Lotte.. Signing & speaking.. 2005. 12 months hearing.

Cleaning up my harddisks I found this one.

It's a long one, and she uses Norewegian signs.. (Some of them similar with ASL)

So.. Here it is...

04:12 "Er is geen speld tussen te krijgen." - "Zeg eens "Monoloog"

Lotte in English, Dutch and Norwegian...

During the evening meal, Lotte showed us her English skills....
Couldn't let that moment pass and taped it.. (btw.. how do you tape it with a mobile phone..)
As a proud dad.. wanting to show off her skills, I asked her to do it in Dutch & Norwegian as well..

It's great to see how she mentally has to switch to another language. Her English is new of course. Also the way the melody changes between Dutch and Norwegian is great.... She's got an ear for languages... just like her mother....

Lotte presenting her classmates....

Lotte was allowed to present / introduce her classmates....

Waiting to start

This video quite long, shaky and nothing happens. It's while waiting fo all the kids to enter the stage and sit down. Lotte is comfortably waiting to start..

 First introduction 
Clipped away a bit of waiting at the beginning... 

 Second introduction  

 Third Introduction

Wake-up call

A few days ago, while sitting at the kitchen table after school, Lotte put up a grave face and began to tell, "Mummy, today at school we learned about [......]". We could'nt understand the last word. Asked her to repeat it. "We learned about [.......] in the park behind our house. You have to stay on the path. If the children do not stay on the path and go walking in the woods, they can get killed".

?

Bombs. The [...] word was 'bombs'. This is one of those moments where as a parent you have to think FAST. Luckily, having read the newspaper the day before, we remembered suddenly that there was going to be huge campaign in Norway for land mine victims in Cambodia a few days later. We were able to explain to Lotte that this was in a different country, that there was no need for her to be afraid. At first she didn't believe us, because this was told at school! The ultimate truth...... But after a bit of persuasiveness it seemed like the best option to believe us. We also took contact with the teacher and explained what had happened.

This is a perpect example of how Lotte gives meaning to the parts and pieces of spoken language which she is able to pick up. It is like this giant puzzle with holes in it, where she needs to fill in the gaps in order for her to give meaning to the story. Needless to say, this is not always on par with reality. Even though we know this, we let ourselves get fooled again and again, because Lotte is excellent at hiding that she has not understood. No matter how well Lotte is doing, stories like these are essential to make us understand that we have to stay aware of this, and pay attention.

Imagine what this idea about bombs in our neighborhood could have meant for Lotte, if it had been allowed to develop in her head over time. Ever so glad she is the gabby, talkative type and wears her heart on her sleeve!!

Homework...

Yesterday a great moment..
Lotte needed to finish some homework; writing down 30 (Norwegian) words that they have been using the last 3 weeks. We say them out loud, she needs to listen to them, and then write them down.
Lotte's mother is in Holland, visiting grandma...
Just before we started the homework, I thought to let Lotte talk to her mother via Google-Chat-Video....

This means OK image with bad sound from the Acer mini-laptop. (Aspire-One)
But Lotte seemed to have no problems with understanding the other side, and before we knew it, her mother was saying the words, and Lotte wrote them down on the computer in the chat-line......
This was so wonderful.... Some of the words are pretty close - sound-wise - but Lotte understood them well.. in fact.. she made only one mistake....

Imagine.... our deaf daughter here in Norway, listening to her mother who's in Holland saying the words she needs to write down, and then Lotte listning, then writing them on the computer in Norway... being displayed in Holland.
Who could have thought that 10 years ago....
All this technology helping Lotte to make the best of the possibilities life has to offer....

For the teachers out there... :-)

http://www.medicine.iu.edu/documents/Otolaryngology/Medel.pdf

FM equipment..

We're going to experiment with Lotte's FM equipment.
We have had it for a while, but since she didn't have problems in the classroom, we decided to wait a bit... That's.. until now. Time to experiment.

On my search for some explanations about the equipment I came across this webside..

Nice site to give an idea about using FM in a classroom with noise.
Have a try... . Adjust the parameters. For example - distance to the teacher... and the noise. Then turn on the FM-equipment.... 

Impressive demo... Not sure how real the situation is... perhaps readers that have CI and use FM may confirm that it's a good demonstration....

p.s.
Some linke (Thanks Dan..)
Acoustics: http://www.lenardaudio.com/education/04_acoustics.html
Info: http://www.babyhearing.org/HearingAmplification/AidChoices/FMSystem.asp
Question: http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ab-deafness&tid=4918
Acoustics in classroom: http://asa.aip.org/classroom/booklet.html

Hearing and speaking....

