American Sign Language Resources

If two of my boys weren't deaf, I probably wouldn't have learned sign langauge. Because they are deaf, we have learned sign language to communicate with them. Their cochlear implants may give them access to sound, but my sons are still deaf. Big Kid primarily uses oral/aural communication, but when his CI comes off he relies on lip reading and sign language for communication. T Man can hear with his CI, but communicates better with sign language.

Here are some online tools I've found useful when learning American Sign Langauge:

ASL Dictionaries: http://www.aslpro.com/

Michigan State ASL Browser: http://aslbrowser.commtechlab.msu.edu/browser.htm

Everyday ASL YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/everydayasl

Deaf Missions Lending Library: http://www.deafmissions.com/?PageID=28

Easy Lesson Plans (some free/some $): http://www.lessontutor.com/ltstore1.html

ASL Dictionary of Religious Words: http://valleybible.net/DeafMinistry/ASL_Dictionary/asl_dictionary.php

ASL Style Religious Videos: http://www.aslbible.com/new.html

ASL Hymns (LDS Site): http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17361,7208-1,00.html

28 Songs in Sign Language: http://www.elijah.org/liftuphands/

My list here is something I've used in the past when I taught basic sign language to children, and may be a bit dated. I've also used these sites when trying to learn religious words, to help my son through classes at church. There are many more wonderful sign language sites. If you have more to share with me and others who view this site, please post the links in the comment section of this section. Thank you!

(*Few people comment here, but according to the site stats, this blog is getting hit quite a bit every day, from readers all across the US and many other countries. PLEASE share any other resources that you've found helpful, so we can all use them, too. THANK YOU!)


 

YEAH! AB Naida passed FDA approval!

WOO HOO! To 99% of my Facebook friends, this won't mean much. But this is GREAT NEWS to those of us who need cochlear implants (or in my case a mom of two CI boys)! Big Kid's activation is next Tuesday. This is the latest processor that just passed FDA approval YESTERDAY (been in use in Europe already). I wonder when they'll have it available for him? Hmmm... :)

*****Advanced Bionics Naída CI Q70 Review*****

Advanced Bionics Announces FDA Approval of the Naída CI Q70 Sound Processor

-- The World’s Newest, Most Advanced Behind-the-Ear Sound Processor Receives Regulatory Approval for Commercial Release in the United States--

VALENCIA, Calif., August 28, 2013 – Advanced Bionics (AB), a global leader in cochlear implant technology and a company of the Sonova Group, announced today that the new Naída CI Q70 (Naída CI) sound processor is commercially available in the United States. Earlier this year, the Naída CI processor received regulatory approval for distribution in Europe, Canada and several other countries in the world.

The innovation DNA of AB and Phonak have merged together for the introduction of the world’s newest, most advanced behind-the-ear sound processor. With Naída CI, AB delivers a quantum leap forward in performance and wireless connectivity with a chic, modern instyle™ design. Now cochlear implant recipients have access to the combined technologies of the innovation leaders in cochlear implants and hearing instruments.

 

“While AB is unique in our tireless focus on performance, we also understand that people want to wear beautiful products. With Naída CI, we have delivered a quantum leap forward in performance and wireless connectivity in a small, attractive package”, said Hansjuerg Emch, President of Advanced Bionics and Group Vice President of the Sonova Medical Division where AB resides. “We are especially excited to deliver a world first—the combination of the most advanced cochlear implant technology with state-of-the-art Phonak technology available in hundreds of thousands of hearing instruments. If you use Phonak products and get a cochlear implant from AB, you now have the opportunity to enjoy many of the same Phonak features and accessories.”

 

Naída CI offers a full performance package:
 

*55% improvement in speech understanding in noise1 when AB’s ClearVoice™* technology and the Phonak UltraZoom feature are used together

 

*100% wireless connectivity to consumer electronics with the AccessLine™—streaming from Bluetooth devices, phones, and countless other popular products by leading brands, including Apple, Samsung, and Nokia. A bimodal first, media can be streamed to a compatible Phonak hearing aid and a Naída CI sound processor at the same time!

