Hello everybody. My friend Amie referred me here. I'm Tishia and I am a deaf momma to hearing children. That in itself is challenging as a home educator. My son is severely disabled and he goes to a state school for the severe developmentally disabled children because I do not feel capable of doing ABA, OT, ST, PECS, repetitive same sheets daily, etc with him. My daughter has been pushed into ECSE because of her brother being special needs and they're concerned about her language skills. This flies in the face of what I've planned to do from birth for both of them: 100% homeschooling. My long-term educational goal for my daughter is a Christ-centered upbringing and my long term educational goal for my son is to foster independence so that he can take care of himself with minimal assistance when he's an adult. Is there anybody else that has to take a mixed approach to education due to special needs? I feel so conflicted and would love to be able to talk to somebody in similar situation. My husband feels similar conflict and he said he sees using ECSE as a tool for setting our daughter up for a successful home education program with us. He pointed out some homeschoolers use co-ops extensively, some use supplemental classes, and so on. My daughter's preschool teacher (T&Th Montessori learning center based) pointed out that it's not a Christian LIFE that I should seek for my children, it's a solid foundation of a Christian HOME. That's what helped push me towards accepting using the services. I'm hoping that by age 6 for kindergarten, we'll be able to successfully homeschool in despite all the challenges we face. I hope I'll enjoy my time here.
With all you've been through in your life thus far, Wonder-Mom, you can CERTAINLY homeschool your baby girl. I disagree with what her teacher said about Christian life vs. Christian home, but that's neither here nor there. Elijah (son #1) went to preschool three days a week. Then we successfully homeschooled him. I know several other moms here who've pulled their children home after even years in public school. Her success or failure in your home school has little to do with if she went to preschool a few days a week. I've seen what you've posted on FB about the things you're doing when she is home. You are so determined and already doing amazing projects and learning activities with her. And she always looks like she's having a blast! I know it can be scary to think that we'll somehow ruin our children, but consider this: you and your husband have taught her to talk. She's learned to use the potty and other things that require teaching. Teaching her to add and subtract is no different. I'll let someone else chime in here. You know I'm here for you and will help you any way I can.
I'm so used to facebook that it confused me for a minute that I couldn't "like" your reply. Thank you for the affirmation.
Welcome. I'm bothered by hearing that your daughter has been "pushed" into ECSE. I'm assuming that means "Early Childhood Special Education"...? Two questions to start with. You say you are Deaf. Does that mean ASL is your "first" language? Is your husband Deaf, too? If there are no indictors of your daughter having special needs, there is NO REASON AT ALL for her to be in the ECSE class. Why should they be concerned about her language skills? YOU are quite capable of providing a language-filled environment for her, whether it be with ASL or English as a first language. For them to anticipate language problems possibly shows their lack of understanding of Deaf culture/language. What you've typed on here shows an excellent command of the English language. You're obviously an intelligent woman; there's no reason whatsoever for you not to be able to teach your daughter at home. BTW, my name is Jackie. For the record, my background is in Deaf Education, though I've never taught formally in a Deaf classroom. When push came to shove, I ended up going back and getting certified in Orthopedically/Health Handicapped, because that was where the jobs were. I was (am?) a fluent signer of Signed English, and have had several classes in ASL. I was just getting comfortable with it when I was "called out", so to speak. Itt's been a long time using ASL, and like any language, you need to keep at it or you become rusty. I worked several years at the Ohio School for the Deaf as a houseparent. So I've had lots of experience working with children in general, and those with language delays specifically (because so many of my physically handicapped children were non-verbal).
Welcome to the Spot. I would question why your daughter was placed in that program too if she isn't needing it?
Welcome!! I, too, would question why they putting your daughter into a special program "just in case". Actually, I think I would find that a bit offensive, but I tend NOT to trust the ps system anymore. I had a long winded reply here, but I think I'll just leave it at this: If YOU feel that you can give her as good/better education at home than they can, pull her. Period. My biggest regret is that I didn't trust myself sooner.