Wonderful "happening" this morning..
Woke up late, and were listening to Lotte playing with Lego outside our bedroom. Lotte would have been up since 7:30, and she comes to us to have the batteries (rechargeable) put in her processors and have the pouches pinned on her clothes.
So... listening we were wondering if she had a friend with her, since she was engaged in role-play. There was definitely an alternate voice, and it sounded like one of her friends from down the road was with her.. So, Lotte's mum got up, dressed and had a look, only to find Lotte engaged in a wonderful play.. just by herself.

Many times, people will talk about how CI would sound completely different compared to normal hearing... and fine, who can argue with that, except that here's a girl that is doing two different characters, in two different voices, communicating in a make-believe conversation...
Pretty amazing, and far, far away from the simulations you can find on the net.
The mind is an amazing tool, and apparently is able to discriminate sounds very well... even with "only" 22 or 24 electrodes..

Surprise.

Well, Lotte finally had her first session with the new speech therapist.

2 years ago.... this was a huge problem. Lotte refused to cooperate with the new person in the kindergarten, and we had to sit in in order to have some progress. Took about 4 months for her to soften to her.

This time... Bliss.... No problemo.

Lotte was totally at ease, chatting away, had lots to tell....

She amazed the therapist, and her mother as well, with her speech. Yes, also her mother. She was there and realised how much Lotte had developed her Norwegian. (For those just checking in.. at home we use Dutch, but obviously, at school, the children are immersed in Norwegian)

We normally don't notice, and even so, the changes are from day to day. Quite subtile, until one is confronted with it.

Games were played, and when Lotte needed to count something, she counted in English.. Another surprise for the therapist.. She asked if Lotte knew any English songs... - No problem.

It went very well, exceptionally well probably, and for the next time there will be more difficult puzzles and games I guess....

Our little fierce lion conquered another heart.

Telephone

For the most, this blog is for us to log how Lotte is doing. Keeping a record that will allow us to look back regarding when things happened. Another big part is sharing our experiences with other people. Parents that are in the same situation, or getting there, and other people that are interested. But documenting Lotte's progress is definitely an important motive for the blog.
of those things to document is Lotte using the telephone. It shows her understanding of other people's speech without the ability to read lips.

Lotte has been using the telephone for some time. (See here for some posts.) From her side it always went without problems... The other side probably had another idea of it. (And I have been there plenty of times.) Understanding her is difficult sometimes, but her pronunciation is improving all the time. Also, she is more and more capable of telling a story, or experience, in a coherent way.

The video below is one of those moments where she is very exited and wants to tell everything at the same time. She slows down later, and basically, when she is finished with her story, she puts the phone down.

It's in Dutch, sorry about that. A Norwegian version could have been possible but will have to wait until later. We are working on the English versions of Lotte's telephone conversations... it will come.. :-) (reminds me... she learned some English rhymes.... time to post them as well. Have to find them first.... Found it!)

..." The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades "

Lotte is doing very well at school. She enjoys going there, staying there. Dropping her off does not require any more crying from her side. She happily goes in by herself.... "Bye-bye mummy.!" to indicate that she goes into the classroom. Progress!

Something that was clear from the beginning is that she is treating school as a totally new phase. She is taking liberties that she wouldn't have 2 months ago.. all because " .. she's a big girl now.. ".
For us it's sometimes a problem drawing the line. We want to let her take more control, but she didn't "grow" as much as she thinks.
So, we are steering that new feeling of self-confidence carefully, making sure it is not bruised.
But we see that she uses it herself in order to cope with situations.
Like when the children were called to the stage on the first day. (See earlier post.) With all the children up there without parents, she took that feeling of self confidence and went up the stage to be with the other children. Something she would not have done before, but that day, SHE made it happen! WOW!.

She loves her teachers (yes... multiple.. life is good in Norway.), getting to know the children, playing with them.... just as it should be.

Obviously there are indications that there is still much to do.
Copying the other children is a very obvious one. It's inevitable, but also a good indicator that she does not understand everything. Important for us and the teachers to realize that, and take action when needed.