 

*40% smaller than the previous behind-the-ear sound processor—incredibly lightweight and featuring the industry’s only instyle™ design

 

*Proven AB technology, including ClearVoice, AutoSound™, HiRes Fidelity 120™* and HiRes™ Optima* sound processing

 

*All-new, discreet T-Mic™ 2 microphone

 

*IP57 rating for outstanding water and dust resistance

 

“When I used UltraZoom with my Naída CI processors in the noisy kitchen at work, the voices of my colleagues became so comfortable and understandable. I could follow the conversation very easily,” said Stefan Fredelake, AB recipient and employee. “The UltraZoom feature is really fantastic and will make my life so much easier in many noisy situations, not only in kitchens, but also in restaurants, in trains, and many other challenging listening environments.”

 

For more information about the Naída CI sound processor or Advanced Bionics, contact a local AB representative or visit AdvancedBionics.com.

 

About Advanced Bionics

Advanced Bionics is a global leader in developing the most advanced cochlear implant systems in the world. Founded in 1993 and a subsidiary of the Sonova Group since 2009, AB develops cutting-edge cochlear implant technology that allows recipients to hear their best.

 

AB offers the most sophisticated cochlear implant system on the market, the HiResolution™ Bionic Ear System, with five times more sound resolution than its competitors, designed to help recipients hear in noisy settings and enjoy the full dimensions of music.

 

With sales in over 50 countries and a proven track record for developing high-performing, state-of-the-art products, AB’s talented group of technologists and professionals from all over the world are driven to succeed, work with integrity and stay firmly committed to quality.

 

To learn more about AB and its innovative cochlear implant technology, please visit AdvancedBionics.com.

 

1. Hehrmann P, Fredelake S, Hamacher V, Dyballa K-H, Büchner A. Improved Speech Intelligibility with Cochlear Implants Using State-of-the-Art Noise Reduction Algorithms. Speech Communication; Proceedings of the 10th ITG Symposium, 09/2012.

 

Apple® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.

Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation.

My Son, the Cyborg

When Big Kid was first implanted, I knew very few people who understood what it meant to have a cochlear implant. Fortunately I met some implanted adults and parents of implanted children who could help explain to me what was happening to my child. I also read Michael Chorost's book, Rebuilt. Michael Chorost used the word "cyborg" throughout his book.  At this time my son was already fascinated with robots, and even chose to be a robot for Halloween. My son is a cyborg.

An article by Michael Chorost was published a few months ago,  in which he discusses his use of the word "cyborg" in his books: Why I Walked Away from the Word "Cyborg", Psychology Today, March 19, 2013. His article intrigues me enough to want to read his second book. What stuck out to me most in the article, though, were his thoughts about the changes to his life because of his cochlear implant:

"A few weeks after I went deaf, my audiologist handed me a cochlear implant that had been opened up so that the circuitry was visible. It was shocking. This thing, this circuit board, this maze of chips and wires and resistors, was going to go inside my head. Permanently. That was scary enough, but what was even more intimidating was knowing that it would forever change the way I perceived the world. It wouldn't give me normal hearing. It wouldn't even give me back the poor and partial hearing I’d had since birth. Things would sound completely different in a way that no one could describe to me.

My body was about to change in a way that it hadn't since puberty."

My son faces enough challenges in life with being a military child, constantly moving, changing schools, making new friends. The cochlear implant sticks out on his head, and is an obvious sign to other that he is DIFFERENT.

As a mother, I'd like my son to be "normal" and not stick out from other children as different in any obvious way. With the cochlear implant this is nearly impossible. Over the years, though, I've accepted that there is no true "normal" in life. I've taught each of my sons that we are all quite different from each other, and that some people have differences that are more obvious than others.

Despite Big Kid's longer hair, his second cochlear implant will make it even more obvious that he is different, that he is a "cyborg". He is also a high school student who texts his friends, studies geometry, Arabic and AP History, and is looking forward to swimming in the pool with his new waterproof cochlear implant. There was no parenting manual to help guide me through these unique child rearing challenges. Big Kid will have his second cochlear implant activated in about a month, and we are very excited. ;)

Habilitation Post CI Surgery

Cool! The kiddo gets an implant! Let's video tape the CI activation to share with the world. They're going to hear sound for the first time, right? Well... not quite. I remember both of my boys' first CI activations. The audie started up the computer, sent some sounds out through the computer-CI hook up, and both boys looked as if they hadn't heard a thing. My heart just sunk. Then I remember with Big Kid when the audie pointed out, "Look at his face. When the sound is transmitted, his face turns bright red." WOW, did it EVER! His brain was definitely getting input, just didn't yet know what to do with that input.

