Deaf Parents' 2 Years Old Koda Kid Knows Three Sign Languages [ Doctor's Mistake!! ]

[@seektheworld2015]

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[@llamasugar5478]

I had a deaf student who was very adept at reading lips. When she disagreed with me, or didn’t want to “listen,” she would close her eyes. I’m afraid it made me chuckle. Every time.

[@samg873]

I'd probably laugh and keep babbling so she kept doing it. I gotta admit that's cute though. Better than her hitting

[@OunRukAyame]

That’s cute. ❤️

[@valerieh5400]

Haha how cute, thank you for sharing that ❤️

[@nomam7358]

Lol omg

[@ElectroSwingingIt]

Ahaha this is cute!!!

[@happyhorse1028]

When that girl is older she will be able to play her music as loud as she likes whenever she likes. Advantages in every situation.

[@mocktrialbabe]

Lmao but they will be able to feel the vibrations.

[@happyhorse1028]

@@mocktrialbabe true that.

[@eduardaarrais]

@@mocktrialbabe God damn it, there's the child listening to metal again!

[@Lifeafter40]

The vibrations wil bother the parents! Lol

[@happyhorse1028]

@@Lifeafter40 didn’t think of that

[@rafa1smyle]

I just love the fact that this video is silent. I mean, it's our time (hearing people) to adapt to semeone else's perspective in life!

[@Shahrezad1]

@@toofrozenn3909 Actually, as an Intervener who works one-on-one with students who are Deafblind (Visually Impaired and Hearing Impaired in one), we are encouraged to experience what it's like to not see or hear so that we can better assist our students and understand what their daily interactions with the world are like. You'd be surprised what walking a day in someone else's shoes does for you, including having more empathy and understanding.

[@lovelana3595]

Rafa, Funny to read your comment as I watch half or more videos regularly in silent w/cc instead of sound, including this video-I played it on silent🙃 I'm obviously Not deaf since the other half of videos I play with sound. I think sometimes I just don't want or need the noises. ✌️🙂

[@Debrasworldreviews]

I agree you can’t say you understand how it is when you don’t experience it to

[@SatumainenOlento]

It grows your compassion and empathy skills and that is very needed in human society!

[@kaitlinski493]

I do that almost every day anyway. Who doesn't?

[@alisonshanahan9529]

My youngest daughter was in primary school with a girl from a deaf family, the entire class learned sign language, it was fantastic, they could chat silently in class! The girls are now 21 and still friends. When they were in year 6, Maddy's mum had a hearing baby girl who was greeted with love and protectiveness. They didn't want her to become the family translator, they were quite able to do things themselves.

[@keepgettingbetter7155]

Kids are amazing.. they just love to learn and that's how they learn to love..

[@Jairdan]

I don't think it is bad to include a speech and language therapist... it's just another layer of help.... like the technology you use... It's not only about speaking, but managing different worlds for the little girl and it's great to have professionals help with that... we all need doctors and medicine from time to time... Services like physiotherapy , psychotherapy and speech are really common, but still have a negative stigma attached. Like blaming the parents, that they are not being able to do it all. But the best parents seek out help for their kids and take all the services they can get...

[@mcd08]

That part rubbed me off the wrong way ngl. As if therapy is something bad or something to be ashamed of. If she doesn't need the therapy, the therapist will assess that on, well, their first assessment! And if she does need it, then amazing! She'll be getting the help she needs to fully thrive as a CODA.

[@mimikai6808]

@@mcd08 hum... I don't think the "therapy" part if what mmrubned them the wrong way. It's the fact that someone who's hearing (the doctor) completely brushed off the consent of the parents, their opinion, or even the possibility for discussion around outside help. I'd bet that if the doctor had a more empathic approach and tried to work with the parents no one should have been offended. But since it's not what happened, the parents felt attacked.

[@mcd08]

@@mimikai6808 I hadn't quite picked up on the fact that the doctor brushed off the parents.

[@faithjolley6034]

The thing is that you wouldn't go to pt if you didn't need to. It would be a waste of your time. It can be expensive and if you don't need it, why would you take that away from someone who does? If the kid needed help, I'm sure that they would do that, but the doctor didn't even bring up those concerns with the parents, just went ahead and made the appointment. The parents should've been consulted on the matter and then chosen what they believed what was best for their child.

[@howcomeitsbeeping]

I get what you're saying, but as a pediatric speech therapist, I do not want to be an extra layer of support for a kid whose language is developing just fine. I'm not an English teacher. Doctors have no right to *require* speech therapy, either. I think that's the issue here. Most doctors have only a rudimentary understanding of speech and language development anyway, in spite of having very good intentions.

[@SailorYuki]

My son has severe speech delays and other issues with speech. He's fully hearing, as are his parents, i still taught him simple sign language so he could cummunicate. There's nothing wrong with his brain and he's now fluent in three languages. And knows words and phrases in a 4th. He's 5 and has been going to a speech therapist to learn to speak from the grund up. Your daughter is amazing, just remember that a speech therapist is an expert in speech and we have only a basic grasp of speech and talking. It may sound perfect to us, but a specialist may pick up stuff we can't hear or even think of. What the doctors did was wrong and disrespectful, but don't discount it off hand. The choise is still yours. You are both amazing parents to two beautiful children! Keep it up and stay safe!

[@KrissyRoseAnimallover]

Their daughter their choice

[@SailorYuki]

@@KrissyRoseAnimallover exactly. All I'm saying is not to write it off entirely, she might need it later on. I mean people keep telling me my son's speech is so good and how well he speaks, even though he has oralmotor dysfunction and talks/sounds like classic Donald Duck. Everyone kept telling me that his speech delay was normal for a bilingual child - it isn't normal for a child to say his first words at 3. It's still their child, their choice.

[@junbh2]

She can learn english much like the kids with spanish or russian or mandarin speaking parents do. As long as she has some people in her life who speak english with her a few hours every week, she will learn it. Usually kids learn better from interacting with others than from videos though.

[@duchess8762]

I was think the same thing, it is obvious that they are trying and putting that effort in, but videos are not the same as actual interactions. I mean I can not imagine that she will have a good way of learning tones from just videos.

