The motto of the event was: "You can hear thanks to technology. To be heard - thanks to people."Alinur's mother shared: "I am raising three children, and my son Alinur suffers from hearing loss. The other two children hear normally. Alinur is in the second grade and is successfully mastering the curriculum, thanks to his binaural hearing aids," she explained.
According to the mother, many parents mistakenly believe that after hearing aids are fitted, their child will immediately start speaking. However, for this, the development of understanding is necessary: the child must learn to identify important moments and adapt to the environment.
"During rehabilitation, we implemented a comprehensive program: in addition to a deaf educator and a speech therapist, there were classes on physical development and sensory integration. This yielded good results. Alinur became more self-confident and better coordinated in his movements. Children with hearing impairments often have problems with their vestibular system: they can be clumsy and have difficulties in group games. Developing motor skills and the proprioceptive system helps the child better understand the surrounding world and develop speech," added Rysbaeva.
Tattygul Rysbaeva. The event dedicated to the International Day of Cochlear Implantation.
"Children who start hearing later initially perceive the world around them through sight. They memorize information visually. For example, at five years old, Alinur learned the multiplication table thanks to cartoons and visual learning. He has a special love for mathematics, he could easily count in Russian and English, performed addition and subtraction with ease, and worked with decimal and fractional numbers. However, his speech developed more slowly than his mathematical skills," noted his mother.
After fitting the hearing aids, they began to actively develop his vocabulary. They used visual cards, for example, showing how a window opens. "I would say a phrase and simultaneously show what 'open' and 'close' mean. Thus, a connection between the word and the action gradually formed," she explained.
During walks from home to kindergarten, they would name everything they saw: car, house, tree, grass, stone, sky. Through repetition, sometimes over the course of a week, the child would reinforce new words by hearing and feeling them.
Alinur. The event dedicated to the International Day of Cochlear Implantation.
This work requires the constant involvement of the whole family, emphasizes Rysbaeva.
"Only the full involvement of the family can lead to the successful rehabilitation of the child," she is convinced.It is also necessary to monitor the hearing aids, which require regular maintenance. "Batteries run out quickly. I always check the devices after work: can he hear, is everything okay? We clean them every two days, as earwax can clog the tube and hinder sound perception. The devices need to be dried properly and removed during sleep, opening the battery compartment so the device can 'rest' and not whistle," noted Tattygul Rysbaeva.
Tattygul Rysbaeva. The event dedicated to the International Day of Cochlear Implantation.
According to the mother, it is extremely important to explain to the child that these are his hearing aids, and no one has the right to touch them. He needs to be taught to tell other children that these are not headphones, but devices that help him hear.
"Once a classmate asked Alinur if they were headphones. My son calmly explained that these are hearing aids that help him hear," Rysbaeva noted.Before sending Alinur to school, she discussed his situation with the deputy principal and the class teacher, emphasizing the importance of an inclusive environment for his full development. "He is safe, he has no mental impairments, he is attentive and teachable. Usually, children with hearing impairments are directed to specialized institutions, but we were recommended a regular school for further development," she shared.
According to her, those around them react normally to her son's characteristics. They have not experienced overt discrimination. "Perhaps someone thinks something to themselves, but no one has expressed negative opinions out loud. This may be because I present my child as a full member of society. I never allow anyone to treat him with pity or condescension. On the contrary, I am stricter with him than with other children because if high expectations are not set, he may become lazy and stop developing," the woman shared.
Now Alinur independently completes his homework (except for complex word problems in mathematics) and helps his younger brother, who is in the first grade. He keeps track of his schedule, brings the necessary books, and helps with assignments. The boy feels responsible for his younger brother.
"It is important to note that before losing his hearing, Alinur reacted well to sounds. For example, he could hear from another room when we opened a soda bottle and would run in shouting: 'Cola, cola.' He could hear; he just lost his hearing later. We should be more humane, open, and kind to children and people with special needs," concluded Tattygul Rysbaeva.
