Want to learn to cue?

Several Cue Camps are coming!  Here’s a listing of the ones I know about:

CueCamp Friendship
Urbana, MD

6/18/2009 to 6/21/2009

Cue Camp Friendship–June 18-21, 2009
Make plans now to attend Cue Camp Friendship in its NEW location at the Bishop Claggett Conference Center overlooking the beautiful Sugarloaf Mountain! Conveniently located just minutes off I-270, 5 miles south of Frederick, MD. Easily accessible from three major airports.
Contact MDCSAprez@gmail.com for more information. http://mdcsa.org/

Cue Camp New England
Falmouth, Maine

7/9/2009 – 8/2/2009

Learn to Cue or Improve your Cueing Skills. Learn how Cued Speech can be used to improve the English language skills and literacy of children who are deaf. Meet others who use Cued Speech. Make new friends. http://www.cuedspeechmaine.org/CuedSpeechCamp.html 

Cue Camp Virginia
Front Royal, VA

8/27/2009 to 8/30/2009

CCVA Will be held at the 4-H Center in Front Royal, VA,
FROM AUGUST 27-30 2009!
After a long and very successful run at the 4-H Center in Jamestown, VA, the NVCSA Interim Board of Directors would like to announce that Cue Camp Virginia (CCVA) will be moving this year to the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center in Front Royal, VA.

This mountaintop facility is approximately a 60-minute drive west from Fairfax, VA, and is located only a few miles from Interstate 66. On-site lodging, dining facilities, conference facilities with six break-out rooms, and recreational facilities (including pool and bon-fire pit) are superb.

In keeping with NVCSA’s Mission of Education, Advocacy and Support, the Board believes the new Front Royal location offers a more convenient destination, which will entice those Fairfax area elementary and pre-school families who have not been able to come to CCVA in the past a good reason to do so.

To receive updates as they become available sign up for the eNewsletter at http://www.nvcsa.org

Do you Cue in your dreams?

I realized recently, that from time to time, I find myself Cueing in my dreams.  Sometimes it is when I’m communicating with someone to whom I would normally Cue, but in other dreams I find myself Cueing to people who have no knowledge of Cued Speech.  It seems that when I find myself Cueing to them, it is because I’m trying very hard to make myself understood.  It seems my brain has embraced that fact that what I want to convey comes across with more comprehension when I Cue; and therefore, in my dreams I find myself Cueing when I want to be precisely understood.  As in my real life, I rarely, if ever, have anyone Cue to me in my dreams. Do you Cue in your dreams?  If so, to whom do you Cue, or who Cues to you?

More Cued Speech Informational Videos

There are actually a total of five video segments which the National Cued Speech Association has made available.  This one is the longest.  It’s called Who Uses Cued Speech?  The video shows both native cuers and hearing parents describe how and why they chose Cued Speech as the primary communication modality for their child/children.  I’m actually one of the people interviewed.  Why is it that you never like to see yourself in videos or hear your own voice?  I never like pictures of myself either. 

Who Uses Cued Speech? from National Cued Speech Association on Vimeo.

The link to the video should show up above, but if it doesn’t and you cannot play the embedded video, you can go here: http://vimeo.com/2439515 

Barb

Say What?

The difference between having a CLT in class and not having one.

Cued Children’s Stories

The National Cued Speech Association has recently published, on YouTube, a series of new videos on Cued Speech.  They did a really good job!  The videos include captions for those who cannot hear the audio or read the cues.  This one is entitled Cued Children’s Stories and it includes the cued versions of several familiar nursery rhymes like “Little Miss Muffet”, “The Three Bears”, and more.

If you’re unable to see the video above you can follow this link. So, I hope you enjoy this demonstration and don’t forget to show it to the kids!