Now he's going to get his second cochlear implant, in three short days. About a month or so later his second implant will be activated and hooked up to an external processor, but it will still take time for his second ear to learn how to hear the sound. After activation, I will be driving him up weekly for "ear therapy" and remapping of his CI program as needed. Woo hoo! Three hours of driving for a one our appointment each week (she types sarcastically)!

The point is that the cochlear implant is not a "cure" for deafness. While his ear will be able to access sound through the nifty cochlear implant tool, he is still deaf. To access that sound properly, his ear will have to do tons of ear-aerobics, listening exercises to help his brain understand sound. Big Kid will have his therapy through the implant center, he will wear both implants most of the time, and at other times he will wear only the implant over his newly implanted ear, all in the name of post-implantation habilitation therapy. This process takes time, commitment, consistency, bottom line...a lot of work.

One of my favorite tools I've come across when it comes to sound/word recognition is TumbleBooks. According to the TumbleBooks website: "TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of TumbleBooks – animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you."  Simply put, TumbleBooks presents books read aloud, with the words highlighted as they are read. This service is available to everyone, for a fee, but fortunately free to us through many libraries in the US.

Over the years we've accessed TumbleBooks through local libraries and Army Knowledge Online (AKO), but now can access it through MyArmyOneSource.com. If you are an Army family who would like help accessing this online resource, please send me a note and I'll help you out. Here are some screen captures from TumbleBooks (click on photo for larger view):

 

 

 



Now for a slightly humorous "first sounds" story... When Big Kid was first activated, he freaked out after we started the minivan to head home. Instead of taking off his CI, we turned down the volume right away, then turned it back up gradually on the two hour ride home. Once home he ran to the toilet and laughed hysterically when he heard himself "utilize the facilities" for the first time. We were rolling on the ground laughing, until he flushed the toilet. His mouth dropped open, pure terror on his face, and he screamed and ran out of the room because the sound scared the heck out of him.

On a slightly less embarrassing note, I remember telling him "I love you" for the first time post-CI activation, and realizing that was the first time in over three years he probably heard me say those words. That was nothing to hearing him actually say the words himself some time later. After much work, his implanted ear not only learned what sound was, but now very well understands speech and even music.

Bottom line... The CI is not a cure. Post implantation involves a bunch of work and some frustration, but it's worth it. It's all worth it. Twelve years after his first cochlear implant we can't stop Big Kid from talking...and talking...and talking... I don't know what exactly will happen with his second cochlear implantation, but we are well prepared for the work that comes after surgery. ;)

Cochlear Implant Surgery Video

I just watched a cochlear implant surgery video on YouTube. You might think I'm crazy, since my son's second implant surgery is only five days away. This just seems natural to me. My mother was a nursing instructor when I was growing up. I used to look up anything and everything in the manuals she had lying around the house. Majoring in Biology later in college, I've seen a few more textbooks and have myself done a fair share of dissections (my lab partner was the local PETA chapter President, so I did ALL of our dissections). While the sight of blood still makes me a little weak in the knees, it almost makes me feel better to have visually watched a video like this again. Knocking my son out with general anesthesia bothers me more than the actual surgery.

Not for those with weak stomachs, but here's a link to the video. The video is quite technical, not too graphic, with the physician talking through each step of the surgery. I believe the implant in this video is the same one that my boys already have over their right ears. Big Kid's original internal processor had a slightly different configuration of the processor, with deeper drilling into the skull to embed it in place. The internal part and surgical process have changed enough that I could hardly see any scarring on T-Man's head post surgery, or feel the internal processor under his skin now.

Before each of the surgeries people have asked me questions like, "Will they drill into your son's head?" "Is it brain surgery?" "Where does the implant wire go?" I'd just don't like talking about the actual surgery with other people. I'd rather have someone watch a video, whether an animated video describing what an implant does or a video of an actual surgery. Maybe after the surgery is done I'll be less squeamish when talking about it, probably not.

May God guide the hands of all those involved in my son's upcoming surgery. May he heal well, and someday hear with his left ear. We are thankful for the technology which give our sons access to sound.

