Comments on: Reprise: The Speech Banana

By: Dee Ann Fava

Dee Ann Fava — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:16:40 +0000

Melissa,
A friend linked me to your blog. I’m a former ASL interpreter and teacher at the Atlanta School for the Deaf, now homeschooling my own daughters. Your post was such a blessing to read. I wish you and Wonderboy well! You are so right, ASL is beautiful…and it’s just fun too! Looking forward to reading more…

By: silvermine

silvermine — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:18:09 +0000

Yea, my daughter had so much fluid in her ears that she couldn’t hear anything below 45 decibels as an infant. I knew something was up when she was always surprised when I came in the room….

Thankfully ear tubes cleared it out. I also credit by Very Loud Son for helping her hear noises even during her hard-of-hearing times. I’m really sure he’s one reason she talks so well (about to turn two). He Talks so loud and so piercingly she probably heard him just fine the whole time. (In fact, her first word was his name! So much for Mama…)

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:39:41 +0000

Our third child was diagnosed with severe apraxia when he was two and a quarter. His expressive language was that of a 9mos old but his receptive language was HUGE- testing over 3yo at the time.

His expressive language exploded when he began speech therapy and learned more signs. We were all signing with him. 8 mos later his speech just took off and he began dropping the signs. He has very little memory of the time he spent signing everything he said. He was brilliant at it.

Now my daughter is so anxious to learn it and began last year. She is talented I think. She loves all things Helen Keller. I have to wonder if the deaf culture is in her future somewhere.

Thanks for sharing your Wonderboy’s story!

By: Beck

Beck — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:01:45 +0000

My oldest child was diagnosed with a severe speech disorder at 3, I think, and has spent most of her childhood in speech therapy. She’s had her hearing tested several times, and so far she tests pretty much in the normal range, but she’s due for more testing in the fall.

And then my SECOND child was diagnosed with a minor speech disorder! We’re keeping a close eye – or ear, I guess – on The Baby’s speech development…

By: Activities Coordinator

Activities Coordinator — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:47:48 +0000

My son has auditory processing issues. He too was in speech therapy for years.
Oddly enough, he hears things things well above 0dB. (The audiologist who tested him at six pulled me in and said, “You’ve gotta see this!”) Fire trucks and movie theaters are no fun for him at all. We’ve learned to carry earplugs.

Good thing for him, both his mother and grandmother were speech therapists. (Well, technically, I still am one, but I’ve just got one client!)

Human hearing, like human speech, is such a complex process. It’s amazing any of us can hear or learn to talk at all, isn’t it?

By: Melissa Wiley

Melissa Wiley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:14:15 +0000

Oh yes, he’s getting speech therapy and has been for years. No worries!

By: Prairie Rose

Prairie Rose — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:11:04 +0000

I’m a speech therapist, and work in early intervention with kids birth to three. I too love Signing Time (I love Baby Signing Time even more!) I assume he’s getting speech therapy too but if he’s not, I’d get it as soon as possible. The earlier he starts working on those sounds, the better the prognosis for clear speech.