Let's play pretend. You have a beautiful new baby. You are thrilled and excited! Your new beautiful baby fails her infant hearing screening but they don't seem super concerned. Babies frequently fail because of the flailed present during delivery, they say. Bring her back to the hospital in a few days and they are sure she'll pass. You go on your marry innocent way. She fails the follow up screening, 3 times. After that they cut you off because it's a mandated sedated hearing test after 4 fails. Suddenly people aren't saying it might be a fluke anymore. They CT her ears and based on the fact that nothing in her ear is as it should be they stop being coy. They tell you your' beautiful new daughter is probably profoundly deaf. You try and make it sound OK. After all you have been around deaf people before. Several of your family members sign (OK I know, I know, this is really specific pretend. Go with it) and you even know a little yourself. You imagine the "fun" stuff like picking out hearing aids and glittery ear molds. Then some good news! She isn't profoundly deaf, just moderately. Still means hearing aids so you make the best of it and pick out the sparkliest ear mold you can.
Years go by and you child doesn't really talk. She yells, and vocalizes and such but no real words other than "no, daddin, mom and bebe". Then something changes. She goes profoundly deaf for no explainable reason. The doctors each give you their opinions and then say "let us know what you decide". You agonize over your choices. Continue with current treatment or change things up? You were fine with deafness remember, you decided 4 years ago? You'll just learn to sign and she'll be fine. But you found out about an option called a cochlear implant. It could make it possible for her to talk. She would hear you. Actually hear your words and would hopefully in turn speak. Does that mean deaf is bad? Does it mean no sign language or that ASL is bad? Does that mean I think something is wrong with her? What would you do?
2 comments:
I would do what you did. Learn sign language and help her be the best person with as many options as I could.
And then...when stupid people stood in my baby's way from being the best little person she could be with all of technologies privileges, I would dream of those same stupid, horrible people living the rest of their lives suffering miserably. Because that's what they would deserve for trying to stand in the way of my baby being awesome.
I really wish you could "like" comments on here.
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