Reality Check

It happened. Someone dropped a big ball which would lead to postponing my son's surgery for at least two months. Well, this is actually the second time the ball was dropped, but this time we're out of wiggle room. Did Ticked-Off-Momma-Bear-Me yell at anyone to make something happen? NO. I took a moment to calm down, made a couple more phone calls, was on my nicest, best behavior, and managed a fix.... Hopefully. The young gentleman who has been helping me picked the ball back up and fixed the problem, hopefully.
 

At the end of the conversation we just had he said, "If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to call me." I replied, "Well, thank you, sir, but if you hear from me again, it will be face-to-face because if those documents aren't delivered by tomorrow morning, I'll be picking them up by lunch and hand delivering them myself." That would be a quick VA-Philly-Baltimore-VA trip that I would rather not make.

The cochlear implant is a miracle and the insurance is wonderful, but I am just so TIRED of chasing loose ends every time we move. New schools, doctors, paperwork, files...

One foot in front of the other, breath, repeat with other foot, keep moving forward...

Lessons for the Day: Keep copies of everything, all paperwork, in physical and digital formats. Keep records of people with whom you have spoken on the phone, the number called, the date and time called, and notes of what was said. When papers are being sent, when you are told "it's in the mail", get a tracking number and TRACK the package. When the package hasn't been sent, call back in your nicest, firm voice, armed with all of the notes you've been keeping, and get to the bottom of whatever went wrong. Take more notes.

Video: How a Cochlear Implant Works

My son has a spiel he goes through when telling people about how his cochlear implant works. He's been doing this since he was three, and is very good at answering questions, too. Yes, I'm still hoping he'll post soon, but he's getting ahead on some classwork before his surgery next week.

In the meantime, here's a very nice, short video describing how a cochlear implant works. It doesn't matter how long we've been living with cochlear implants, I am still in awe of how the technology can bring sound to many deaf people.



Maybe I'll just compose a list of questions for my son, to get him ready to talk about his implant. What would I ask him? Hmmm...

Rush Limbaugh

I haven't touched this blog in YEARS. Looking at the stats, though, it's still been getting anywhere from 200 - 800 hits/month. Which words searched generated the most hits on the blog? Anything with: Rush Limbaugh deaf cochlear implant.

Yes, I blogged about Rush Limbaugh getting a cochlear implant. The day before Big Kid's first cochlear implant surgery we were driving home from the hospital and stopped at a grocery store to pick up milk. When I got back into the car my husband said, "You'll never believe this, but Rush Limbaugh just announced on his show that he's going deaf." He was right, I didn't believe him, but it was true. That was in October of 2001. Big Kid was implanted the next day, and Rush Limbaugh was implanted about two months later. And I still haven't met Mr. Limbaugh.

Whether they agree with his views or not, it's still fun telling people that Rush Limbaugh is totally deaf, but still doing his radio show w/use of his cochlear implant. My boys have the same implant. COOL BEANS!

More on Rush Limbaugh's cochlear implant:
     The Haney Project "Rush Limbaugh's Cochlear Implant"
     The Rush Limbaugh Show: Questions on the Host's Hearing
     The Rush Limbaugh Show: The Facts on Rush's Hearing

Oldest son is getting a 2nd CI

Hmmm... My oldest son is getting a second CI, and I'm finally revisiting this lovely old blog of mine. It's been about four years since my last post, and I see posts on the first page that are about seven years old. Yikes! After some lucky guessing, I figured out the passwords to this Google account and am back up and typing away. And I'm just not sure where to start.

Big Kid has had his first cochlear implant for almost 12 years. We've had absolutely no problems with his cochlear implant whatsoever, internal or external parts. Other than using them so much that some physical parts wear down a bit. We've discussed with him the option of getting a second implant for years, and he's finally now going for it. He knows he'll be able to hear better with the second "ear" (after much habilitation). It will also be nice to have another ear to hear with if the first one ever does stop working for whatever reason. We also now have the insurance to cover the surgery, while my husband is still on active duty in the Army. These are just a few of the considerations that we have discussed when thinking about a second cochlear implant.

Big Kid also wants to hear while he's in the pool, so he's been looking at and thinking hard about the Neptune processor. He would go for one Neptune processor and then hopefully hold onto a certificate for a second processor later. As an adult, I'm not too sure that's what I would lean towards, as I see some other huge advances coming with the AB processors, and I would probably choose two of the new ones, but this isn't solely my decision. My boy is now a teenager and wants to hear what the other kids are saying at the pool, go to a water park and be able to hear, so he very much likes what the Neptune has to offer.

