What the Mother of a Deaf Child Ought to Know Part 2

In order to expand and strengthen the lungs through the child's play, supply him with the brightly colored paper wind-mills that he can set whirling by blowing l.u.s.tily; also the rubber balloon toys, even though the torturing squeak of the toys is only heard by those in the vicinity and not by himself. An especially good exercise for the gentle and long-continued control of breath results from the toy blow pipes with conical wire bowls by means of which light, celluloid b.a.l.l.s of bright colors are kept suspended in the air, dancing on the column of breath blown softly through the tube. The more steadily the child blows, the more mysteriously the ball remains at a fixed point, whirling rapidly but without any apparent support.

Blowing soap bubbles, especially trying to blow big ones, is very useful as well as interesting.

For physical development in which the lungs come in for their share and the sense of mechanical rhythm is fostered, an excellent exercise is marching in step to the stroke of the drum, proud in Boy Scout uniform.

Dancing is a very desirable accomplishment for the deaf child.

Tops and tenpins cultivate dexterity, as do playing ball and rolling hoop.

VII

THE CULTIVATION OF CREATIVE IMAGINATION

This can be greatly helped by early use on the part of the child of colored modeling wax to reproduce objects and animals, and to construct models of imaginary houses, yards, trees, etc. A sand pile, or a large, shallow sand box, perhaps five feet square, with sides six inches high, and completely lined with enamel cloth to make it watertight, is a wonderful implement for constructive play on the part of the child.

Whole villages of farms, fields, and forests, ponds and brooks, roads and railroads, can be made here in miniature.

Building blocks of wood or stone; the metal construction toy called "Mechano"; dolls, doll houses, furniture, and equipment, are valuable, but they should be simple, inexpensive and not fragile.

Cut-up picture puzzles, painting books, tracing slates with large and simple designs cultivate observation and ingenuity. Kaleidoscopes and stereoscopes are excellent, but moving pictures are so trying upon the eyes, and the air of the theaters is so bad, that a deaf child whose eyes are his only salvation, and whose health is doubly important, should not even know of their existence till he is seven or eight years old.

VIII

FURTHER TESTS OF HEARING

But, as soon as the mother finds her little child sufficiently mature to benefit by the sense training described above, whether it be at twenty or, as is more likely, at from twenty-four to thirty months, she can begin to make a more complete and accurate determination of the degree of his deafness, for now she can establish a system of responses on the part of the child that will show her when he perceives the sounds she uses in her tests.

In order to be certain that the little one knows what she wishes of him, she must begin with some sensation that she is sure he feels. We will a.s.sume that he has as yet no speech, and cannot count, at least does not know the names of the numbers. Let the mother pat him once on the shoulder and then cause him to hold up one of his little fingers. Then pat him twice, and make him hold up two fingers, then three times and have him put up three fingers. Now return to one pat and one finger, repeat two pats and the holding up of two of his fingers, and three pats and three fingers. Go over and over this little game until he has grasped the idea and will hold up as many fingers as he feels pats.

Simple as the idea seems, it will often take a bright child some time to realize what you want him to do. But you are _sure_ that he feels the pats, whereas, if you began at once with sounds, you could not know whether his failure to respond was because he did not hear, or through not understanding what you expected of him. He will weary of the exercise soon, and then mother may as well turn to something else till he has rested.

Having established this system of response on his part to sensations perceived, it is not difficult to shift from the number of pats to the number of times he hears a noise. This once accomplished, tests can be made with sounds of different kinds, different pitch, and different volume, varying the distance, the instruments, and the vowel when the articulate sounds are reached. He can be shown a whistle, then, when it is blown behind his back, he will hold up as many fingers as the times it was blown, if he perceives the sound. He can be asked to distinguish between a whistle, a little bell, and the clapping of the hands. When he is successful in that, the vowel sounds may be uttered not far from his ear, but behind him. Begin with "ah" (a), as this is the most open and strongest; then try "oh" (o with macron), which is not easily confused with a. Then ee (e with macron). If, after a time, a distance and a degree of loudness are found that enable him to recognize these sounds with unfailing accuracy, or at least 90 per cent. of the time, then other sounds can be added, such as aw (a with diaresis below), (a with breve) (as in hat), (i with macron) (as in ice), oo (as in cool), ow (as in owl). Using these sounds at different pitches, and with different intensities and distances, a sufficiently accurate estimate can be formed of the degree of his hearing power so far as his present needs are concerned.

