Silas
Our third son Silas was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss at 6 months of age. We began seeing Linda Daniel for Auditory-Verbal Therapy within two weeks of his diagnosis and hearing aid fitting. HEAR In Dallas is unique compared to any other program we explored. Silas had a variety of sensory processing needs as well as hearing loss. The HEAR In Dallas team used oral-sensory-motor techniques to resolve his feeding problem. We were taught how to incorporate these mouth stimulation procedures into our daily life so we could teach our son how to chew and swallow solid food. This approach also established the sensory and motor foundations for him to develop clearly produced speech.
We have made many sacrifices for Silas’s success, as we drive 3 hours from East Texas to HEAR In Dallas to receive the highly specialized and personal therapy our son and family receive. As parents, we are continually empowered by the education we receive about hearing loss, sensory processing disorder, speech and language development, educational placement and what to work on at home to teach Silas to understand what we say and express himself verbally.
Silas is 4 1/2 years old now and talks to everyone in our extended family. He’s right in the middle of play with his brothers and loves to do everything they do. In each therapy session we build on our parent-therapy techniques so our whole family can help Silas’s language grow every day. We are confident that Silas’s ability to communicate orally is due to the therapy and parent education we have received from the HEAR In Dallas team. We are looking forward to seeing Silas attend the same school as his brothers and be educated in the mainstream. We have the same hopes and dreams for Silas as we have for our two hearing children. We are excited to watch him progress in school, play sports, and strive to reach the dreams he will have for his life.
