Deafblind Children

Although this topic has been on my mind for sometime, I don’t know how parents deal with a deafblind child. I know, I know, I guess they just do. Anyone who has to face any kind of issue just does what they can. I should know.

My parents never really had to work with us being deafblind. Sure, we were hard-of-hearing. That was new for them. I remember my mother putting me on the countertop between the sinks in the bathroom so I could look in the mirror. I had to mimic her lip movements. (I must have been about 3 or 4 years old at the time.) That was my “lip service”-speech therapy. I had some hearing so it was easier for me to pick up sounds and learn to talk. In grade school, I can recall “speech class.” We practiced our vowel sounds. (Imagine my confusion in high school-I wanted to take a speech class, but I found out it wasn’t what I thought it was. It was the kind that you stand up in front of class and make presentations. Oh duh! I was glad my brother told me what it was before I enrolled in that class.)

Our (my brother and sister and myself) vision problems didn’t start till we were well into our twenties, so there really wasn’t anything for my parents to work with in that department.

But parents of deafblind children? How can they cope? What can they do? Someome came across this article. Here's more.

I get sad when I read about some parent actually abusing his/her child because of disabilities. How sad is that? Years ago children were put in institutions. There are plenty of people out there willing to adopt disabled children. I am glad to read about parents who love their disabled child and will do what they can to help their child. Here's a story about deafblind triplets.

There are programs out there that help deafblind children. They are for those between the ages of 3-21. There are schools, either traditional (mainstreamed) or residental, that can teach deafblind students.

Some parents need to be pointed to the right direction to get to the right sources to get help. Some become advocates, fighting for the child's best interests.