Hearing Loss isn't a Crutch

When we learned of Brayden's hearing loss at the end of the last school year (First grade), we were shocked. Well, that's when it was noticed by his teacher. He started second grade and I told his teacher we thought he was attention seeking. I had to eat my words. He was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy, just like Bryce. 

We thought his grades would decline through the year. It was an awful feeling to know that you would have to watch your child "fail". Well, he didn't fail. He's a bright kid and he did well. He maintained A's all year. I still can't believe it. 

At one point, I pushed to get him moved to the other district in deaf ed. They had a hard time doing that because he did so well in the classroom. They couldn't justify the move. They did give him an itinerant teacher. An itinerant is a helper that's familiar with hearing loss and helps him advocate by teaching him how to use his equipment and helps him keep the teachers informed about how well he's understanding/hearing.

I am so proud of him! I know this is a difficult time of life that's had both a physical and social impact. In our family, we can do hard things!                                                                                            

  He got a pikachu that said "pikachu, we love you! We're proud of you!