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From: Julie.Aman@f120.n226.z1.fidonet.org (Julie Aman)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Blind or deaf preschool?
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Date: 24 Oct 90 04:42:09 GMT
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Hello,

I'm sorta new here (I just got current).

Q.  I have a 4-year-old son who is 'legally' deaf/blind.  Actually, he 
seems to see better than I do and he has steroscopic vision which I do 
not. (I read normal print, use no adaptive equipment on my PC, but I 
cannot drive or see well enough to recognize people by their faces...if 
I know them well, I can tell by how they move and recognize them from 
across a room)  With his hearing aids, Kiyoshi tests at near-normal (of 
course this is over the limited hearing-aid-capturable frequency range) 
He is currently attending the local visually impaired preschool program 
(Columbus has had one for 20+ years).  Should I move him to 
hearing-impaired preschool?  He is slow on speech development (of 
course) and is about at the same place as his just-turned-two-year-old 
sister.  Today, I almost cried.  He pointed to a red circle in a 
newspaper insert and said something approximating 'red' and he did 
'yellow' and 'blue' and 'green'!  Sounds minor, but he has learned the 
concept of 'color'.  I guess I'm concerned because of the other concepts 
he doesn't 'get' because he has problems communicating.  (Like how to 
*play* a computer game...he *loves* to watch other people, and he likes 
to hit the keys, but he doesn't 'get' the idea of using the cursor keys 
to move...He is NOT DD, he tried to remove an outlet cover with a 
screwdriver after realizing the little thing in the middle was a *screw* 
He also only needs to see most simple tasks performed once (like playing 
tapes on the stereo) )  He seems much more precociuos than his 
seven-year-old brother Kelly *ever* was.

Would it be worthwhile for him to learn sign?

TCOY, 
- Julie

 * SLMR 1.0 * Enquiring minds wanna know

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