Success Stories
“Joanne,” is hard of hearing and now 13-years-old. At age eight, she was living
at home with her deaf, single mother and was referred to SVFC Deaf Services by
her teacher. Joanne's behavior was unmanageable at school and at home and included
verbal and physical aggression and concerns that she would run away and/or harm
herself or others. Joanne also exhibited considerable expressive and receptive
language delays, and significant academic delays. She was at risk of being expelled
from school due to her unpredictable aggressive behavior towards teachers and
peers. Her behavior in the home was also very difficult and her mother was unable
to handle her.
An assessment completed by a qualified psychiatrist with years of experience in working with deaf and hard of hearing children confirmed that Joanne was very far behind in many developmental areas, would qualify as seriously emotionally disturbed, and would benefit from medication. Due to the severity of her behaviors at home, and the need for her to get stabilized on a medication program, a period of residential treatment was indicated. It was also thought that she would benefit from individual, family and group psychotherapy.
During the day, and while living in the SVFC Residential Center, Joanne attended classes in the SVFC Partial Hospitalization program. The classroom included a special education teacher, a behavioral specialist, and, to facilitate communication among deaf and hearing children, an interpreter. She also participated in weekly individual, group and family psychotherapy sessions.
After 18 months in intensive treatment, Joanne's behaviors stabilized and she was able to move to the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD). While at OSD, she continued to receive less intensive supportive care from the SVFC Deaf Services Program. The transition plan remained in place for two years. During that time, her behaviors continued to improve. As her behavior improved, she moved to less intensive treatment.
Joanne is now a student in a community public school and spends only nights at OSD. The support of SVFC Deaf Services staff and teachers and other students at OSD has assisted her in understanding the challenges of hearing loss, learning norms of the deaf culture, improving her communication skills and managing her own behavior. Her family is happy with her success in treatment and her integration into the Deaf Community.