[@Shahrezad1]

I think the parents mentioned that she spends time with both Deaf and Hearing children. Additionally, once she starts school it shouldn't be a problem at all. *shrugs*

[@wahidpawana424]

To each their own, IMO, sending the kid to preschool is the best option for any kids. They'll learn how to speak as they socialised and it will slowly chip off their shyness.

[@bellap.7038]

I was thinking the same thing! Even if she didn't speak English at all, she would learn it very quickly when they put her in kindergarten for hearing kids

[@blueberrymomo4497]

I’m more on the side of the parents rather than the forceful doctor, however I think it’s important to know that kids usually don’t want to learn a language they don’t need (as seen with kids raised bilingual). They often gradually stop speaking the second language once they see they don’t need it to communicate because it’s provided too rarely to really matter. Watching movies or videos is not enough as being able to understand but not speak is a real thing. So if they don’t have contact (especially now in quarantine) with non deaf people often enough their daughter ability to speak could stall or even degrade because she’s still little.

[@Rin-oo9pf]

I'm from Germany. In school I had a friend from Russia. At first she was unable to speek with me since she didn't know any German but she pick it up really fast and very soon spoke without any accent. It was really impressive. I always thought that she only spoke Russian but at some point I went and visited her at home. Both her parents were deaf. When asked how she picked up Russian she just shrugged, "Friends, school". That was in the 90s.

[@jmokj1635]

The parents seem more concerned with proving their doctor wrong than doing what’s in the best interest of the child.

[@ccheyenne]

The doctor clearly doesn't know that language is. In order to assess if her speech is developing adequately he would have to do the assessment in the child's native language, which is sign language. You can't assess a toddler's speech development in a foreign language, that doesn't make any sense from a language development perspective. So asking her questions in English and shrugging and saying she needs to go to an expert who will test her in English is clear ignorance on the doctor's part, I'd be angry too if my doctor were that ignorant, especially in this day and age where sign language acquisition has been extensively studied.

[@briannajohnson5912]

Yeah, they came off as very defensive to me, as if the doctor was questioning their parenting abilities because of their deafness, when in reality it was just a valid concern.

[@NelleBear]

And sadly their daughter will be the one to suffer any consequences. I'm sure as a deaf person they are both used to constantly defending their ability to do things like any normal hearing person, such as parenting, but why keep your child from a potentially helpful tool like a speech therapist? At least take her in once to make sure she's developing speech normally for her age; and making sure she's exposed to environments where sound is used as a method of communication is just as important as exposing her to other deaf children. No wonder the poor girl doesn't like to talk and is shy, she's probably so unaccustomed to her own voice and hearing others speak it makes her uncomfortable.

[@biancat7761]

You could just take her to the speech therapist once a year to make sure she is progressing and speaking as fluently as you think?

[@iberlo85]

Yeah I dont get 'the big injustice' doctors did to them...

[@ericbland2]

But if their hearing friends all say shes doing great. Whats the need? So they can diagnose her with something in order to make more money?

[@iberlo85]

@@ericbland2 When a child is with deaf parents it's obviously not getting the same practise as it is with hearing parents. Besides doctors should base their opinion on what they can test and measure not on what people want to see because it might hurt feelings otherwise.

[@biancat7761]

@@ericbland2 well I guess we don't know what the doctor would say? I just think like for the first few years having an annual check up just to make sure she's on the right track can't hurt? Parents could bring in some hearing friends to help them advocate their views? It's just insurance. Maybe the daughter is completely fine. I guess it doesn't matter too much anyway at the end of the day, once she hits school she'll be able to catch up quickly

[@kc510fog]

It’s more so about parents being allowed to advocate for what they know and believe to be best for their children. For instance, I have a friend with a daughter and when her girl was 2, my friend was greatly pressured to pursue autism services for her daughter. She knew her daughter wasn’t autistic, and three years later, she’s absolutely not. She’s a very smart girl and extremely sociable. She was delayed in beginning to speak but when she did start, she spoke in full sentences. Adversely, I know another child who has celiac. The mother swore from infancy gluten was a problem. She was fought at every appointment about cutting gluten out of her daughter’s diet, despite her what she observed and knew to be true and her daughter being healthy and meeting all milestones. She was pressured to finally introduce gluten and her daughter became very sick and stopped gaining weight until she removed it again. The point is that while doctors have expertise and knowledge we need and that should be valued, they do not get to see the full picture of a child and it becomes a problem when parents can no longer be the main advocate for what’s best for their child. As a mother myself, you have instincts that are kind of inexplainable but I’ve seen time and time again are practically never wrong (if your true intention is the best for your child.)

[@JDJensen80]

That doesn't answer if her spoken language is delayed. The doctor is absolutely right to ask to have her evaluated.

[@Fiery154]

I’m an SLP, I don’t think I would treat this as much more than having a child raised bilingually. Get both languages in before 5 years old, make sure she has exposure to both target languages, including live speakers (and signers!) And Maybe a check in annually with an SLP to make sure the articulation is progressing reasonably. It was absolutely unethical to thrust speech services on you without your consent nor participation. And all this over cautiousness while those same doctors tell kids with REAL language disabilities, stuttering or apraxia that they will “just grow out of it”

[@O2life]

I completely agree. It's like the days when American schools would track young children into remedial classes simply because their parents spoke another language at home. Bilingualism is an asset, not a deficit!

[@sawa1067]

@@O2life Hello Gretchen, how are you and your loved ones doing? This is what I thought of when you talk about "you'll grow out of it." It took me over 30 years to speak better. I started slt at age 12 with a school slp; the sessions were like for an hour twice a week. No slt after hs. And no high self esteem either. If my family had money, I probably would would have been immersed in rehabilitation therapy. But now that I grown looking at it in retrospect, I didn't speak in proper speech order thats why I was confusing. But it wasnt obvious, it was a "there is something wrong, but don't know what it is."

