How to judge improvement...

We ourselves don't realise the improvements we (or in our case - our daughter) makes. We sometimes notice on the spot that her pronounciation is correct after repeating words, but sometimes we have to stop and realise that the word she just said is correct... where a week ago she would not be able to pronounce it....

A couple of days ago, I put on a tape of Lotte from 1½ year ago and my wife and me could not believe the difference.!!!
At that time she had the CI for 7 months and she was doing well, but compared to now... it's just amazing. There she would make sounds. Lots of them, but often not recognisable. Now, she is great at repeating words...

It's good to have your own tests.. Like we have her sing a little song now and then, and catch it on videotape, and compare it with the last time we did it.... and the first time.
This gives a good idea of the progres, and the progres is really there.... it's just difficult to capture it.. Video is GREAT!!

Communication

Little update..

Yesterday we were at a museum with an excellent playground.
Lotte wanted to go straight in, so that was fine. She quickly picked up a little friend who she guided through the maze. They had great fun. It was one of the first times we would see her spontanious interact with children that do not use sign. Being in the hearing pre-school/kindergarten, she is more used to making contact with these kids. It's great to see.

When the girl had to leave, Lotte even had a conversation with the mother of the child. It was great to see the selfconfidence of Lotte.
The exposure to hearing-only environment is showing now.
Decisions we make regarding her upbringing are allways made with the correct "gut"-feeling but even so it's allways good to see the effects.
It's sometimes difficult because like with all major changes in children, it gets a bit worse before it turns around and almost explodes into good..

Yes !!!!!

2005-08 to 11 (August, October and November)

2005-08 (August)
Another update on our CI-borg.
In july my wife went with the kids to The Netherlands, I joined a week later - someone had to work - and we spend two weeks with good friends in a house in the south of Holland. (OK, not Holland, The Netherlands...)

For Lotte this meant 3 to 4 weeks with only Dutch language around her. Most people don't know sign, so she was submerged in language.
She did great. Learning to say all the names and much more.
I think she made a mental change as well. I really clicked now. She sees the connection between words and actions, objects etc. It's great to watch.

One thing to mention.. she whispers. It's so great that when we start whispering to her, she lowers her voice as well. And of course, being the sceptic engineer I put my hand in front of my mouth just to make sure she wouldn't read my lips, but no problem, she understood it all. It's such a "miracle" and we're with her on the stage witnessing it. WOW.

A couple of days ago, I thought that whispering might be something unknow to deaf people. How is that. Obviously, when becoming deaf at later age, whispering is known, but how is that for HOH or deaf people? Whispering to someone with a HA seems pointless to me.
(AllDeaf)

2005-10 (October)
Email to the hospital, before the 1-year control..
Heisann!

Siden vi skal til deg neste uke, tenkte jeg det at det var hensiktsfullt å sende deg en liste over ting som Lotte kan, slik at du er noe informert på forhånd. Det går i stormfullt tempo, hun later til å forstå både Norsk og Nederlandsk like bra.

Lotte
- bruker det verbale språket mer og mer, også uten tegn
- prater absolutt hele veien
- bruker 2-ordssetninger (det har kommet en 3-ordssetning én gang)
- roper: "Mamma, hvor er du?" på nederlandsk
- sier tydelig "schoenen aan" og "jas aan" (ta på sko, ta på jakke), når vi skal ut av døra
- forstår veldig mye uten tegn
- "Skal mamma hjelpe deg?" "Nei, Jelle hjelpe!" (Jelle er storebroren)
- leser bokstavene S, A, O, M, U, I
- Hermer etter vokalene
- hermer etter Bibi, Baba, Bobo, Bebe
- lar seg trøste med sang når hun gråter
- hermer egentlig etter alt mulig. Morsomt! Hun har en helt egen drivkraft til å ville kunne
- kjenner igjen pappa sin stemme i telefonen når den er satt på høytaler (Når dette skjedde hadde pappa vært i nordsjøen i over en uke)

Enda et lite eksempel på hvordan hun hører:
Jeg kjørte bilen mens Lotte satt i baksetet. Jeg snakket til henne og hun plukket opp ord og hermet mens musikken sto på!

Vi gleder oss til å treffe dere igjen. Får Lotte forresten de nye prosessorene nå?
Hilsen,

2005-11 (November)
Email to CI-team after 1-year control
Vi erfarer atter en gang at Lotte hører enda bedre etter vi har vært hos dere. Mikrofonene fester vi som før på skuldrene. Vi har prøvd på forskjellige måter i fire dager å henge dem på ørene, men ørene er rett og slett for myke, og mikrofonene faller av hele tiden, til og med Lotte ble frustrert. Så går hun rundt og tygger på de forskjellige delene, og vi leter etter spolene gjennom hele huset.... Ikke bra, altså. Hun er fortsatt for liten. Funker heller ikke med batteriene på ryggen. Aner ikke hvorfor dett fungerer hos andre, men ikke hos henne.
Nå har vi fått to lange ledninger igjen fra Jörgen og er de festet på "gammelt" vis, og alle er fornøyd.
Det kom noen tre-ordssetninger denne uken, på nederlandsk sa hun "Mamma blir her!", for jeg skulle ikke være med på biltur. Ellers så hermer hun etter absolutt alt hele tiden, og begynner å synge(!) med på noen sanger som hun kjenner godt fra før, fordi vi har "sunget" dem på tegn ved leggetid........

Visitors