My DD has a moderatly severe loss in both ears. It is about 70 db. We believe it is a progressive loss. She wears hearing aids and is aided into the "normal" range.
She is a very vocal child, that is different from verbal. She sings and babbles, but that doesn't mean she has the ability to speak. Webelieve that if she has the ability to learn to speak she will do it like a hearing child. If she has access to speech she will learn without hundreds of hours of tedious therapy.
We have decided that we believe she is Deaf. We believe that she is a visual learner. We believe that her language and education needs to be based on her strength, vision rather than her weakness, hearing.
We believe that if she was old enough to choose, that she would choose to use ASL, because she has real complete access to the information. We believe that when she is an adult she will be part of the Deaf community. We believe that if we don't provide her the opportunity to learn ASL and "be Deaf" that she will push away from us when she discovers we kept her from it.
It is tough to learn ASL. But I am the mother. It is my job to meet my child where she is. I have access to that language, she doesn't have access to mine.
I know that this is a difficult time. You will be given lots of varying opinions of what will be best for your child. Sometimes the easiest path is not the right one. Keep an open mind, and remember, professionals have specialties and they are loyal to them. Listen to them in their areas, take the rest of it with a grain of salt.