[@O2life]

@@sawa1067 I'm so sorry that all happened to you and you didn't get the help you needed and deserved as a child! Like Fiery said above, it's a huge problem when people assume a child will grow out of a speech difficulty. Seems like that's what happened when they ended your speech services before high school. And it's equally ridiculous that they insist a child of Deaf parents with no speech issues get speech services while children who really would benefit from them remain underserved. I hope things are going well for you now.

[@sawa1067]

@@O2life thank you for responding, I am glad you did. I still feel silly about my mistake. 😃 Things are better now than before. I am starting to not need tell strangers that I have an unique speech pattern. First sign of recovery. In direct response to your first comment: I didn't know that children are placed in different classes because of their parents language. Agree that bilingualism is asset. So much more can be done regarding that.

[@O2life]

@@sawa1067 That's awesome that you're gaining that confidence now! Yeah, it used to be standard practice that if your parents spoke another language, they'd put you in lower level classes. Terrible policy. It happens less these days, but it still does happen to some kids, especially in high school. It also used to be standard, at least in my state, to make every kid with a Spanish sounding last name take an English as a Second Language test, even if their family only ever spoke English. Another biased policy that wasted a lot of people's time. Best wishes to you! Thanks for this conversation.

[@tired1966]

Doctors need more education on language development and how the brain learns language. Speech is not language it is a way you express your language. You can also express with hands, writing, drawing, and gestures. English, Russian, ASL, Italian, etc are language. She is a cutie!

[@chaitaniyatiwari3491]

They are both amazing parents and the little girl too is really adorable but I think the doctor was just concerned about her speaking skills and hence suggested a therapy. If you don't agree with the doctor you can always consult another doctor but *"Do not listen what doctor says, follow your guts"* is very wrong!

[@ccheyenne]

The point here is that the doctor has no clue about what speech is. Sign language is a complete language, if the child can speak sign language in a developmentally appropriate way then she doesn't need a speech therapist, at least not at such a young age. If when she goes to school they pick up on secondary problems that are specific to English such as difficulties pronouncing some sounds, which a certain percentage of kids if all backgrounds can have, then it would be justified to send to a speech therapist. But the parents are right here, the doctor would have to send her to a speech therapist specializing in sign language for this to make any sense, as English is a foreign language and therefore the wrong language to assess the child in.

[@katywuste9054]

Drs do sometimes get it wrong but try to do what is in the child’s best interests. Going to speech therapy isn’t a bad thing, it assesses her speech so she can get any help needed or confirms that her speech is normal for her age and can be discharged. Better that than leaving her until school and discovering her speech is delayed or her pronunciation is off. There will be challenges as she gets older and as much as the parents don’t think they have a disability, they live in a world where deafness is perceived as a disability

[@ccheyenne]

But the child isn't deaf and her native language is sign language, so she should be assessed in sign language to see if her language acquisition is developmentally appropriate. Pronunciation is important but as long as she's spending time with people who speak English she's hearing the sounds. The doctor should have advised that they send her to preschool after asking the parents the questions relative to her use of speech at home, which is how children that age are usually assessed. He showed great ignorance here.

[@doubleT84]

@@ccheyenne Actually, the parents show ignorance. If you go at it from the point of view, that her "first language is sign language", you are really dismissing the natural first form of communication, which is vocal. Newborns scream when they are hungry or in any other way uncomfortable.

[@Meggsie]

Iiidk, I feel like prejudice is swinging both ways here. Speech therapy isn't a bad thing and you don't want to teach your kid that seeking help like that means you're disabled or less than. Friends often sugar coat situations like this so I wouldn't depend on them to check my work. Your child's ability to use all of her active senses is more important than your pride.

[@howcomeitsbeeping]

I understand what you're saying, but I also do not want doctors prescribing speech therapy for kids who aren't delayed - especially those who are simply bilingual. It's not true that my services will benefit all children, just like taking tylenol won't do anything useful if you're not in pain. At that point I'm billing insurance $70 an hour to make cats out of playdough.

[@anechkagee5372]

@@howcomeitsbeeping not really. After a couple of sessions you can tell the parents that all is good and your services are not needed. This way everyone is reassured and not much time and money is wasted. I think most often children miss important therapy rather than overdo it. It's a rare case of this family.

[@romrom920]

@@howcomeitsbeeping Amen! I went to speech therapy bc a doctor was convinced my speech skills couldn't have developed correctly bc I had hearing loss and mixed ASL in with my speech. The speech therapist spent 3 sessions rolling a ball back and forth with me and concluded my speech was fine and like most bilingual kids I just didn't see the point in picking only one language. It was a waste of everyone's time lol.

[@tg7112]

Did anyone else try to increase their volume several times? Lol. This such a beautiful story

[@nekonao9471]

As much as I appreciate the parents, I think doctor made a right decision. They can be really good at teaching but a little side help could be helpful for her

[@bridgettejohnson9085]

I’m a CODA and also an interpreter. Your daughter is blessed that she has technology to learn from 😊. I was raised in the 90s and during that time technology is not the same as it is today. Looking forward to seeing more from you all 🤟🏾😊.

[@Markaztasheelatjalil]

What's a CODA?

[@bridgettejohnson9085]

@@Markaztasheelatjalil it stands for Child Of A Deaf 🧏‍♀️ Adult. Either one or both of the parents are Deaf. It’s possible for Deaf parents to end up having children that can talk & hear or Deaf like them. Some Deaf Parents teach their children how to sign to have room for communication & some find other alternatives. Hope this helps 😊!

[@Markaztasheelatjalil]

@@bridgettejohnson9085 Thank you so much! Though I myself do not have any deaf people in my direct circle, I remember one of my students bringing her parents to a Parents-Teacher-Meeting, and communicating with them in Sign Language. I was truly awed, especially because in that part of the world where i happen to live teaching sign language, learning it and actually using it is still rather uncommon. so, Kudos to all such families

[@scrappymom7881]

I agree that because they were deaf, they understood that better than the Dr. And the Dr should have comprised more with them. But I did not like the 'don't trust your doctor' comment. Not all Dr's know everything but they are better in their field than we are. If you come across a Dr who refuses to work with you, then find one who will. But negating Dr's in general is not right either.