The process is moving along quite quickly for us, and his surgery is now only nine days away. Looking back through my posts (I started with the oldest posts and read through most of them in the past couple days), I was reminded that after his first surgery it was almost a week before his balance improved enough for him to walk around again. Big Kid's balance is definitely an issue, with his inner ear malformations and whatever other issues he has. We have to be prepared that this may be a problem after this next surgery.

Big Kid also understands that once his second CI is activated, it will take a lot of work for his ear to really understand what it will be hearing. I know Big Kid is a great boy, willing to work hard when necessary, but reality is that he's also a teenager. I'm not sure what to expect.

How's he doing otherwise? He's had his first implant for almost 12 years. We are an Army family and move quite a bit. He's lived in 8 homes and is in his 11th school. Last year as a freshman in high school, he was fully mainstreamed w/o even an FM system and received all As and Bs, with mostly advanced classes. He received a B in Arabic, and I am not kidding about that. The class would use computers for part of the class. The headphones he used rested easily over his t-mic, giving him great access to the sound. Big Kid tested out of speech therapy in fourth grade. As for the FM system he's used in the past years, he chose not to use it this year at all. I don't know if it's because he was self-conscious about using it or not, but as long as he kept up with his classes, I supported his decision.

On the other end of the spectrum is my youngest son, T-Man. He is now in fourth grade, using his CI, but still prefers to communicate mostly through sign language. T-Man is deaf but also has some additional challenges. His receptive language with his CI is pretty good, but he is not good with his expressive language, and doesn't use much speech at all. His speech is still improving small bit by small bit, and we keep working on it. In my book, though, any and all communication is great.

My two boys have the same medical diagnosis for deafness, and both of their CIs are helpful to them, but they are each very unique in their own skills and abilities. Their cochlear implants are not a "cure" for their deafness, but definitely a tool that helps them to access sound. Our whole family continues to use and learn more sign language, too.

I'll post more later, especially re: the upcoming surgery, activation and habilitation. Big Kid has also said he wouldn't mind posting in the future, too. ;)

Whew! Update...

It's been a long while since my last post. My husband is in the Army, was in a unit that deployed to Afghanistan. To say our last couple of years was busy would be a huge understatement. I think we moved just after my last post, and moved again a few months ago. Whew! Matthew is now 11 and in his 9TH SCHOOL (I know, can you believe it?), fully mainstreamed in 6th grade and doing real well. Joshua is now 6, and in the first grade at a school for deaf children. He has been diagnosed with additional disabilities, and while he does get use of his cochlear implant, his main form of communication is with sign language. It's amazing how each child has the exact medical diagnosis (Pendred Syndrome: Mondini Dysplasia, Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct, Hypothyroidism), but they are also so very different from one another in their skills and abilities. As I've always said, "What works for one child may not work for the next."

Unfortunately, we've seen some poor educational support in the last couple of years. It took the school district over a year and a half to get FM Systems (read: assistive technology) to use in school. Before this district, Matthew had used an FM in three other schools/districts, and of course that was written into his IEP. I won't go into detail what all happened when I was wrestling with the school district, but it really helped to find a lawyer who could help. Fortunately only had to drop his name, and the FM systems were ordered that week. While Matthew did very well w/o the FM system for OVER A YEAR, his teachers noticed a huge improvement in his comprehension and attentiveness in school once he had one (no kidding, really?). Joshua's discernment had greatly improved, too.

Joshua has the need for additional OT, PT and speech classes. The last district didn't have OT (so he tested out of it, of course), and spotty PT and speech. Fortunately, the program he is in now at a school for deaf children has ALL of those on staff. I was almost in tears, okay, I cried at his IEP meeting when I heard all of the support he would have at his school. We're still an Army Family, and I know that very well means we may move again. I try not to think about that, because I fear ever going back to a district like the one we just left.

Well, I'll post more. It feels good to be doing this again. Right now I'm headed toward a very large, fresh cup of coffee. One boy is already on the way to school, and two more need to get up. ;)

Seminars for Parents of Children with Cochlear Implants

I just posted about The Listening Room and Hearing Journey, but wanted to add a link to GREAT online courses for all types of folks associated with cochlear implants.

