Check the video at the end!
When you have a child with hearing loss, you are constantly looking for results....looking for a sign that “she heard that,” “he got that,” “she said that!” Before a child learns to talk, they require a great deal of listening. A baby with normal hearing will have to take 12 months to listen before they begin to talk. So when your baby gets the hearing aids, and you are doing all the activities you’re supposed to, and you’re applying all the right strategies, and you’re going to all the appointments..... you just want them to catch up quick! In the midst of all the doing is what seems like a vast wasteland of waiting. Waiting for that first sign that he or she was listening, that first word, that first two-word combination can be the most difficult part of parenting during the AVT process.
What is it that YOU are waiting for? Waiting for her to sing her first song? Waiting for him to play with a toy appropriately? Waiting for her to stop screaming every time you take her to the grocery store? Waiting for him to finally hit the ball when he’s at bat? Waiting for her to express herself in a natural, conversational way?
I think there is some element of fear that can lurk deep inside while you wait for whatever it is you’re waiting for. Fear that it just might not happen. There may be times where you feel guilty for even hoping that he or she will get it. Am I even supposed to have hopes this high?
In AVT, we make each session diagnostic in some way. Each session, moms, dads are keeping track of what the child is doing, and if s/he has met a goal. AVT moms and dads always know what they are aiming toward. The catch is that there is some waiting required while you are doing all the AVT stuff you’ve become so good at. But the encouraging part of AVT is that we check off all the small goals the child has met along the way, and celebrate each one. The waiting is filled with small victories. And before you know it.....you're there.
In AVT - we keep on building..... believing there is a reason.
Many parents say that they experience some measure of peace by reminding themselves that, "I'm still holding onto that gigantic hope, but the moment I'm in right now is pretty darn good too." Engage in the activities with your child...pause.....breathe......enjoy where you are, be in the moment. Humbly be in the moment. These are the days, pictures, memories that you will look back on and smile.
Its all part of the creation of your life's BEST work - your child and the journey.