[@geetanjalichauhan3902]

Absolutely. There is no harm in proceeding with the docs advice. In their own world they forgot the their daughter might have different likes. Just the way they forgot to turn the mic on or didn’t feel like giving her an opportunity to speak.

[@anechkagee5372]

Exactly! I thought the same thing. It seems like they're offended and overreacting.

[@sarahsauseda8069]

Wow, actually had a similar case once before (I'm a Speech Pathologist). Doctor referred for concerns with hearing child's language development. Mother was Deaf and they both lived in a Deaf community. Kid often stayed with Grandma, who was hearing, so he got great exposure to both languages. I was able to assure parent he was on the right track, and that doctors concerns were unwarranted. Love this video. Very educational on a type of speech/language Difference and not a Disability!

[@savannahs8914]

She probably didn't "start speaking" and babbling/copying her parents the way hearing children do, since they don't speak, but almost certainly had avenues of communication at an even younger age than most hearing kids

[@delaneywhitaker8617]

Babies learning a signed language do babble - just with their hands! It happens at about the same time developmentally as for babies learning spoken languages, and (because they’re babies) is super cute :)

[@StephanieBethany]

Even deaf children babble with their mouth/voice - many parents don't believe their child is deaf because of this. And like the other person said, they will start using signs as well!

[@maikolosav]

Why didn't they let her speak in this video? I was expecting that...

[@savannahs8914]

They probably don't bother turning the mic on. They never have to edit out white noise

[@maikolosav]

@@savannahs8914 yes but the point is that she can speak! So in a video about her being able to speak one would expect to hear her!

[@MinimiMax]

@@maikolosav They literally just told in the video that she's shy and doesn't want to speak. I don't think a camera in her face would help with that problem.

[@margothutton]

I find it interesting that this comment says: "let" her speak. The doctors didn't believe the Deaf parents. I didn't need to hear her speak to believe the parents.

[@mikhalterentiev8799]

@@margothutton I totally agree! I feel that people don't need to prove everything. If you don't believe a person, ask yourself why? Maybe you will learn and discover something about yourself.

[@nikolnolastname4473]

I know this isn't the same but I know many people, some related to me, that grew up in Spanish only households and they still learned English even though all their interactions were with Spanish speakers. Kids are adaptable and we shouldn't underestimate them.

[@screamingpiano]

Exactly. I grew up in a household that only spoke Chinese. I went to kindergarten aged 3 and within a few months I could completely understand what the teachers were saying in English.

[@damariscruz1662]

@@screamingpiano Same here! (But Portuguese)

[@naukanaukowo9671]

But it's different if you had a contact with any spoke lenguage and none at all. It's all about a development of some parts of your brain that are responsible for understanding speech.

[@ccheyenne]

@@naukanaukowo9671 Actually it's not different at all, sign languages are complete languages, so children who grow up in deaf households are exposed to language and learn it just fine. Then, when they go to school they learn a new, foreign language. They're bilingual, it's not a big deal that their native language isn't a spoken one because all the developmental milestones still happen at the same time.

[@zoeporter2195]

Children don’t learn languages from tv. Many studies show that full access to speech and language needs social learning. Working with hearing impaired children everyday I see the struggles they have when at school and later when trying to go into the workplace. It’s great she can sign but she needs to be around hearing people too in order to develop all her speech

[@KrissyRoseAnimallover]

That’s wrong I learnt Spanish from Dora so you totally wrong

[@trevlikely6012]

the mother said she spends time around hearing people. the child is not hearing impaired, her experience is no different from, say, the child of immigrants who speaks a different language at home but grows up speaking english everywhere else

[@lightningbug3189]

@@KrissyRoseAnimallover You learned to be conversational or fluent in Spanish from Dora the Explorer?

[@BunnysChoices]

@@lightningbug3189 I did with Simpsons in english tbh

[@lightningbug3189]

@@BunnysChoices As a teen/young adult or a young child?

[@marquisdehoto1638]

Isn't it better to make sure she learns to talk property than realising later that she has trouble? And you don't hear her talk....so you have no idea if her speech is delayed or not.

[@ccheyenne]

No, you don't hear her talk, you see her talk! Her native language is sign language, that's the language you have to check her language development in. English is a foreign language that she'll learn formally once she starts school, there is no point in sending her to a speech therapist unless they are going to test her in sign language. That is the whole point here, I honestly can't believe how many people missed that entirely.

[@marquisdehoto1638]

@@ccheyenne Still... life is a lot easier when you can talk. I mean if your parents come from a different country and only speak a different language ... you also don't isolate them until they start school with learning the language of the country.

[@ccheyenne]

@@marquisdehoto1638 Obviously, but that is not the point here. The point is that the doctor decides the kid needs a speech therapist for absolutely no reason; having deaf parents has no negative effect on language acquisition as long as the child is a) learning language (sign language is a complete language, and babies who learn sign language show all the same language milestones, except using hands instead of voice, so language is being acquired normally) and b) exposed to spoken language regularly so that they learn the sounds early and acquire the sounds, which is pretty much unavoidable unless the family lives isolated far away from the rest of society. Everything in the video shows that the little girl has everything in place to learn English just fine when she starts school, the whole KZbin videos thing is the parents making sure she's hearing the sounds used in spoken English regularly, but crucially at home she is already immersed in an environment where language is present and constantly being used. She simply is going to be bilingual, with English as a second language which she will learn just fine as she's been hearing it from others since birth. Personally, if I were the doctor, I would have recommended starting daycare sooner than later so that she picks up English more easily, but that's it. Speech therapy is nonsense unless the parents have specifically picked up issues with her language acquisition in her native language, which is sign language. The doctor is just being super ignorant here about what language is and how it's learned.

[@doubleT84]

@@ccheyenne sign language is her parents first and natural language. Not hers. Her first and natural form of communication is vocal and audio based. And the moment that is ignored, it's imposed on her against her instincts.

