Olipop's journey - hear through play
My intention with this blog is to share our story, it is written from my point of view as a hearing mother of a deaf child. I can’t speak for the feelings that my son has experienced but I can share mine. My hope is that by sharing our story from my point view, we can become a resource for others. Each journey will look different, each family will choose what will work for them and their circumstances.
This could mean different hearing technologies being used from cochlear implants, hearing aids to bone anchoring hearing devices such as BAHA’s. This could mean choosing (a) spoken language only approach, (b) sign language approach or a combination of the two. There is no judgement here, each journey is unique, this is just Oli pop’s journey, one that has included hear through play.
Olipop’s Journey Blog
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What recording our first podcast stirred up..
While recording the first episode for the Olipop’s Journey podcast, a lot came up for me that I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t expecting to lose my wor...
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Tuesday Toy Tip: Turning Chores into Playtime
Toys are often associated with fun and play, but what if I told you that some of the best "toys" for your child might already be right under your r...
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Tuesday Toy Tip: Toy Rotation
Toy rotation and having all toys readily available both have their merits, and the best approach depends on various factors like space, the child's...
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Olipop’s Journey – Episode 1
Transcription: Olipop’s Journey, Episode 1 Welcome to Olipop’s Journey, a podcast dedicated to not just supporting and empowering parents of deaf o...
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Tuesday Toy Tip: Harnessing the Power of Dress-Up Play in Speech Therapy
Dress-up play isn't just a fun pastime—it's a valuable tool that can be seamlessly integrated into speech therapy sessions, offering numerous benef...
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Tuesday toy tip: Art Supplies for Expressive Language
Using art supplies like crayons, markers, and paints with children is a fantastic way to boost their expressive language skills alongside their cre...
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Tuesday toy tip: The importance of toy versatility and adaptability
Make sure that toys are versatile and adaptable, or another way to put this is open-ended. Toys that can have multiple uses or ways to play with ar...
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1 year down and many more to go
I often think that I am not entirely sure what I was thinking when I decided to open up a toyshop. I had no idea what it all entailed putting out t...
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Tuesday toy tip: Choose toys that promote movement
Young children are full of energy and let’s be honest, they love to move. If given the choice, they would rather move and do something then sit sti...
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Tuesday toy tip: Ditch the battery operated toys
Most parents have heard this before, but I find grandparents don’t like hearing this BUT ditch the battery operated toys. Toys with batteries ofte...
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Kwêla episode
In August, we were interviewed by Kwela, an Afrikaans TV show on Kyknet in South Africa. We were able to share Oli’s story and also how Olipop Toys...
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Upgrade Switch on DONE
Time truly goes by so quickly… Today we got the news that our medical aid finally paid for Oli’s bilateral upgrade.
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Time flies
Time truly goes by so quickly… Today we got the news that our medical aid finally paid for Oli’s bilateral upgrade.
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Sharing and learning, from our journey
If you had asked me a couple of years ago, if I would be on television sharing personal information about our family, I would have laughed at you. ...
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Reflections on the last month
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Unlocking the Eight Sensory Systems: A Deep Dive into Their Influence on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
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Tuesday toy tip: Toys, even therapy toys, don’t have to be expensive
Where is it possible, try to include the three ‘Rs’ when playing with your child. This can mean that things can get loud and also rather repetitive...
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Tuesday toy tip: Harnessing the power of the ‘R’
Where is it possible, try to include the three ‘Rs’ when playing with your child. This can mean that things can get loud and also rather repetitive...
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Phonemic awareness, a foundation for spoken language and reading
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Tuesday toy tip: Store your hearing therapy toys that require supervision separate
Any parent needing to do therapy with a child at home knows that sometimes the hardest part of the job is, being creative. Often keeping the child ...
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Technology check, sound check, wear time
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It’s a process, hearing technology is not a quick fix or cure, it’s the starting point.
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Switch On – Part 2 of 2
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Coping with Sudden Onset of Hearing Loss: Strategies and Support
Our guide on how to cope with sudden hearing loss Sudden onset of hearing loss can be a disorienting and challenging experience. Whether it occurs ...
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What are Phonemics?
What are phonemics? Phonemics is a branch of linguistics that studies the phonemes of a language. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that ca...
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Switch On – Part 1 of 2
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Cochlear implantation – Part 2 of 2
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Cochlear implantation – Part 1 of 2
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To implant or not (Part 2 of 2)
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To implant or not (Part 1 of 2)
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The Diagnosis (part 2 of 2)
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The Diagnosis (part 1 of 2)
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A hunch (part 2 of 2)
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A hunch (part 1 of 2)
Oli pop's journey - hear through play
My intention with this blog is to share our story, it is written from my point of view as a hearing mother of a deaf child. I can’t speak for the feelings that my son has experienced but I can share mine.
My hope is that by sharing our story from my point view, we can become a resource for others. Each journey will look different, each family will choose what will work for them and their circumstances.
This could mean different hearing technologies being used from cochlear implants, hearing aids to bone anchoring hearing devices such as BAHA’s.
This could mean choosing (a) spoken language only approach, (b) sign language approach or a combination of the two.
There is no judgement here, each journey is unique, this is just Oli pop’s journey, one that has included hear through play.