Welcome! So glad you found us. I can only offer encouragement to find God's will and stay in it. He'll go before you if you need to challenge anything. Rest in his calling, wherever it may be. We are here to support you along your journey.
Yes, that's correct. Yes, ASL/SEE is my first language and my husband is hearing. Therefore, the children are being raised bilingually. My daughter shows a slight tendency of being autistic, but I feel it's just her personality. That she's an introvert rather than an extrovert like the rest of us are. After she warms up to people, she's a chatty little girl. My hearing friends say when they listen in her when she is playing alone, she talks to herself "one two three! ba ba bo bo bu buh! Shaun the sheep no no!" So it seems that she mostly babbles nonsense with the occasional real word thrown in. She still has not talked(voiced) to anyone, not even her own daddy. He has to eavesdrop on her to hear her talking. She prefers to sign, but her signs are very lazy/sloppy so other people not experienced with ASL do not recognize it as communication. I agree with the assessment that we should be concerned that she can't or refuses to try to carry on a conversation with anyone. However, I disagree that it's a learning disability issue. I feel it's more of a personality thing. I won't be surprised when one day she wakes up with a huge vocabulary. :wink: Although I had trepidation about the experience, I have been pleasantly surprised. After the teacher found out I homeschool too, she asked me to share with her what I do with my daughter and she is fitting my curriculum. I am pleased that the week I do letter C and a certain color, she's also going over the same thing at ECSE with her speech therapist. I tried to get her speech services only, but it's a take it all or none of it package. :roll: At age 6, they can start to have only certain therapies at the hospital and such if not on the severely developmentally delayed scale like my son was. My husband and I are giving it 90 days and then reassessing whether it's benefiting our daughter or hindering her trust in her daddy and me as the authority besides the Lord. We are very vigilant to not let the school end up distorting the parents' roles in our son's life. If any of you have one child at school and the other at home, how do you balance it so that they don't end up trusting the teacher's word more than yours? Hi Jackie, nice to meet you. My son's orthopedically health handicapped.
We do plan to pull her if her speech does not vastly improve within 90 days because that is the main reason we accepted their service. So if she's not speaking more by Christmas, she's staying home from then on.
I would agree that it's a personality thing, too. And I could very well see her one day talking with an enourmous vocabulary! It sounds as if your daughter is COMMUNICATING. What would happen if your husband insist on her voicing to him? I assume he signs, too...? As far as autism goes, it's amazing how much Signed English helps non-verbal hearing children with their speech! I actually had a rather heated (on his part) conversation with a Deaf man who taught at Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD). He felt that it was totally wrong for Ohio State University to teach Signed English in its special ed department. I tried to tell him that it's essential for non-verbal hearing students, but I agreed that ASL needs to be taught for the Deaf Ed people. (I'm also one of those (former) teachers that believe the parents aren't total idiots and know more about their children than I do....)
I know plenty who are not! And this particular man is really super-sweet! He was one of my ASL teachers. I once told him he was "wrong" about a sign. It was BAPTIZE. He makes a small cross in the center of the forhead with his "feeler" finger. I grew up in a Baptist church, so the sign I learned reflects immersion. So when he gave HIS sign, I signed WRONG!!! He looked at me, and I repeated that he was WRONG. Then I explained that maybe HIS church baptized (his sign), but MY church BAPTIZED (my sign), lol. He was one of my favorite sign instructors.
I agree. You are Wonder Woman. What a great mom. My sister has two deaf daughters that had to go to the deaf school by the age of three so they could gain skills that would help them such as a solid sign language base. They both went for a couple of years as did their hearing child so she could learn sign. It turned out great. The kids learned many skills fast that my sister would not have known the tricks to get them to this point as quickly. That school knew what they were doing. Now my sis homeschools them all. And with that help in the begining that gave them a good start, I know they are doing better now in homeschool than they would have if she had homeschooled them all along. You are doing awesom. Dont second guess yourself. They will give them a foundation that you can build on with homeschool. They are some of the most Christ based children I know . Yours will be too because you care and teach at home. Good job!
The state school for the deaf or the mainstreamed early education intervention program for deaf children? Nice to meet you, BarbB