[@ccheyenne]

@@doubleT84 Young children rely on gestures first and start using words later, so you're actually wrong. Plus nobody is saying that she shouldn't learn English, what I'm saying is that her native language, that is, the language that she learned first and uses at home, is sign language, so that's the language that you have to evaluate her in to see how her language acquisition is progressing.

[@realdezb_fletch1785]

The personnel who does the sign language for the Jamaican government was born to both deaf parents...she is hearing, and speaks very eloquently. tech is not the only way. Neither is speech therapist. Keep going, parents. You're doing well as you are. Her fellow hearing friends will fill the gaps the edu shows don't.

[@KrissyBeeTv]

Jamaican here too. This is stop on

[@pluna3382]

Just because they aren't the only options doesn't mean they aren't viable. Be open to advice, not be sensitive and stubborn

[@karalawrence792]

I love this! As a speech language pathologist, I feel SO fortunate that I took sign language classes in college, at UT from Deaf professors. They opened my eyes, changed my world view. No, deaf people are not disabled. Your language is vibrant, complex, has its own “grammar” system. It’s beautiful! Good for you for standing up for your daughter. What an amazing gift to give her of knowing sign language. She’s precious. And she will learn English just fine, through exposure just like other English as a second language learners.

[@kathrinmariakrause5351]

"Don't listen to doctors" What a dangerous advice! And speech therapist aren't devils. They are professionals and it doesn't do any harm to have them evaluate if and what a child might need to learn speechwise. The way a therapist analyses speech and breathing patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation etc. is something an everyday person simply can't do. You can follow your guts in a lot of ways, but to blatantly disregard professional advice just because of your own pride - seems dangerous to me.

[@mollytremblay8031]

Great job parents!! I spent my adult life in the medical field. Some physicians don't understand a lot and expect people to blindly follow their orders. I hope you found another doctor. Your children will be ahead if all the other kids. The more languages children learn the better. 🤗🤗

[@HelloNewMoon]

Omg that dude signed ASL w/ a Russian accent and thats the coolest thing I have ever seen in a long ass time

[@jinbe-san]

Sorry if this is ignorant, but how do you sign with an accent?

[@HelloNewMoon]

@@laurencej7792 he mentioned his daughter signs to his mother in RSL so this implied he was probably fluent in RSL himself. He also dropped pronouns and conjunctions often dropped by folks who are speaking English as a second language with an eastern European language as their first language.

[@HelloNewMoon]

@@jinbe-san he mentioned his daughter signs to his mother in RSL so this implied he was probably fluent in RSL himself (Russian Sign Language). He also dropped pronouns and conjunctions often dropped by folks who are speaking English as a second language with an eastern European language as their first language. This gave his ASL the appearance of being signed with an RSL “accent” where particular parts of speech are missing or in an identifiable order. I suppose living around or knowing English speaking people with eastern euro accents would make it easier to notice. Basically he signed exactly the way you would imagine someone with that type of accent to construct a sentence.

[@alejandroojeda1572]

That's so cool

[@ginavallefuoco4428]

"Do not do what doctors say, follow yout gut" I get your point and I believe you to be wonderful parents but that phrase, no thanks

[@amyt3949]

Context is important, they appear to be saying in the case of specialist and doing things without their consent, trust your gut not doctors, (not that all doctors are bad.) On that I agree as a wheelchair user doctors are way too quick to override what I am saying because if my disabilities. It seems that is a similar issue in the deaf community. This family are doing a great job, that child is happy, healthy and will thrive! More power to them diversity is so wonderful!

[@anechkagee5372]

Exactly! The doctor was fully reasonable in their concern.

[@maggieshakalaka]

I love this video and they are both visibly very loving and involved parents who raise their daughter well. I am however more than concerned about the notion to not listen to the doctor and follow your guts instead. Yes, also doctors can have prejudice and they only see a small snippet of what's happening but they act out of experience and knowledge. There are many instances where doctors do know better than parents, and what a doctor says should at least be considered. If in doubt it can always be checked with a second specialist.

[@taylorhorrelldavis496]

There is a Pastor named Ed Newton, and his parents were both deaf yet he could hear. He talks about how people wondered the same thing about him, how he could learn to talk, but he did.

[@margothutton]

IKR? Makes total sense. Kids with or without youtube will hear speech from those around them. It doesn't have to be from their parents. A professor told me years ago that doctors tend to think things are harder than they usually are because they only see the people who are struggling. If you're not struggling you wouldn't see a doctor.

[@joycecarolyn1]

I love this ❤️❤️ and shame on me for checking my volume when the video started... I’ve always loved signed language and wanted to learn... I’m 55 years old now and I feel it is too late... This couple is very encouraging... Keep up the good work mom and dad.

[@dalemills8052]

Never too late. Promise.

[@jennbob8978]

I am hearing with hearing parents and I still needed speech therapy. Still have trouble with some words but I have a doctorate. I don't know why you are acting like speech therapy would be so horrible. Your doc is trying to set her up for success just they way you are.

[@drogadepc]

Maybe try to advise them politely instead of assume their child won't be able to speak?

[@jennbob8978]

@@drogadepc discounting an opinion, particularly a professional one, because it wasn't polite enough is immature. Understandable but immature. Besides they didn't say he said she wouldn't speak, rather concerns about delays in verbal communication.

[@datatheandroid4195]

@@jennbob8978 delay in speech is normal in bilingual kids like her, me and all my siblings were a little delayed for the same reason, so yeah I don't get why they were mad the doc would assume that would happen, especially if the kid wouldn't talk in front of the doctor. This whole video had a terrible message, especially because not all kids are the same and some might need a little help to learn a language they don't hear at all at home but that they will need in life. If not a speech specialist at least an English teacher, it's not an insult to say "help your kid, she has to learn two languages instead of one like the rest", they were terribly childish to dismiss it. Fortunately at school she will talk and sure she will catch up.

[@alittleimagination9023]

Yeah, just be careful what she watches. I know a few times my little siblings picked stuff that looked like it was for kids at first glance, but it had a curse words in it.

[@doubleT84]

What's the problem with curse words? Part of the language...