Barb

When I was learning to Cue

Many hearing parents who learn to Cue for their hearing impaired or deaf child have learned to do so while their child is still quite young.  Some as early as infancy, others during toddlerhood.  Since my son was not diagnosed with a hearing impairment until 2nd grade, I was working with different developmental milestones than those parents who learned of their child’s hearing loss at a very early age.  I took my first Cue Class in the Spring of the year when my son was in 2nd grade.  I really did not get a good grasp of the concept though until I took the intermediate level class the next fall.  By then, my son was in 3rd grade, and his school placement had been moved to Canterbury Woods, where he had CLTs and Cueing teachers.  His use of Cued Speech blossomed very quickly.  It was like a door had been opened for him.  He was suddenly speaking more, using complete sentences, and correcting my Cueing.  I was having to learn to Cue with a very different vocabulary than those who learn to Cue to their very young children.  I wasn’t Cueing “Hop on Pop”.  I had to Cue words like “Dumbledore” and “Hermione”.  When we would focus on homework there were words like “Hammurabi” and “Mesopotamia”.  These are not exactly the words a beginning Cuer wants to encounter! 

As I said in an earlier post, I needed to learn to rethink my own approach to language.  I have a tendency to speak very fast.  People are always surprised to learn I’m from the south, since my rate of speech is so fast.  It was very frustrating for me to try and Cue at a pace which would keep up with my rate of speech.  I think things finally clicked for me when I began to relate my breakdown of the words I would Cue, to the breakdown of words in music.  I’d played the piano since I was a child, and I’d sung in school and church choirs along the way, so reading music and reading the choral accompaniment to music was familiar.  At some point while I was trying to come into my own rhythm of Cueing, I realized that if I thought of the words as if they were the refrain from a song, it became easier for me to Cue. I’m not sure if this approach simply slowed me down enough so that my burgeoning Cueing skill could keep up, or if there is some other type of connection between the fluency of Cueing and the fluidity of producing music.  The two seemed like the perfect complement to one another though and it certainly helped me to progress in my skill.

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky (in cued English with subtitles)

I wanted to share this YouTube video. It shows the Louis Carroll poem Jabberwocky being Cued. It also has subtitles for those who cannot cue read. Jabberwocky is a literary classic, but was meant by Carroll as a parody designed to show how not to write a poem. According to Alice in Through the Looking-Glass, “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don’t exactly know what they are!”.

If the video does not appear appear in the area above, you should be able to find it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5hiRL2ujM4

What happened to Brian’s posts?

Over the last week, Brian published several new posts expressing the feelings and personal experiences derived from his use of the various methods of communication available to deaf and hard of hearing individuals.  These posts generated a number of comments.  Unfortunately, over the weekend Brian choose to leave WeCue! and in the process felt it best to remove all of his posts.  Unfortunately, all of his posts were removed before anyone knew of his decision.  I apologize to anyone who was following or commenting on his posts. I feel his posts were interesting and insightful even though not everyone agreed with his opinions.  His posts made people think and they encouraged an ongoing dialog.  I’m sorry to see Brian leave WeCue!  Brian, we wish you well.

Cueing vs. Cue Reading

A recent comment to one my earlier posts made me stop and consider the differences in learning to Cue vs. learning to Cue Read and consequently allowed me to contemplate on one of my own personal dilemmas.  Tasha left a comment stating that she was relieved to learn that a hearing individual did not always understand phonics or have phonemic awareness. She had always assumed that this was something that came naturally to the those of us who hear.  Since she also left a link back to her own blog, I followed that link to learn a little more about her.  I learned from her blog that she uses a cochlear implant, and is hoping to find a more satisfying method to get all the information presented in her classes than the methods she’s used so far.  As an option she was considering a class on Cued Speech.  I wrote a comment back to her which I want to reiterate here and perhaps expand on it a bit.  What differences are there in learning to Cue vs. learning to Cue Read?  Tasha said that she wanted to learn to cue, so I encouraged her not to go take the classes alone.  I suggested that she find a friend or relative who would take the class with her.  My point being that she would need someone to cue TO her in order to learn how to Cue Read well enough for it to become a useful tool for her.  Perhaps my perspective on this is skewed since I am a hearing individual, but I just can’t see how one can become good at Cue Reading all alone.  Is it possible?  Is there a way to do this?  Can a person learn to Cue Read on their own, and if so how?