The Bionic Ear Association offers live and recorded web classes for professionals who work with cochlear implant recipients, adult CI users, as well as parents of CI children. You can find a schedule of live classes, as well as a list of recorded presentations here. I've personally been soaking up all the classes I can that are related to the Listening for Littles program.

I have three boys, two deaf with cochlear implants. I am SO THANKFUL for all of the resources I've found through the internet! There is much more information available to us since our first son was diagnosed deaf almost seven years ago. ;)

The LISTENING ROOM!

I THINK I've blogged about this before, but if so I feel the need to share again. I am finding GREAT resources for both of my CI boys at The Listening Room! My CI boys are now 4 and 8, with very different oral and auditory skills, but I find the activities from the Listening Room to be great for both of them. There will be additional resources added for Teens and Adults soon, too!

"A web resource full of (re)habilitation activities and ideas to support the development of listening and language skills in children, adolescents and adults."

The Listening Room is part of Hearing Journey.

"If you or a loved one is on a journey to find the best possible hearing, you have found an online community of fellow travelers who are on the same journey. A journey filled with hope and exciting possibilities for a brighter hearing future. You'll find lively discussions, new friendships, and reliable information on the latest in cochlear implant technology here. Wherever you are in your hearing journey, we warmly welcome you. Come on in!"

These are a couple of sites I'm really enjoying, just had to share them with you. Enjoy! ;)

Auditory Skills Practice!

I have just discovered that our library subscribes to TumbleBooks, a virtual online library of books and games for young readers! While it's $29.95/year for a family to subscribe to this service, if you Google "TumbleBooks" you will find links to many libraries that have already subscribed to the service, offering it to you through them. Here are two places to find TumbleBooks:

North Greenville Public Library (also has links to kids' eBooks, cool sites and more online games)

Contra Costa County Library (again, a bunch of OTHER cool links as well)

FUN!

When going through the Story Books, I've found them well illustrated, and the words highlighted as they are spoken. I'm sure my 6 year old "hearing" child will love these books, but I'm also hoping the highlighted spoken words will help my 8 year old son w/CI improve his auditory skills and literacy by following along with the stories. ;)

OOOOH! Just found another good resource:

Starfall, "Where children have fun learning to read!" Good phonics/auditory skills practice, too.

Enjoy!

Have ya heard about the new Harmony?????

My boys don't have the new Advanced Bionics Harmony BTE processors yet, but I've been keeping my eyes open, looking for experiences others have to share w/the new technology. Here's some of what I've found:

Michael Royer's video on YouTube (video is a little shaky): "A brief look into my hearing loss and using the Harmony processor."

Michael Royer's Blog: Where he shares more of his experiences.

The Bionic Sound Project: "Twenty-something female from the united states. lives and breathes for music and sound. profoundly deaf since birth. unknown cause of deafness. bilateral hearing loss between 95-110 dB. type of hearing loss is sensorineural. loss identified at 2 months old, fitted with hearing aids at 4 months old. mainstreamed entire life. learned sign at age 17. tried for FDA trial in 1997, missed cutoff by 1% due to doing too well. has gone through the evaluation process at least 4 times, and got scared. finally took the plunge and implanted july 2006." Blog.

A Music Lover's CI Journey Very neat reading.

Other CI stuff:

What a CI Is, How it Works: Great little video, great info.

Tehya's Activation: "The day that we had been waiting for - FINALLY! We were all very excited during the session and were thrilled that Tehya had the reaction she did." Video.

Jodi Speaks Her Mind: A blog that includes info on how her implanted daughter is doing. I love my boys, but this little girl is so cute!

Cochlear Animation: VERY neat video clip.

Bionic Ear Buddy with CI Equipment

Yes! You, too, can be the proud owner of an implanted little monkey! Click here for more info...

We received one of these when Little Guy was implanted, but I'm thinking about getting another. Believe it or not, in my very chaotic home, we have yet to loose Bionic Buddy's processors. Not yet, anyway. ;)

Devon on Young and Restless gets his Cochlear Implant Activated!

Oh, my gosh. I was going to wait and post later, but I'm watching the CI activation on The Young and Restless right now, and I'm in tears. Goosebumps. Totally.

I'm taping the show on my computer right now (Yeah for TV tuner Bday present!). I don't know how to post what I tape, but I can figure it out and I will post the activation scenes later. Wow. How VERY COOL!