[@SerbAtheist]

Sorry, but with all due respect the parents are in the wrong here. Screens are NOT a good way to pick up a new language. You need live interaction to properly acquire a language.

[@duchess8762]

I understand where the doctor was coming from. I was born slightly deaf and my family did not find out until I was three-ish. When you are learning to speak, you speak what you hear. So I wasn't speaking correctly. I had to go to speech therapy and I was behind in english/reading. So I totally understand where the doctor was coming from. Even if she is getting that technology experience, it doesn't mean she is getting enough of it or is fully understanding the structure of it. I would think that even if she is shy, she should still go to speech therapy just for an expert to fully say that everything is okay. Plus an expert can give you advise that might come in handy.

[@realdezb_fletch1785]

I just hope to politely point out that where you were born with a hearing deficiency, this little girl herself was not. She has deaf parents. That's all. The two experiences are not similar. She can hear well enough. Her speech will probably sound like that of her educational shows. Kind of how I don't sound like my family (we're all hearing, far as I know) since I learnt most of my words and numbers by watching shows like Sesame Street and Barney, etc

[@duchess8762]

@@realdezb_fletch1785 My point was, that you learn to speak from what you are hearing, she might be learning from technology, but that does take out the physical aspect of speaking, she can not converse with the TV or KZbin. Technology is just not the same as actually getting to converse with others on a regular basis.

[@realdezb_fletch1785]

@@duchess8762 that is assuming that she has no hearing friends, her parents not sending her to a hearing school even though they KNOW she can hear...based on the video, I'm not going to make those assumptions. Why should the parents not be allowed to know how to teach their child? Doctors are people too, and they make mistakes like everybody else. It seems you original evaluation was thorough, but the parents said they weren't asked anything. The assumption was made they were incapable just by looking them over. Where is the fair and equal treatment?

[@duchess8762]

@@realdezb_fletch1785 Perhaps the doctor is wrong, but what is the harm of sending your kid to a speech therapy. Those are the true experts, and plus even if the speech therapist does not think the child needs to return, the speech therapist can give advice to continue her progress.

[@realdezb_fletch1785]

@@duchess8762 if I can afford it, there is no harm... But if it's not necessary, even if I could afford it, it seems like a waste. If I can't afford it, the waste can cause harm since the family may become in debt...but I think I'm understanding your point to an extent

[@moondancer7993]

Pretty sure the reason why the dr said she wouldnt learn language properly is bc tv and computers have a negative impact on toddlers and infants causing problems in language development, reading, memory, sleep, and attention span. Hopefully they have the little girl in a program to learn from hearing people as well.

[@denisedspain7991]

That’s not true. I have seen many kids learn by leaps and bounds by watching KZbin videos. That’s BS.

[@moondancer7993]

@@denisedspain7991 Well considering I got this information from the AAP I think its a bit more credible than you know kids who watch youtube. I'm not saying people dont learn from KZbin. My 6yo neice and 4yo nephew love youtube, but using it to learn language under the age of 2y is another story. Learning language after 2yo is also going to be much harder too bc their primary language is already set. The drs concerns were very legitimate. Thats why he has a degree and knows more about child development than average people do.

[@lovemusic8176]

@@denisedspain7991 a child cannot learn to communicate by KZbin alone

[@Xenia2812]

@@moondancer7993 oh that bloody APP crap. My daughter has a tablet and watchs and KZbin she can count in spanish without is even teaching her. It has taught her so much ontop of us teaching. Technology is small doses is amazing for children. Its if u got them sat in front if a tele all day watching something with no educational value that causes issues.

[@moondancer7993]

@@Xenia2812 Oh so you have a degree and have studied this more than people with degrees that have studied this. Cool.

[@jenniesmythe8188]

I think the mom took offense to what the doctor was saying. But I'm glad doctor showed concern. I'm sure it often happens. If a child is practice or hearing speech then they may have a delay. I'm glad their child is learning thats all that matters.

[@slowfire2]

You had a solution. But also -there are so much oral languages available and hearing families. She could spend time with hearing, oral language people easily had pick it up that way.

[@O2life]

According to the narrative, there are hearing people in their lives who had spoken with Octavia and assured her parents she was speaking fluently.

[@pippiriksfjord7888]

Such a cute and smart kid!! In general I would love to see doctors and professionals just as focused and worried about how deaf kids with hearing parents will learn proper signing, as they are focused on how hearing kids of deaf parents is gonna learn proper speech.

[@LuYunong]

Plus when she starts going to school she will be fine honestly. They aren’t wrong...

[@KT-wr7ju]

Precious little girl, what a unique upbringing she has, and an opportunity to develop talents that will potentially give her leadership qualities that are rare. I know someone who grew up with both parents deaf and she is not, and what a brilliant person she is, relating very personally to everyone she comes in contact with. May God bless you and your precious daughter.

[@randomvintagefilm273]

She's a blessed little girl with two intelligent, caring parents.

[@SweetPeachannel]

Definitely finding second opinion doctor sometime is a good way!

[@MPG-ub5ke]

The problem is they're too defensive to accept the reasonable GP's help, & seem to resent that their child is hearing. The reality is that she's getting significantly less vocal language exposure than other kids, which isn't in her best interests.

[@romrom920]

No, the problem is that a doctor took a 1 year old acting shy as evidence that she couldn't speak and then didn't bother listening to her parents at all bc he had written them off as deaf. Considering the bias speech therapy as a field has against deaf people, I also can't blame the parents for not wanting to send their daughter if it isn't necessary.

[@zm2203]

@@romrom920 the doctors assumption was very reasonable. Here you have a child with deaf parents. Children primarily learn how to speak by emulating their parents but she can't do that. The parents then insist that she can speak but the little girl is too shy to speak at the moment. The doctor hasn't heard her speak and the doctor knows she is at risk for delayed speech so the doctor recommends therapy

[@romrom920]

@@zm2203 The point is that she was 1 and the only reason the doctor ignored her parents was bc he didn't respect deaf culture or ASL as an actual language. Plenty of children of hearing parents can't speak at 1, but no one is throwing them in therapy. Deaf people have been raising speaking CODAs for centuries, without them needing speech therapy just like immigrants have been raising english speaking children for centuries without therapy.