As a hearing individual, I found that I could practice my cueing while I was alone. I could cue in the car to the news or commercials coming over the radio. I could cue while reading a book. I could cue while walking or exercising and listening to my iPod. I didn’t have to cue to another person to improve my skill. I just had to practice. But, I have to admit, I’m a horrible Cue Reader. I can’t always tell what someone cues back to me unless I hear them speak. Why is that? Because no one cues to me! My son knows I can understand him when he responds verbally, so he doesn’t find it necessary to cue to me. Therefore, he gets lazy and won’t bother. I’m not often around enough native cuers to get good practice at Cue Reading.

In order to teach my hearing impaired son to cue, we cued TO him. He began to absorb the visual cues the same way a hearing person absorbs the spoken language around them. How do I now better learn to Cue Read?

I’ve given up on requesting that my son cue to me.  Some battles with teenagers are just not worth it, and this is one battle that’s just not worth taking on.  Hence, I must look to other avenues.  When I cue to a cueing adult and they do not cue back to me, is it impolite to ask them to cue back?  Would I be implying that they are not speaking well?  I don’t want to imply that. I don’t want to make them feel self conscious over their own verbal abilities.  I just want practice Cue Reading.  What is the appropriate etiquette in this situation?

Back To School

Many school districts have been back in school for a week or more, but Fairfax County Schools began classes this week.  As everyone finds themselves slipping back into those school day routines, it a good time to take a look at what our own expectations are for our children.  Parents need to help their children build the skills they will need for life-long success.  It’s up to us to set the goals high.  As much as we want to, we can’t make everything easier for our kids.  We have to teach our kids to work hard, set high goals of their own, and we also have to teach them to cope with disappointments when they occur. 

As parents we can’t leave everything up to our kids though.  We need to be there to smooth the transitions and make sure everything is in place to kick-off a successful school year.  As a parent we need to take an active role in our children’s education.  We should meet their teachers and set up a method for an open and ongoing dialog.  We need to make sure all the technology our children need is working optimally.  Don’t leave anything to chance.  Make sure the school has tested any assistive devices you child will be using.  Has your child had a hearing test?  Have their hearing aids or cochlear implants been tested?  Have you communicated any changes or needs to the school audiologist?  Are there back up batteries available to your child during the school day? 

Parents also have to remember that their actions are the most important models in their children’s lives.  Look at your own reading habits.  Do you make reading a part of your day?  If you don’t, what message does that send to your child?  Whether your children are preschoolers or teens, they need to see that you take reading as seriously as you tell them to take it.  A recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts, shows that “Americans in almost every demographic group were reading fiction, poetry, and drama – and books in general – at significantly lower rates than 10 or 20 years earlier.”  What impact does this have?  The data from the study suggests that reading transforms the lives of individuals.  Reading correlates with financial and job success, it correlates in fact with almost every measurement of positive personal and social behavior.  Deficient readers are less likely to become active in civic and cultural life, most notably in volunteerism and voting.  So, while the majority of Americans are taking less interest in reading, as the parents of  hearing impaired children, it is incumbent on us to strive to do better. 

As the parents of children with a hearing impairment, it’s going to take more work on our part to foster a positive attitude toward reading.  This of course, is where Cued Speech plays a very crucial role.  The Cued Speech system enables those who are deaf or hard of hearing to visually absorb language (English in our case).  This includes all the phonemic structure of the English language.  Cueing provides visual access to phonemic structure, which leads to phonemic awareness and phonemic decoding skills necessary to decode language and become proficient in reading.  Cueing provides those building blocks that give our hearing impaired children the vocabulary and language interaction they need to become proficient readers.  Remember to read to your children and remember to cue to them too; and not just during reading time, but all the time.  Remember to allow your children to see you reading for your own enjoyment.  You’ll both benefit.  Have a great school year!