We also warned the teachers that answering correctly to a question does not mean Lotte understood the question. Let's be realistic... guess what the correct answer is to a question that ends with "... don't you think so..?" or "... you shouldn't do that, should you.?".
Lotte - and I'm sure many other children - will sometime just answer the question in the way that is expected, just to be done with it.
"No need to understand, just give the right answer." is sometimes the motto... ;-)

She is getting better with the songs that are sung at the start of the day. Repetition is the key word of course, and it is obvious that Lotte needs to hear it more often that the other kids. But fortunately, the same songs are still being sung at the beginning of the day. Changing to another song would mean Lotte would have to start again from scratch. But actually, that's part of life. We cannot expect that the children sing the same song for 6 weeks until Lotte can do it as well. That's up to us, to sing that song at home.

In a way, being Dutch at home and Norwegian outside reduces the amount of Norwegian children-songs sung by us. Many we don't know - we used the Dutch ones, but we realize that we need to speak more Norwegian with Lotte at home. When she's doing homework, it's better at times to use Norwegian. It's good to have Lotte connect Norwegian with school and Dutch with home.

But it's very important that people around her that look at her with the right focus, report the positive AND the negative, and act accordingly. That's one of the most important things to ensure the best possible outcome.
And the school is totally committed to that. Having that support is very, very important and we feel blessed with this.

..... Words !! ".....Say them, you can hear them."

Didn't we just make a post about words... and how important it is to all of us... ??

Well, The Real Group - a fantastic a-capella group made this song about it...

.... and find more Real Group stuff. It's great music!


(Arranged by Anders Edenroth, Lyrics by Anders Edenroth. (2004))

Words! A letter and a letter on a string. Will hold forever humanity spellbound.
Words! Possession of the beggar and the king. Everybody, everyday. You and I, we all can say...
Words! Regarded as a complicated tool. Created by man, implicated by mankind...
Words! Obsession of the genius and the fool. Everybody, everyday, Everywhere and everyway...
Words! Find them, you can use them. Say them, you can hear them. Write them, you can read them. Love them, fear them.
Words! Transmitted as we're fitted from the start. Received by all and we're sentenced to a life with...
Words! Impression of the stupid and the smart. Everybody, everyday. You and I, we all can say...
Words! Inside your head can come alive as they're said. Softly, loudly, modestly or proudly...
Words! Expression by the living and the dead. Everybody, everyday. Everywhere and everyway..
Words! Find them, you can use them. Say them, you can hear them. Write them, you can read them. Love them, fear them.

English lessons!

School started for Lotte with English homework already from the second week.
Kids with cochlear implants tend to have problems with their working memory, due to a lack of language interactions at an early age. That means that new words usually do not linger after hearing it once. It has to be repeated many times. I actually compare it with a computer hard disc that is not yet formatted.

Well, formatting for Lotte has begun. Can't remember how many times we now have counted from 1 to 10 in English, but she thinks it's great fun, she understands what it means (probably because of her own understanding of two languages, that the same thing can have different names). Saying "three" is probably difficult for all children, but the lack of two front teeth really doesn't help! Otherwise she seems to pick it up, and remembers more quickly now (after a week) what the numbers are called.

Until now she thinks it is a great game, so we hope it will continue that way :-)

--- Mous ---

And to all readers out there.... just be patient.... Lotte will one day start writing to you all...
How cool would that be !!
--- Cloggy ---

Before we couldn't shut her up....

Now, our little girl can't stop talking, but how was it in the "early years"...
Here two videos, both on the way to kindergarten....
Saying nothing in the first one... vocalising in the second...





It's good to have these video's because one forgets the phases - and when the child went through it... So, make regular videos.
And take the same "subject".. we video'd Lotte a couple of times singing a childrens' song. This way we could see the progress...

So, for those that just started the journey... be patience.. it WILL happen..

Bi-lateral CI versus 1 CI - another "YES !"

More and more research is done with regard to bi-lateral CI.... and they are confirming what we already suspected.. it does make a significant difference.
Like I said before... the only experience we have had with Unilateral CI is when one of the processors failed.... well, the display wasn't readable.... and we had to send it in.... Send 1 in, so Lotte was still able to hear. That's when we experienced the difference....

So, we cannot compare - really, but we do see how well she hears in noisy environment (and with 3 children in the house... it's noisy at times) how her speech develops etc.....
We felt that bi-lateral CI had a lot to do with it....
..... guess it has.

Description of the article is below..... just to make sure a link suddenly turns up "empty...."
.... enjoy!

2 Bilateral Cochlear Implants Are Definitely Superior To 1

Main Category: Hearing / Deafness
Also Included In: Ear, Nose and Throat; Medical Devices
Article Date: 30 May 2008 - 5:00 PDT

A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits.