[@Hankandrex]

Incredible! This young lady will have a bright future!

[@Angelica-go5ml]

My son was mixing English and Spanish and the pediatrician sends him to speech therapy. Over there they told me he doesn't have any delay, which is normal because in the home you speak one language, and outside he is exposed to another. Is a lot of misinformation and prejudice outside. This case of course is amazing. Great example !

[@pugsabi]

When I was a toddler, the doctors thought I had delayed speech because I didn't like to talk. My mother spoke Spanish in the house and my father spoke English. I was just shy and bilingual.

[@stefanyzambrano7325]

Great video!!😄❤️ You are right to believe in your daughter and not everything the doctor tells you. Even they don’t understand the Deaf culture and sign language actually aids in the development of communication.

[@pinkbaronpink]

Keep up the good work parents. Mom's and dad's have an intuition. Go with it. Do your best. God will also guide in what is good for us and our families. I graduated in Deaf Education and I remember learning that (generally) any child that is learning two (or more) languages may have a delay because they have to figure out when each language is used in which situation but once that is figured out, they exceed expectations. Best wishes to all moms and dads. Keep loving and working together with your loved ones. We all need more love, ❤❤ support and non judgment. Hugs!

[@ardisla3]

Knowing a couple who are both Deaf with 4 hearing children, I honestly didnt consider how they might have taught their kids speech, but was impressed with how well all four could sign/speak for those of us who dont have ASL skills & knowledge. Kudos to you for following your gut & sharing your experiences.

[@bettyerickson6162]

My daughter wasn't deff yet learn sign language, English and Spanish. In that order. I felt that even thou she wasn't deff it was good to know. I became deff in and out because of infection in inerear. I had friends that was deff. Learning all good. Am so glad to see your daughter do the same. Good job for her and you.

[@kaylawarner5487]

I want to learn sign language so bad. This inspiring video reminded me that I need to take an intro course asap

[@lovemusic8176]

To all parents who are offered speech and language therapy... take it! They wouldn’t offer if they didn’t truly believe the child needed it and even if you don’t feel it’s necessary, it won’t do any harm. I don’t know why there is such a stigma around this, speech therapy is there to support your child’s language development, there’s no judgment 🤷‍♀️

[@rachel4339]

You need to understand deaf culture to understand where these parents are coming from. I don't think it's about stigma against therapy.

[@lovemusic8176]

@@rachel4339 I get what you’re saying. I do have some understanding of deaf culture, I am qualified up to level 3 in BSL and all of my tutors were deaf. I realise the parents feel they were being stereotyped but the doctor wasn’t able to assess the daughter’s spoken language because she was so shy and if the parents are saying she has learned to speak from KZbin videos that would be a red flag! The doctor did the right thing by referring her to speech and language therapy and I stand by my original comment that any parent who is offered this for their child should take it.

[@anechkagee5372]

@@lovemusic8176 same! I feel like the doctor did the right thing. There's no way she could know that they are different or special in any way. Erring on the safe side could've saved this kid's life if she DID actually need it.

[@anechkagee5372]

@@rachel4339 it seems that the parents may be right in this case and could be wrong in other cases. It seems like they're more concerned about being offended and stereotyped than a real concern of their child's well being. For one family like this that turned out to be right there are ten that are wrong and refusing help because they're butthurt.

[@Violentpitsa5501]

Parents believe they know better than the experts. Incredible and perfect.

[@lakshmimuralidharan8294]

Amazing family! My best wishes! I think that the doctor was really concerned.

[@laramatthews2082]

What an incredibly blessed little girl to have such good and abled parents!

[@mos5139]

The Doctor gave proper professional advice. Had he not given the advice you wouldn't have tried and gotten these results

[@leonasocute2682]

Hi that was lovely to watch my child learn sign language to at school he isn't deaf but has learning difficulty he did very well with reading just recently I think he is slowly catching up I think the sign language has helped him a lot within reaching new goals and a different way of understanding I think without it he would still struggle more I shall carry on practicing to help him more in the future

[@janellejames4526]

Irina and Justin you have a beautiful family. Take care. Love and Hugs from Australia. ❤️❤️🐨❤️❤️

[@shekharck1241]

Bless you guys. You have a happy and beautiful child. Thanks for sharing.

[@gaurabbch]

I am just loving the mother's expression. Not everytime you need sounds to express yourself.

[@Amy-qc2qq]

She's so beautiful and very lucky to be growing up bilingual - she's clearly benefiting for it. At the same time, just because that's worked for this family doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Doctors are there to help - they had a bad experience and it was good they stuck to what they knew was right, but telling people not to listen to doctors seems a bit irresponsible. I've seen that several times on disability forums ... "your doctor doesn't know ..." Most doctors are smart people and they do care about us, they're trying to help.

[@greggmhire185]

With such wonderful parents she has a very bright future.!

[@ThomasFamilyLife]

I love it, I studied ASL in college and have an affinity for the Deaf Community...in 2021 you can fully take control of your education and should be allowed to...though Doctors are smart, some dont have common sense. This family is the picture perfect family of anti-disability treatment. We in this will have a normal life, our normal is just different from your normal, but this is America and we have the freedom to create our own path.

[@karenhetherington1989]

God bless this little girl her life will be richer, fuller and more meaningful because of the diversity she is experiencing in her everyday life. - And in turn this world will be more blessed because of her empathy and understanding.🤗💞🌺👏

[@YalisCommunity]

I speak 2 fluent languages spanish and English and can understand a few other languages like Portuguese and Italian. I was raised in an all spanish household but learned other languages through technology and later on experiences. Not because you have parents that do not speak something doesn’t mean you cannot learn it. Glad to see this video. Very educational for many. Thanks for sharing.!

[@rachelkunz611]

Such a beautiful family ❤️ that little girl is adorable!

