Speech is a skill

Rachel Coleman, one of the most inspiring women I have ever had the fortune to know (YEAH, I KNOW HER. I actually MET her and I can TOTALLY SAY THAT) posted, again, about cochlear implants and how damnit, they don't 'fix' everything. Read her post here. Speech is a skill. The ability to *communicate*? That is invaluable.

I sign with my children. I will continue to sign with them. I'll sign with other people's kids. "ASL can get soaking wet in the pool and still be at your fingertips", Rachel says. Not so with so many other forms of communication. Signing? It's just about the most amazing thing ever. Talk with my hands? Why, YES I WILL.

And those people who think that signing delays speech? First, you're wrong, and second... what's more important to you - that you hear your kid's voice, or that you're able to understand what they need, no matter if you're next to them or across the room or across the playground. If your kid is scared or needs help or whatever, and on the other side of a noisy playground, what good is their speech going to do anyway? I'll give you a hint - it isn't. But if you're 30 feet away and your kid signs "Mommy, help me slide!".. is that better than hearing the words?

Not in my book.