The study, which appears in the May issue of the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, found that improvements in factors that contribute to quality of life including such critical abilities as hearing in noisy environments, focusing on conversations, and speaking at an appropriate volume resulted when cochlear devices were implanted in both ears.

This study may have a significant impact for profoundly deaf individuals who hope to have their health insurance providers pay for bilateral rather than the standard single cochlear implant. The study authors found the benefits of the second implant outweighed the added cost of the second device.

"We didn't know that cognitive skills and emotional issues would so significantly improve with the implantation of a second cochlear device. In addition to the physiological improvements we saw in patients who had bilateral implants, we found that patients were able to function better in noisy environments and definitely felt better about themselves," said senior study author Richard Miyamoto, M.D., Arilla Spence DeVault Professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Miyamoto is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. First author of the study is Bradford G. Bichey, M.D., MPH, a former research fellow and resident at the IU School of Medicine and currently an otolaryngologist in Marion, Ind.

"Profoundly deaf individuals who were born with hearing, their families, physicians, and health insurance providers now have the data they need," said Dr. Miyamoto. "There is definite improvement after one implant and there is a significant added bump in sound and speech perception after the second implant. Emotional well being improves. And we found a favorable cost utility analysis. Our hope is that with these findings more health insurance companies will cover the cost of bilateral implants and bring a superior quality of life to a large number of individuals."

Approximately 1.4 million American are deaf in both ears and experience significant impairment in communication with the hearing world according to the study authors. The IU School of Medicine cochlear program is one of the largest in the country. IU physicians have implanted more than 1,500 cochlear devices over the past quarter century at Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children.

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

This study was funded by the IU School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Source: Cindy Fox Aisen
Indiana University

Another milestone..

So many milestones that will be reached when raising a child. And, even though we know they should appear, we never know when they come... and then, suddenly, after a long straight stretch of road they appear around the next corner... Suddenly, unexpected... but clearly visible...



With a child born deaf there are also milestones, some the same, some different. And with Lotte, born deaf, and implanted with bi-lateral CI in november 2004, the milestones might be the same as for a hearing child... they just are a bit further up the road... or did we just get on the road a bit later?

Anyway.... today we turned one of those corners...

Lotte was sitting at the table, waiting for dinner.. Suddenly, she said.... "Mammaaaa.... " (standard start of an important message :-) ... and continued "kniv - mes" (knife), "hus - huis" (house) etc... A switch has closed and she got the idea of two languages... And not only that... Different words is one thing, but she went further and did the same with the names of her siblings... the "Norwegian pronunciation - Dutch pronunciation"..

Something really clicked. And to repeat the slight change in pronunciation of the names of her brother and sister is another amazing feat.

Remember how people sometimes want to know how CI sounds... there are computer-simulations that will reproduce a sentence simulating 4, 8 or 12 "electrodes" and it sounds mechanical, distorted etc... I am always skeptical of these simulations because they ignore a major aspect... the brain.

And this shows it... The simulation of the same name with a different "dialect / language" would very likely produce the same "sound" when run through only 12 electrodes... The differences are small, but Lotte has no problem reproducing them... (Reminds me when she repeated the word "Aubergine" perfectly...)

Anyway... To all those out there that are inpatient... (like we still are), and who look at their children when they play with children their own age and compare them... (like we do), I would just like to say that with CI, we put our children on the same road as the hearing children. They will follow the same road, and they will have the same milestones as the rest... but still, they got on the road a little later... with a different vehicle.

And the milestones... they are not fixed. For every child - deaf or hearing - they are at different places... but they will all meet them.... and they will meet them all.

The difficult part is... being patient..

How we are raising Lotte... ???

Sometimes the question arises... how do we raise Lotte - communication wise....

Oral, Sign, both....

perhaps this gives an idea :-)

One for the record....

Lotte explaining golf to her mom...
I know.... in a way nothing special about this.. a 6-year old telling mommy how to play golf.
......... and that's exactly what makes it special!

Bi-lateral CI - off course...

It makes me smile when research shows what people that experience bi-lateral CI them self, or with their child, already know.
Bi-lateral CI makes a huge difference compared to only 1.
I posted the article in here, as I don't know how long these articles remain available..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Bilateral Cochlear Implants Are Definitely Superior To 1

A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits.

The study, which appears in the May issue of the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, found that improvements in factors that contribute to quality of life including such critical abilities as hearing in noisy environments, focusing on conversations, and speaking at an appropriate volume resulted when cochlear devices were implanted in both ears.