[@rachelrenee24601]

She’s a CODA! Child of deaf adult. I have yet to meet a CODA that is behind or has a speech issue or a delay. Though many of them tend to be in high level organizing and collating of data or supplies on a massive scale. Makes me wonder if there’s something about being a CODA, that makes their brain more apt at computer interfaces. Like being a child of both worlds, their brain translates the back and forth similar to how it processes code and data. Which makes them naturals at those jobs.

[@jennb1152]

Not mad at the Doctor who recommended speech therapy as a basic first step. 🙄 A lot of children are recommended for different therapies just to make sure they are progressing in the right way. Videos are great but they are not as interactive as real life humans. That is great that she has been able to keep up without vocal parents in the home but not every child would have the same outcome just like anything else.

[@anechkagee5372]

Exactly! The doctor did the right thing, erring on the safe side. Nothing wrong with that. Not all parents are as creative as these ones and some can totally make a misstep and then say: " But the doctor didn't warn us!". Doctors are not all powerful authorities- they give advice based on their current expertise. Sometimes they're wrong, and often they're right.

[@laliepopp]

Doctors seems to have the information wrong when it is deaf culture. Because they don't live it, they read it. Im hard of hearing i taught myself and my son 6 languages. He also started reading at 2.

[@ruralbaby1921]

Listen to your doctors guys. If you're unsure get a second opinion instead.

[@diydame7863]

This child is blessed. She has two intelligent loving parents. God bless your future sweetheart.

[@jessicagrace625]

Wonderful to read about this. Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@jessiethompson2833]

I am coda as well and I grew up in a genetically deaf family. My mom was the 3rd generation to be deaf and had a hearing kid (me). I grew up just like any other child with amazing speech. I had a 4.0 GPA all throughout school and had no issues in learning. Deaf parents are just as successful or even more successful than hearing parents.

[@briannajohnson5912]

Were both of your parents deaf? At what age did you learn how to speak?

[@SadeWithTheReceipts]

OMGOODNESS why did I have to try an edible today? 🤦🏽‍♀️😩 I thought I caught the deafness as if it’s contagious, because I watched this entire video and couldn’t hear shit. It was on mute the entire time 😩🙌🏽 this is a beautiful family tho. I can see them, which is ironic because I’m as blind as a bat 🤔

[@luwang2544]

So impressed with these two parents. May God bless your beautiful family xx

[@sofiaaimearaoz5925]

Absolutely love their determination and confidence in their abilities and what's best for their child. We need more of THOSE. Inspiring!

[@TallerdeVitrales]

Thankyou for sharing! beautiful family🥰

[@courtneyscrazy5437]

👍 I love this so much. I want to study ASL. I know several signs to help my deaf customers when I work in a grocery store Deli. I would love to learn more and teach my daughter!

[@mrs.christina111]

Doctors always assume they know what is best. I loved this story reminded me of my own! My hearing baby was a bit delayed like her brother in her speech with "words" but could clearly recognize and say letters and numbers...I knew that it didn't need to be rushed and would come in her own time...& when it did, it did quickly...I choose not to go to any extra therapies and decided we don't need to rush every milestone it is not a race...let it come naturally when it is time...

[@patriciabeatty8205]

Wow! Love this story. You two make beautiful babies 💕

[@Gehslol]

Children have been shown to need to communicate to practice language. If she cannot practice verbal communication... To speak AND get feedback based off her spoken words, then she might lag behind her peers... But that's all i think. Just a lag haha

[@abbieprice3430]

It’s 2022, so Octavia would be five or six by now! I’ll betcha her vocabulary in those languages has grown since then!

[@tasleemahmed4356]

Wow! Great parents! Great thinking and disagreeing with the dr! They followed their gut!

[@nomam7358]

Oh wonderful. So they could see by her actions that she is not deaf so had 2 find a way to spk 2 the Dr abt it n educate her as well. Nice 👌🏽

[@codexcursors]

I can speak two languages and learn one if I want to, but this girl has deaf parents and knows three languages at 2 years old, I feel like this girl is gonna become extremely talented.

[@TheHoffy59]

I am glad you did not listen to the doctors. I am hearing but a friend of the deaf community. Keep doing what you are doing. I wish I was trilingual at such an early age. I am assuming (correct me, please) that you are also Russian. Good for you.

[@introvertsrock9843]

Reminds me a client. Same situation. Their kid is now 10 and can sign & speak in 2 languages.

[@megane376]

Daughters are precious and fragile gifts of God.. It's remarkable that their little girl is a linguist while they are both deprived of speech and sound.. I'm so proud of the parents they'll have a superb baby girl who is able to learn sign language and gets to share it with other people who aren't disabled and with "depth" using three different language advantage.

[@trasihtw2026]

You two are completely Amazing parents. You are strong and inspiring. This video made me cry. What a Beautiful Daughter that will not be held back by Anything. God Bless.

[@rochellevanwey8487]

I always want to learn sign language.

[@Jen.E]

Do it!! 😃 Take a class and I'm sure KZbin has how-to vids.

[@Shahrezad1]

My favorite resource is "Lifeprint". They have KZbin videos and an online dictionary that is constantly being updated. 👍

[@Pastellum]

I always wanted to learn also I feel like it’s interesting so next year I’m gonna be taking asl as one of my electives in school.

[@rochellevanwey8487]

@@Jen.E I have looked and saved videos on sign language.

[@leticiapalomimo6704]

Wow what a family!! Perfect.

[@namehcvl4884]

I was born in 1962, my parents are deaf. They were concerned that I wasn't using much of my voice. My aunt had explained to thm that I wasn't using my voice when I was using sign language to communicate wth thm. Thn they put me in a day care program. Things began to change for me. Was very diff at first but in time I started to use my voice. There def wasn't technology bck thn. Ur daughter knowing 3 languages at that age is amazing. U have a beautiful family. 🙏😊👌👍🤟

[@naukanaukowo9671]

It's like they can't accept they are disabled in some way, and go as far as not giving their child proper care just to prove the doctor wrong. It's obvious she doesn't has as much practice as other kids, bc parents don't speak to her, it's worth checking up on the progress ocne in the while

[@jayasreedevasena7436]

Excellent parents. You can hear to heart beat and feelings. Thst is more than enough. I salute you