4 hearing difficulties and communication
I will tell you my story, but first I want to tell you the
stories of some other children who cannot hear.
Not every child goes to a school like mine. Anita
is deaf like me but she was not able to learn to
communicate. Here is Anita’s story.
Anita’s story
Anita was born almost completely deaf, but her parents did not
realize this until she was 4. When she was a baby, they only saw
that she was healthy and energetic. Until her sister Lora was born,
they didn’t worry that Anita wasn’t learning to talk. They thought
she was just a little slow to develop.
“Are you sure she can hear?” a neighbor asked one day. “Oh
yes,” said Anita’s mother, Eva. Eva called her name loudly and
Anita turned her head.
But when she was 3, Anita could still only say a few words.
Her 2-year-old sister Lora was saying new words every
day. Lora smiled and laughed more than Anita when
Eva talked or sang to her. So Eva talked and
sang more to Lora than to Anita. Lora
asked for things, sang simple songs, and
played happily with other children. Anita
played by herself, since playing with
other children often ended in fighting
or crying.
Once in the village market, Lora asked for a hair ribbon and
Eva bought her one. A moment later Anita quietly picked up
another ribbon and began to put it in her hair. Embarrassed and
upset, Eva took it away. Anita threw herself on the ground and
began to kick and scream.
When Anita’s father heard what
had happened in the market, he looked
angrily at Anita and said, “When will you
learn to ask for things? You’re
4 years old and still don’t even try to talk.
Are you stupid or just lazy?”
Anita looked at her father. She could
not understand what her father said. But she understood the
angry look on his face. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her father
softened and took her in his arms.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)