This study may have a significant impact for profoundly deaf individuals who hope to have their health insurance providers pay for bilateral rather than the standard single cochlear implant. The study authors found the benefits of the second implant outweighed the added cost of the second device.

"We didn't know that cognitive skills and emotional issues would so significantly improve with the implantation of a second cochlear device. In addition to the physiological improvements we saw in patients who had bilateral implants, we found that patients were able to function better in noisy environments and definitely felt better about themselves," said senior study author Richard Miyamoto, M.D., Arilla Spence DeVault Professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Miyamoto is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. First author of the study is Bradford G. Bichey, M.D., MPH, a former research fellow and resident at the IU School of Medicine and currently an otolaryngologist in Marion, Ind.

"Profoundly deaf individuals who were born with hearing, their families, physicians, and health insurance providers now have the data they need," said Dr. Miyamoto. "There is definite improvement after one implant and there is a significant added bump in sound and speech perception after the second implant. Emotional well being improves. And we found a favorable cost utility analysis. Our hope is that with these findings more health insurance companies will cover the cost of bilateral implants and bring a superior quality of life to a large number of individuals."

Approximately 1.4 million American are deaf in both ears and experience significant impairment in communication with the hearing world according to the study authors. The IU School of Medicine cochlear program is one of the largest in the country. IU physicians have implanted more than 1,500 cochlear devices over the past quarter century at Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children.

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

This study was funded by the IU School of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Source: Cindy Fox Aisen
Indiana University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ordliste Nederlandsk

Ord	Uttalelse	Betydning	Sies av Lotte
Lotte			X
Helikopter			X
Blauw	Blav	Blå	X
Meisje		Jente	X
Mijn	Mein	Min	X
Boot		Båt	X
Auto	Avtå	Bil	X
Sanne			X
Jelle			X
Hallo	Hallå		X
Eten	Eeten	Spise	X
Elianne			X
Boaz			X
Youri			X
Karin			X
Boudewijn	Bavdevein		X
Feest		Fest	X
Pakjes		Pakker	X
Oma			X
Opa			X
Fietsen	Fitsen	Sykle	X
Slapen		Sove	X
Drinken		Drikke	X
Vliegtuig	fligtaug	Fly	X
Trein		Tog	X
Zoeken	Zoken	Lete	X
Snijden	Sneiden	Skjære	X
Ijsje	Eisje	Is	X
Bloem	Blom	Blomst	X
Zwemmen	Svemmen	Svømme	X
Even wachten!		Vent litt!	X
Ga je mee?		Skal du være med?/ Skal vi gå?
Pizza			X
Uit je mond! / niet in je mond!		Ta det ut av munnen / ikke i munnen!
Schone broek		Skifte bleie
Dankjewel		Takk	X
Alsjeblieft		Værsåsnill
Schommel		Disse
Buiten / binnen	Bauten	Ute / inne	X
Schoenen	Schonen	Sko	X
Schoenen aan/uit		Ta på deg sko/ta av..
Fout!		Feil!
In je stoel!		Sett deg i stolen din!
Poes	Pos	Pus	X
Boven	Båfen	Oppe	X
Beneden		Nede
Paard	Part	Hest	X
Niet doen/mamma doen		Ikke gjør det / mamma skal gjøre det
Opruimen		Rydde
Terug		Tilbake
Aap	Ap	Apekatt	X
Dame			X
Water		Vann	X
Sokken		Sokker	X
(tanden) poetsen		Pusse(tennene)	Sier ”poetsen”
Boek	Bok	Bok	X
Zitten		Sitte	X
Beer		Bjørn/bamse	X
Klaar!	Klar	Ferdig!	X
Mooi!		Fint/vakkert!	X
Ja			X
Knippen		Klippe	X
Niet aankomen		Ikke rør!
Van		Sin
Daar	Dar	Der	X
Goed zo!	Got så!	Bra gjort!	X
Hatsjoe!			X
Ha det!			X
Doei!		Ha det!	X
Vallen		Falle ned
Poep	Pop	Bæsj	X
Wc			X
Huilen		Gråte
Pakken		Å hente / ta
Horen		Høre	X!!!!!!
Muis	Maus	Mus	X
Staan	Stan	Stå	X
Kapot		I stykker	X
Pas op!		Forsiktig!
Voorzichtig!		Forsiktig!
Komijn	Kånein	Kanin	X
Kijken		Kikke
Neus	Nøs	Nese	X
Baby	Beejbi		X