TEEN SOCIAL CLUB

FOR TEENAGES WITH SPEECH AND/OR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

USING SIGN LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE

Just need to give a bit of back ground here first : Maria and I decided to meet up on Saturday and so she came over with her two kids.

Maria's son, Jacob, is 15 has the cutest smile and as Elysha patiently explains to me he is very shy. Jacob, like Elysha, also has Down syndrome and is hearing impaired (or in Jacob's instance profoundly deaf).

Jacob liked me the minute we met - how do I know - cause he gave me the biggest smile; signed away in response to my signed questions and settled into the house as though he had been here many times before. This was a first time visit for Jacob.

He and Elysha were instantly at ease because they could communicate - yes they were signing at different levels but they were totally comfortable with each other. The evening was a total success with all of us playing Alphabet (Deaf) Bingo; talking; eating MacDonald's; colouring in and playing chuzzle on the ipod touch. When they left and Jacob blew Elysha a kiss and she looked at me and signed 'Jacob likes me'. I said do you want them to come visit again and of course the answer was YES.

Maria and I were blown away with the instant companionship and comfort levels between Elysha and Jacob as both are rather reticent when in company. One thing I have noticed with Elysha in the last year is that if someone signs they automatically go up a level in her book and I felt with Jacob that this was also happening.

When I told John (when he came home from fishing) about Jacob blowing Elysha a kiss, and he stirred Elysha about maybe Jacob was in love with Elysha she gave him such a grown up look, shook her head ' dad, you silly, he my friend, he like me'

As Maria and I were discussing the success of the night and planning the next one and talking about the isolation of our children we started throwing around some ideas. So now I'm writing this and Maria will do her bit and we will see what responses we get back.

Children with speech and/or developmental delay are being schooled in special needs schools; in IO & IM units within main stream schools;in hearing units; in main stream schools. Some very successfully and some not. Some have great social lives and some don't. I do know that there are lots of others like Elysha who is in a unit within a main stream school with lots of other kids who have special needs but she is the only one with developmental delay who is using sign language to communicate.

Some schools (and I use that term very loosely as they are very much in the minority) are supporting sign language for students with speech and/or developmental delay. Some with very very basic key word signing and some with great signing support going as far as schools like Elysha's that has a teacher who uses Auslan and signed English were appropriate. Although this teacher is there for the deaf students she has worked with Elysha for the last 6 years and has achieved an unbelievable amount (bit of a side track there, just had to get in a pat on the back for Carrie Ann).

Now the kids in Elysha class all use sign language and that's because they are all deaf and they all communicate and socialise with Elysha at school and school life is brilliant. But her social life is not so great.

Elysha can hear, but is hearing impaired, so sign language helps her to understand what she hears. Elysha can talk, but sign language helps her to be clearer when she talks. When in class Elysha doesn't talk, she signs - fluently I might add because the teacher and students are deaf. But when with hearing she signs and talks. But if she doesn't see sign she doesn't do sign and communication falls over. Unless of course people ask her to sign it but we are still teaching people that.

She doesn't like being stared at because she sounds different and hates that people say 'what' 'pardon' or look at me with that????? so she just withdraws.

Though Elysha has some lovely friends at school they are only deaf, not developmental delayed. They are boys and girls that want to go out, learn to drive, go to deaf club, text each other and go shopping and just do stuff that Elysha isn't doing (yet).

Maria talked about the same isolation for Jacob. So enough of this whinging. Lets see how many more kids out there want to join a social group.

Please get in touch if you have a teenager who is speech and/or developmentally delayed and using sign language to assist in communication. It doesn't matter how fluent they are or you are.

I talked to Elysha's brother Aaron and his girlfriend, Rachael and they both want to be involved too.

If we get enough expressions of interest we will find a central venue. Somewhere to meet, relax, get to know each other, find out what the kids want to do at their social club and go for it. It maybe that to begin with parents will need to stick around while the kids socialise, but hey, there's nothing wrong with a coffee or two and a good old chat.

Come on lets get our kids out meeting others like themselves.

Someone they can talk(sign){communication with} to.

There is too much isolation going on these days.

While the kids are dancing, drawing, talking, playing Wii whatever we can be talking, sharing, enjoying, joining in, whatever.