Hearing mother shares blog about his Deaf son: My Deaf Son Fought Speech. Sign Language Let Him Bloom.
NEW YORK CITY -- The hearing mother of a Deaf child has written a blog for The New York Times, "My Deaf Son Fought Speech. Sign Language Let Him Bloom." The writer, Elizabeth Engelman, works at the Family Center on Deafness in Largo, Florida and writes the blog OnDeafness.
I watched my toddler wade into the Gulf and launch a fistful of pebbles in flight. They glistened, tiny sparks of light, before I realized he was up to his chin in cold water. And I realized that if I called his name, if I screamed it, the word would sink like stone.
When Micah turned 2 we had learned that he was profoundly Deaf. In the audiologist’s office, an auditory brain response concluded he couldn’t hear a helicopter. “You’re taking this well,” the doctor had said. But later, as I watched Micah step deeper into the Gulf water, I wanted to rage. I was so angry, I could have torn the beach apart.
We celebrated his third birthday, and the audiologist turned his cochlear implants on for the first time.
I said, “Hi Micah, can you hear mommy?” His hazel eyes widened and he screamed in terror, his body trembling. Shock.
In American Sign Language, the sign for cochlear implant is similar to the sign for vampire. Vampire is signed with two fingers like teeth to the throat. Cochlear implant is signed with two fingers like teeth behind the ears. The audiologist told me not to sign at all. She said sign language was a crutch that would hinder his speech. When he heard my voice for the first time, his cry was guttural, a stab wound. He was bitten by sound.
The audiologist adjusted the pitch and tuned the levels to make a simulation of sound. She called this process mapping, but there were no guideposts to show the way. How do you chart loneliness? How do you trace a landscape of silence and sound between mother and son?
At home, I wrapped my legs around my toddler and pinned him to the carpet in what looked like a wrestling hold as I tried to keep the processors for his implants on his head. He was crying, and I was crying, and I wondered if my actions could be considered abuse.
He refused to wear the $18,000 sound processors, and his defiance was feral: head butts to my face, kicks, bites. The back of his head smacked against my jaw, and for a moment everything went black. The implant surgery alone had cost $50,000. Auditory verbal therapy was out of pocket, the doctors were out of network. What choice did I have but to force him?
Read More at The New York Times.
Featured Post
Do not make the work of Deaf YouVideo content look like your own. Give credit where it is due and requires that articles be based on reliable published sources.
Posts Archive
Most Viewed Last 7 Days
-
Why are annoying Jehovah's Witnesses door knockers so disrespectful to Deaf people, the community around the globe. This blog actuall...
-
The Biblical of Deafness "I Cannot Hear" by John Conrad Ruppel. The Bible verses about " Deafness ." John Ruppel of...
-
This is a short glimpse into the lives of some of Thailand's Deaf working girls in Bangkok. Anyone had experience with Deaf women in...
-
Play Free Creepy and Scary Game: Sinthai's The Halloween. Here comes a brand new scary game from the creator of the popular game The ...
-
Deaf News: Michael Hubbs is a con artist, claims his former pastor who turned atheist. Michael (Mike) Hubbs is a con artist in the Deaf ...
-
Full documentary in the role model of female bodybuilders, Shelley Beattie, ‘Deaf Woman BodyBuilder’ Deaf Mosaic exclusive interview cov...
-
Deaf cats tormented, cruel laboratory experiments and killed in University for the cochlear/hearing implant industry. Warning: Graphic Co...
Most Viewed Last 30 Days
-
Why are annoying Jehovah's Witnesses door knockers so disrespectful to Deaf people, the community around the globe. This blog actuall...
-
The Biblical of Deafness "I Cannot Hear" by John Conrad Ruppel. The Bible verses about " Deafness ." John Ruppel of...
-
Prank and Spank, Annette and Scott Kerr has announced that possibly leaving YouTube. The tubers entertaining Deaf couple Annette and Sco...
-
Parental guidance is advised, The content may contain R-rated material, nudity and profanity not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. ...
-
This is a short glimpse into the lives of some of Thailand's Deaf working girls in Bangkok. Anyone had experience with Deaf women in...
-
Deaf vlogger WonderGent aka James Timothy "Tim" Troutman arrested for possession of child pornography. DALE CITY, Virginia -- A ...
-
An Omaha girl died of bacterial meningitis over the weekend after deteriorating very quickly. OMAHA, Nebraska -- Katie Engle, 7, was a se...
Most Viewed Of All Time
-
An Omaha girl died of bacterial meningitis over the weekend after deteriorating very quickly. OMAHA, Nebraska -- Katie Engle, 7, was a se...
-
The U.S. Winter Olympics Deaf Speedskater, Michael W. Hubbs arrested and mugshot for probation violation in Utah. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah --...
-
Democratic Vice President Joe Biden mocking an ASL interpreter. DANVILLE, Virginia -- Vice President of the United States of America Joe B...
-
Parental guidance is advised, The content may contain R-rated material, nudity and profanity not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. ...
-
Jehovah's Witnesses' ASL version "Stop Masturbating" under fire for misleading signs with facial expressions and body lang...
-
Deaf Protest will be held at the White House in Washington the District of Columbia on Sept. 5th and 6th 2015. WASHINGTON -- President Ob...
-
SportsMX - Kitchen Talk: "The Ugly Truth" Interview With Ricky Taylor. The premiere of Kitchen Talk show from SportsMX . This ...
-
The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump - Marlee Matlin and Gilbert Gottfried were incredibly hilarious performances. NEW YORK CITY -- M...
-
Deaf News: Michael W. Hubbs announced that he was hositpalized by stress symptoms. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Michael (Mike) Hubbs of short...
About This Site
Deaf YouVideo is public web site and a free assessment for everyone. A public web site is a web site that you can use to have a presence on the internet. It is a public facing site to attract customers and partners, and it usually includes increase traffic. Feel free to exploring the online community - Deaf, Hearing-Impairment, Hearing-Loss, Sign Language, News, Events, Societies, Resources, Links, Videos, Vloggers and much more. Be sure to Bookmarks this website.
Submitted content, to whom it may concern of posting on this site: YouPrivacy
Submitted content, to whom it may concern of posting on this site: YouPrivacy
Videos and Channels Powered By YouTube
RSS Feed Content
Deaf YouVideo provided by YouTube, Blogger, Google Feedburner, RSS Feed are a way for websites large and small to distribute their content as well beyond just visitors using browsers. The feed icon feeds permit subscription to regular updates, delivered automatically via a web portal, news reader vlogs or blogs and etc. Submitted content and/or disabled by request consume content and will be immediately removed from Deaf YouVideo. If you see the content appears "error, blank, and feed not support", click home or refresh your browsers.
Copyright © 2020 Deaf YouVideo All Rights Reserved.
Deaf YouVideo. Powered by Blogger.