IX

THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESIDUAL HEARING

If any ability to perceive sounds is found, every effort should be made to lead the child to use it, and as the most essential use of hearing is in the comprehension of spoken language, the princ.i.p.al effort should be made along that line.

Take three objects, the names of which are short, with the princ.i.p.al vowels quite easily distinguished. A little toy street car, a cap, and a toy sheep, would do nicely to begin with, as the three words, "car,"

"cap," and "sheep," are not easily confused. Place two of the objects before him, the car and the sheep, and speak the name of one of them, "car," we will say, loudly and distinctly close to his ear, but in such a way that he cannot see your mouth. Then show him the car. Repeat it with "sheep" and show him the sheep. Repeat "car," and take his little hand, put it on the car. Then "sheep," and make him put his hand on the sheep. Continue this process until he will indicate to you the object you name. When he makes only occasional mistakes with two objects, add the cap. When he can get the right one about 90 per cent. of the time, then take three new words, returning occasionally to the first three.

Very soon his own name and those of others, with photographs to enable him to indicate which, will prove of interest to him. When he has successfully learned to distinguish a few single words, a beginning can be made on short sentences. Commands that he can execute are convenient.

"Shut your eyes," "Open your mouth," "Clap your hands," can follow drill on the three words, "eyes," "mouth," "hands." "Open the window," "Shut the window," "Open the book," "Shut the book," "Open the door," etc.

"Stand up," "Sit down." When this beginning has been made, the road is open to the gradual increase in a hearing vocabulary, but do not attempt so much at once as to confuse and discourage the child.

The suggestions already made should be studiously followed throughout his whole childhood. If his hearing is not too seriously impaired, he will begin to attempt to imitate spoken sounds by the time he is twenty-four to thirty months old. But his ability to imitate sounds is not an accurate measure of his ability to hear. He may perceive the sounds much better than he is able to reproduce them. Distinct utterance comes slowly to the child with normal hearing, and still more slowly and imperfectly to the child whose hearing is not good. But the continued effort to make him hear _words and sentences_ is a very valuable exercise for him and should be faithfully continued till he is old enough to respond to the tests of hearing as outlined and it has been definitely proved that he cannot possibly tell whether a, or (o with macron) or (e with macron) is said, no matter how loud or how near the ear the sound is uttered.

The question will naturally arise as to whether the child's hearing of speech can be aided by an electric or mechanical device. When it is possible to make the child perceive the sound of the vowels with the unaided voice uttered very near the ear, I believe it to be better, at first, not to interpose any artificial device. But I have found that sometimes, in cases where the sound perception was not at first sufficient to enable the child to distinguish even the most dissimilar vowel sounds, although uttered loudly close to the ear, I could awaken the attention of the child to sound, and stimulate the dormant power by the use of an Acousticon. After a few months I have been able to dispense with the instrument and use only the unaided voice at close range. Later, when some vocabulary has been acquired through these auricular exercises, it is often desirable to return to the Acousticon and teach the child to use it, in _order to extend the distance at which sounds can be heard_. By the use of the Acousticon, it then becomes possible to communicate by means of the ear without speaking at such short range. It is not easy, however, to induce a child to use an Acousticon at all times, whereas an adult will take the time and trouble necessary to become accustomed to the instrument, and will put up with the slight inconveniences inseparable from its use.

X

DEVELOPING THE POWER OF LIP READING

In this effort to develop the hearing, however, the necessity must not be forgotten of also training the brain to a.s.sociate ideas with what the eye sees on the lips when words are spoken. In the case of the very slightly deaf child, this visual training is not quite so important as the auricular training, but when there is much deafness it is the more important of the two. The comprehension of much language can be given to the little deaf child by constantly talking just as any mother does to her hearing baby, only being always careful to take a position facing the main source of light, which should come _from behind the child_.

