults and older, so I could keep things in perspective and really try to understand the emotional side of this disability.  Hearing a key sense and when we learn that we've lost it, or a part of it, it is like dealing with death - there is a grieving emotion that goes with this and when they hit up against something that is holding them back (for my ds that would be his dreams of being a cop or a soldier) the grieving comes back until they work through the disappointment.  It is so easy for us, with more life experience shall we say, to bounce back from a disappointment but not so easy for the younger crowd.  I'm not sure that I'd call what your dd does as faking in the classroom.  This behavior is more of fitting in and not wanting to seem different from anyone else.  They don't want the other students to think they're receiving some type of special treatment.  And then there are the teachers (and most of the population) that think all is well - you've got those aids and so you hear everything and can keep pace.  Kind of like someone expecting grown up mature behavior from a 12 year old because he's almost 6 ft tall so he must be older, right?  I have found that these particular kids run more on the moody side because they are always one step away from exhaustion from their brains working over time to process so much all the time - something we take for granted.  If they don't wear their aids all the time they get moody.  They get moody if there is just too much stimulation.  It is very hard to find balance some days.  I'll pray that all smooths out for today -

[happycc]

Do they know if here hearing issues will worsen as she ages? I have deaf mentors working with my son and one of them was born hearing a little and as he got older it has decreased. He only hears 80% now without hearing aids and he hates his hearing aids and doesn;t use it. Too much interference and the speech is not clear. 

 

I'd push for ASL as well in her IEP. Learn it as a family. Use it while teaching. Then she has another connection in her brain to make more hooks. 

If Lindamood bell is too expensive IDEACHAIN is possible too. 

 

Even though my son is nonverbal and have not been tested deaf, they are constantly checking his hearing and monitoring it. There are some people whose hearing changes constantly. One minute they can hear and the next minute not so well or at all. They may have tested her on a good day. 

 

He gets another evaluation in a couple of months. 

[ElizabethB]

I would try the things on my how to tutor page or my phonics lessons after first working through lesson 6 of my phonics lesson and the link after it, this shows some of the underlying sounds and how they work, important for a student with underlying hearing problems.

[Crimson Wife]

Thank you for bumping this old thread- it's been very helpful to read :-)