Yeah! Here they are! Hey, sorry for the poor video quality, best this tired mom could do. AND if the closed captioning bothers you, just think about how frustrating it would be if you RELIED on the captioning. I included the captioning for a reason. ;)

Online Sign Language Lessons

I've had some friends say they want to learn sign language. That's COOL! Here are some online sites that will help them, and you if you're interested, too.

Handspeak: "Handspeak™ is a subscription-based website, consisting of American Sign Language (ASL) online dictionary, lessons and resources, including Baby Sign, International Sign Language, Emoticon + Bodicon (facial expression + body language), gestures, manual alphabet (fingerspelling) and numeral, Sign stories and arts."

American Sign Language Browser: video clips of signs

ASL Pro

Lesson Tutor: pictures of signs, words and more

Signing Online: "We offer web-based courses, designed to effectively teach you American Sign Language (ASL) at your own pace from anywhere in the world. The courses focus on conversational ASL and make extensive use of digital video to demonstrate the visual nature of signing. The courses are perfect for anyone wanting to learning ASL. State Board Approved Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available to educators and Continuing Education (CEs) contact hours are available for nurses."

If you are learning sign for your job, or taking a course at school, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the fee-based sites. They may be a great way to supplement what you are already learning.

While we DO sign in our house, we are also very consistent with helping our children increase their auditory and oral skills, too. I will try to post some sites and programs I've found helpful in that area, as well. ;)

My "Head Shot"

This is just an example of what I do when bored, putzing around with my Photoshop CS2. ;)

I got the idea from the book cover in the previous post. My oldest son has the CII internal part, but my youngest son has the 90K. The 90K lays much flatter in his head. The surgery for this one took less time, only had a tiny bit of his hair removed, and left a much less visible scar than the procedure with the CII. Both boys are using Hi-Res programming with their processors.

This pic only took a few minutes, really. I haven't had much time to mess around on the computer lately, but wanted to get my idea down. I have a few more ideas, should probably sketch them out before I forget them.

Four Minute Video About Cochlear Implants

HOW COOL IS THIS?????

Michael Chorost wrote the book Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human. BTW, VERY interesting book.

But NOW on his website, he has recently blogged about a video he's in:

Anyway, here’s a cool video the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, made about cochlear implants, starring yours truly. It went up a few weeks ago and I only had a chance to watch it just now.

Before you click "play" to watch the video, to the right you'll find links to other great videos and information. Once you DO choose to watch the video, there will be links on the right to watch it with subtitles, or to download the video and transcript.

Enjoy! ;)

Using the FM and Closed Captioning for Movies

This is the FM transmitter set up next to the TV's speakers.
Normally the teacher wears this part at school.

This is the tiny, wireless FM receiver hooked up to Matt's CI.
Very small and convenient.

We have two Phonak Microlink FM sets for the boys to use in conjunction with their cochlear implants. I'm a firm believer that this is one of the most significant reasons Matt is doing so well in mainstreamed education right now.

Right now Matt and Chris are watching X-Men 3: The Last Stand, and his FM is helping him with that, too. He's told me that he understands what is being said on TV, but when there is background noise (thanks to his wonderful brothers), I know he has more difficulties with hearing what is actually said. So tonight I've put the FM transmitter microphone next to the TV speakers AND set up subtitles for the movie as well. He LOVES this now and wants it for ALL movies! He's had his CI for over five years and his FM system for two years now. Why haven't I done this in the past?

FYI, the subtitles in this movie are more accurate than the closed captioning type. Don't ask me why, I don't understand. I played both at the same time and found out that the closed captioning type seemed to lag behind the subtitle print, leaving a gap between hearing the words and reading them. Matt didn't like this, he found it confusing to hear and read the text at different times (no duh, eh?).

I am love, love, LOVING the CI/FM combo. Now if only the good doc had implanted a LISTENING CHIP in to my son's head, then we'd truly be in bliss. Matt can hear well, but as most normal boys, he still doesn't "listen" to me. Especially when I ask him to walk the dog.

HA! I just had a sarcastically funny MOM thought. Maybe some nice engineer could program the processor to send a signal when I'm speaking to Matt and he's not responding, "Matt, your mother is talking to you. We KNOW you can hear her now. Please pay attention." ;)