The hearing child arrives at the a.s.sociation of meaning with the sounds of words only after very many repet.i.tions. How often must the child hear "Mamma," "Look at mamma," "See, here is mamma," "Mamma is coming,"

"Mamma is here," "Where is mamma?" "Do you love mamma?" "Mamma loves baby," etc., etc., from morning to night, day after day, week after week. The mother does it for pleasure; to play with and pet the dear baby. She does not think of it as a teaching exercise, but it is a very important one. The deaf baby will learn gradually to a.s.sociate a meaning with the various sequences of movement of the lips, if a little care is taken to watch his eyes and to speak when they are directed toward the speaker, and to stand in such relation to the light that it falls upon the speaker's face. The speech should be the same as to the hearing child, but it takes a little more care and watchfulness to have the deaf child _see_ the same word or phrase as _many times_ as the hearing child hears it. If it is spoken when the baby is not looking, it does not help.

When the little one is learning to walk, the mother says, "Come to mamma," "Go to daddy," and gradually he learns "come" and "go." She has him play hide and seek with another child, and she says, "Where is Tom?"

"Where is the baby's mouth?" "Where is the baby's nose?" etc., and by and by he knows "where" and "mouth" and "nose," and the names of his playmates or brothers and sisters. When he is sitting on the floor she picks him up, saying "up." When she puts him from her lap to the floor she says "down." If he is naughty she says "naughty," and perhaps spats his little hands, and so on through the day. A little care on her part, a little added thought and watchfulness, perhaps a few more repet.i.tions, and little by little she will find her deaf baby learning to look at her always, and to understand much that is said to him. She must all this time remember, also, that the shades of feeling, pleasure, disappointment, approval, disapproval, doubt, certainty, love, anger, joy, which are largely conveyed to the hearing child by intonation of voice, must be conveyed to the deaf baby by facial expression and manner. They become very keen at interpreting moods by the look. Let the face be sunny and kind and INTERESTED, if possible. The first indication of impatience, of being bored and weary, will destroy much of one's influence with the deaf child.

Sometimes it is harder to disguise one's feelings in the face than in the voice. Do not be caught unawares. Interest, cheerfulness, and patience are tremendous forces to help the little deaf child.

Some one has said:

"When you consent, consent cordially; When you refuse, refuse finally; When you punish, punish good-naturedly."

XI

FORMING CHARACTER

And now that the little one is two or three years old, it may be well to say a few words about his general training in character and habits.

There is a strong, and a not unnatural tendency to maintain an att.i.tude toward the deaf child that differs from that maintained by sensible mothers toward their other children. They often set up a different standard of conduct and of obligation for the afflicted child. His brothers and sisters are taught to always defer to his wishes; even to the extent of yielding to improper and selfish demands on his part, and conceding that they have no rights where he is concerned. He is not required to perform the little duties demanded of the other children. He is given privileges which the others do not, and which no one of them, including himself, should enjoy. He grows tyrannical, domineering, and selfish. The mother says: "Poor little chap; he has trouble enough, we must do all in our power to make up to him for what he misses by reason of his deafness." This is, however, a shortsighted, and really a cruel policy. It lays up much misery for his future, and in the end proves a serious handicap to one who needs to have as few additional difficulties as possible. Though it may seem hard-hearted, it is really kinder to put him on the same basis as any other child. Make him do everything possible for himself. Insist upon his being independent; dressing himself as soon as he is able, b.u.t.toning his own shoes, and performing all the little self-help acts that the wise mother demands of all her children. Make no distinction in the treatment accorded him. Ask the same services, reward right actions and punish wrongdoing as impartially as if he was not deaf, only being sure that he clearly connects the punishment with the wrong act. This, in the case of a deaf child, requires a little more care than with a hearing child. Train him to be thoughtful for the comfort of others, and respectful of their rights, just as you insist that the others observe his rights. He cannot be argued with, object lessons and example must be the means of teaching him manners and morals.

XII

CULTIVATING THE SOCIAL INSTINCT