So, It has been a whole year (and a bit) now since Isobel had her implant and was switched on! What a difference it has made to our lives. We were told today by her therapist that she has almost completed all of her auditory goals. That means that she has almost finished 'learning to listen' and will be 'listening to learn'. Amazing! This doesn't mean that's the end of AVT, not by a long shot! We still have quite a way to go with speech and language development. Naturally these are the more challenging to develop, however, like the trooper she is, she is doing well here also. We had parent-teacher conferences at her school this week, as always, a little nerve wracking. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being on the other side of those. I needn't have worried though, the teachers had great things to say... '... I love her enthusiasm...' '... her strengths are in phonics...' '... I forget she's deaf...' '... she's so caring...' '... she follows the routines well...' A far cry from the angry, clingy, anti-social little girl beginning school 2 years ago. Both girls enjoy reading and especially love story time with Daddy. It's quite an interactive experience, with Isobel listening and repeating. Of course Estella won't be left out of the mix and likes to join in the 'therapy'.
With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, I have been doing a lot of reflecting. I have been looking through old photographs and getting very nostalgic. Whilst looking at pictures of Isobel before she was diagnosed, I noticed there are so few of her really smiling. The guilt of not realising she was deaf still gets to me, thinking she was just a naughty, angry child. The sadness of finding out she was deaf, my perfect little baby girl was maybe not so perfect. The challenges we went through, fitting hearing aids, putting her through surgery, second guessing our decisions so many times it was fifth or sixth guessing. Advocating for her with friends, teachers and doctors. Making sure we were in the right place, with the right team, to give her the best chance that she could possibly have. This journey we are on is tough, it tires us out. I have never spent so much time thinking about the English language. How we say things and reinforcing right language whilst still trying to give a natural speech rhythm and not. say. each. word. slow. and. deliberate. Because that's not how we speak! But now I look at her and she beams at me, full on cheesy grins. She goofs around and finds herself hysterical! She has friends! She looks out for them, takes care of them when they're hurt or sad. She has a special relationship with her sister - all be it, love one minute, drive crazy the next. We can chat together, she tells us about her day, we laugh, we joke, we have fun! We still have a way to go, but Isobel's most recent speech and language tests have come back with great results. She'll be finishing Preschool next week and moving on up to Junior Kindergarten! So, here's to the journey so far!
The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and we only have about 4 weeks left of school. How time is flying by! Life seems to be just full of fun right now. Isobel is loving school and it is so great to have conversations with her about her day. When I think back to the beginning of the year, we would get two or three words about her day, now we get so much information. Not just about her day either, we know who hurt them self, who got into trouble, who she played with, as well as some of the activities she has been doing. Just this morning she told me she was making a bird in her art class.
Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance
We believe she is really lucky to be here with the wonderful opportunities she has. This past month alone, she has had a Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance, Crazy dress up days, a Sports Day, not to mention going to different plays, music concerts and art exhibitions.
She is talking so much and her confidence is growing rapidly. She is no longer afraid to ask what is that, in fact, she will hound you until you have completely explained it to her. Her speech is becoming clearer, to the point that people who don't see or speak to her often can understand her. She is also beginning to enter into and over hear conversations. This is quite significant as this requires her to be passively listening, that is, listening when she is not the direct recipient of the information. It's a great development. It is a relief to know that the choice to go ahead with the cochlear implant was the right one. Looking at the Sports Day video, it's also good to know that her hearing loss doesn't seem to have affected her balance at all.
The two girls together are flourishing, growing so fast, learning so much from each other (good and bad). We enjoy watching their interactions and how they are developing. It is so important for them, being in this international environment, friends will come and go in schools like this, but sisters, I hope, will always be there for each other. Even if it is to outshine one another with an impromptu performance whilst walking the mountain behind our school.
Sisters, there were never such devoted sisters....
