Tuesday 03/04/90

We started the day of by playing ball – throwing the ball and kicking it.

Hughan is very mobile now – still crawling, but if there is somewhere he wants to go, he is off!

I took the boys to very swimming gala in the afternoon and Hughan sat and watched with absolute amazement with it all.

The starting gun was very loud, and I tried to show him where the noise was coming from. We watched so many races start and he almost look like he was waiting for the bang. When it went off I would point to my ear and shake my head. Both boys enjoyed themselves.

Hughan and Jamie love swimming most days at home.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Monday 02/04/90

Hughan and I went to our morning play group at my friend’s house. As usual we had a great time – painting, swinging, playing with the water and joining in with making music – banging the drum etc.

In the afternoon Jamie and Hughan had a lovely the game with the pots and lids, clanking them.

Jamie loves making sounds and shaking his head and points to his ears. The boys are getting on very well together.

We went to the farm in the afternoon.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Friday 30/03/90

We went to play group with my friend in the morning. Hughan leads me around everywhere. I help support him walking, and he’s off. He now knows where everything is, and he is very keen to try it all out.

He gets on the swing and has a couple of turns and then he’s off again, wanting to do something else.

Over the weekend we had some friends around and there were 14 children at the house. Hughan joins in very well, playing in the sand pit and joining in with his little friends.

My friends are also interested in Hughan and if they ever asked questions about him we are very open to tell them what we know.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Thursday 29/03/90

In the afternoon we went to our normal tea group. We all take it in turns to have that tea at our houses.

Today the friends we had tea with lives in a complex. Hughan was getting very adventurous, going out to the gate and watching the bigger children play.

Jamie and Hughan had a game again, when we got home, crawling around chasing each other.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Wednesday 28/03/90

We spent the morning at play school with my friend. Hughan had a great time on the motorbikes and bicycles.

He is joining in well with the children. Today I lifted him up so he could feel the vibrations from the music on the speaker.

He is often pointing to his ear and shaking his head when he hears a sound.

Today I mentioned to Willem that he had said something that sounded like ‘mam!’, and Willem said he had thought he had said ‘tea’ when he saw his bottle – he is still babbling well.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Tuesday 27/03/90

We spent part of the morning playing with Lego, which he loves. When I built a house for the rabbit, Hughan likes to put him through the door and vocalises very well when he can see him through the windows.

In the afternoon we went out to the farm. He gets very excited when we get to the bumpy stretch as he knows exactly where we are going.

Jamie and Hughan had a lovely game after dinner. They both crawled around the room chasing each other.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Monday 26/03/90

I decided that I would send Vanessa, at the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town, the diary notes that I had done so far, so she could find out what we were doing with Hughan in Gaborone and track his progress before our return visit to the Centre.

Dear Vanessa

Many people have commented on the change in Hughan. He is crawling around and his babbling has also improved. I am also finding it easier to get eye contact.

Monday 26/03/90

This morning we went to see my friend with the play group. Hughan was very pleased to be back. He started the morning with painting, which is very messy.

His main interest today was playing with the water. There is a table where the children can stand around. They have cups and saucers, and mini jugs. Hughan was covered in water by the time he was finished.

He poured the water from one jug to the other and poured it into the cups and drank the water and had a great time.

I found I was able to talk to him and he was quite happy to give his eye contact during play, so I felt we had achieved a lot today.

Hughan loves sitting on the chairs at the tables and part of the time I left him playing with four other boys his age, passing things to each other and throwing the Lego about and building with it.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Friday 23/03/90

A friend of mine in Gaborone looks after about 25 to 30 children on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The children are aged from one to 3 years old.

She has about five helpers that help her look after the children. She has offered me to go along with Hughan and join in.

Today was our first day. He painted a picture, played in the sand pit, had his turn on the swings, he joined in making music and dancing. He played with puzzles and joined in with all of the other children very well.

He had a great time. They have tables and chairs that they sit at to have their morning tea. All so sweet! We will definitely be going back to join in.

Hughan enjoyed every moment.

——–

Eye contact is coming along very well! At times he is very good. Even if he is not always giving eye contact we are all still talking away to him.

The sayings he is responding to are – “no”, “come”, “goodbye”,” switch on the light”, “switch off the light”, “where’s daddy?” (There he is!) “Tina” (the dog), and a few others – and of course his name.

He is now getting very good at responding when he is called.

I feel things are going quite well and have noticed a few changes even in the last week.

I am sending you this update and hope you like the photos. We are enjoying our work.

Cheers,

Sue

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Thursday 22/03/90

In the morning we played with Hughan’s trolley and the blocks that fit into it.

Taking the blocks out of the trolley and putting them back in. Building and pushing the blocks over and then watching them all fall down.

He is definitely vocalising well, especially when he shows great interest in what he is doing.

In the afternoon we had a get together with the mums and children – we do this every Thursday afternoon.

Jamie has his friends to play with and there are also some smaller children, Hughan’s age that play together.

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)

Wednesday 21/03/90

Today Hughan and I played with the play dough. He liked the feel of it because it was cold to touch (as it had been in the fridge).

We talked about rolling the dough out on the board and patting it and pressing the moulds into it, making different shapes.

Jamie had a swimming lesson in the afternoon at school, which is very close to where we live, so we had a walk down to the school and played with the brothers and sisters of the children in their lesson. He had a great time.

He is still not walking by himself, but instead holds onto my finger for some support and off he goes!!

(I started this website to help other patents with deaf children through our experience. Our son Hughan was born in 1988 and was diagnosed profoundly deaf at 14 months old. We kept a Diary, so his progress could be tracked between our lessons, as we were living in Gaborone in Botswana and traveled every 3 months to the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town.)