Deaf youngster learns to speak

Molly Shore

The sense of hearing so prevalent in people’s daily lives is, for

the most part, denied to 4-year-old Mavrick Fisher.

The youngster, who is severely hard of hearing, was born to deaf

parents Michelina and Mark Fisher. To compensate for Mavrick’s

hearing loss and to ensure that he will be able to communicate with

the hearing world, the Fishers sought out Burbank High School senior

Christina Devin to work with Mavrick, teaching him to say words.

Devin, 18, has worked with Mavrick twice a month since October.

Using American Sign Language to first sign the word, she would then

encourage him to sound out the word.

“I would try to get him to use his voice and to say the names and

the words we were talking about,” Devin said. If the word was hard

for him to pronounce, she said he would sign that it was difficult,

but would attempt it.

Mavrick’s attention span at each study session was usually 20 to

30 minutes in which time Devin taught him 15 to 20 new words.

Mark Fisher said the work Devin has done with his son has been

successful because he understands that he can speak . Also, Fisher

said, Mavrick now realizes that he is able to use both American Sign

Language and spoken English to communicate.

Devin, who learned American Sign Language when she attended George

Washington Elementary School, said she would eventually like to teach

special education classes. This fall, she enters UC Santa Barbara as

a math major.

Mavrick, a student in the deaf and hard of hearing program at

Washington Elementary School’s preschool program, will continue his

studies there in September.

In the meantime, he is enjoying his first soccer camp with hearing

children.