Yet again, it's been a while since the last blog, time just keeps getting away from us. We're all ticking along days, rolling into weeks, then months, and before we know it, we'll be into the summer holidays. Isobel is going from strength to strength, great school reports, calmer and more mature behaviour and according to her music teacher - singing in tune. This singing is quite amazing to us, as both of her hearing parents can't really do this!
As I have said so many times, she is such a happy, smiley child these days. She is really understanding humour right now, I love the sound of her laughter, it is so infectious! AVT continues, we're looking at where people come from, where they live, introducing new vocabulary such as sports. Learning -ing words and playing lots and lots of 'Go Fish!' Here Isobel and Estella talk with Daddy about different countries they know and the people that might live or come from there.
Here Isobel is learning about different types of sports, asking for specific sports and using -ing verbs. (If you have the volume up loud enough, you'll hear a supportive 'Good Job' from Estella!)
On my last blog, I posted a video about the inspirational Long brothers. This time I've drawn inspiration from Rachel Coleman, founder of Signing Time. This video was posted on the Parents of Children who are Deaf or HOH group. It's an amazing story and reflection of discovering her child was deaf at 1 year old and how life changed because of it. She's the kind of Mum I hope to be like, when I grow up!
We had a wonderful Christmas holiday visiting Disneyland Hong Kong. Anyone who knows Isobel, knows just how much she adores Disney Princesses right now, and wants to be one. She loves to dress up and whirl around the lounge dressed as Belle, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.
We easily managed to fill 2 days at the park and also had a character lunch - great food, and a guaranteed photo with Mickey! I have to confess I was a little nervous about how Isobel would do at the park, there are pretty long noisy queues and lots going on to stimulate the senses. I just couldn't be sure how well she was going to cope and how I was going to try and control some of those situations.
Lucky for us, Disney had it all figured out. On our first day at the park, we stopped by Guest Services to see what could be done about getting seats for the shows so that Isobel could hear and see them properly. We sat her up on the counter and explained that she wore a cochlear implant and that she would find it difficult to appreciate the shows if she were off to the side or too far back. To our surprise, the very nice 'cast member' filled us out an 'accessibility' pass - yep, the one that also allows to to bypass the queues. It doesn't get you straight on the ride, but it significantly reduces the wait time.
We were not expecting this pass at all, but totally loved using it! Because we didn't have to queue for hours to get on rides, we were able to get photos and autographs with the Princesses, which of course Isobel just loved. She had an absolutely fantastic time, and not a melt down in sight, she coped remarkably well.
The New Year flew by with Estella's 3rd birthday and travelling back to Korea. School resumed, Isobel turned 5 and we celebrated with, of course, a Princess and Knights themed Party. Busy is an understatement!
Now all that is over, a calm moment to reflect on events from the past year, and look to what 2013 will bring.
All parents know, and will tell you, that their children are amazing, but I have to say Isobel amazes me. She is not a perfect child by any means and we still have some really tough days and unpleasant parenting to dish out, but there is something that she shows me each day that amazes me. She has worked so hard this last year, quite possibly without even realising it, this is taken from her Auditory Verbal progress report.
...In this approach (AV) the child is taught developmentally and all teaching is done through audition alone. The child’s hearing age is taken into account when setting goals and the child progresses through all developmental milestones in audition, speech and language. Isobel began at the beginning, with goals set that are typical for a child less than one year of age even though she was nearly four years old. She has progressed nicely since receiving her hearing devices and has gained approximately three years growth in only 14 months...
...She entered school with no language and now speaks in short phrases. She is less frustrated at home and communicates verbally rather than non-verbally. She can, for the first time in her life, talk to her parents about events and friends at school.
On our way to school this morning, she skipped along holding my hand, and recited the whole of 'No More Monkey's Jumping on the Bed'. Nick and I haven't taught her that particular song. The cool thing about this is that Estella taught her that one. I'm looking forward to 2013 bringing more of these experiences where two sisters can learn from each other and grow together.
I'd like to think that they'll be there for one another in the future as this truly inspirational boy is there for his brother.
