Adult Deaf Daughter Repeating Mama & Daddy

by Kathy Parrish
(Chickamauga, GA)

My daughter is 32 years old. She has a moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. She was diagnosed with her hearing loss at 15months old. I knew right away something wasn't right but my ped. was more concerned with her weight. She weighed 7lbs. @ birth but gained ounces every month for the 1st year weighing 13lbs @ one year old. She is petite today at 4'10'' and has a very small body frame. I started asking when she was around 7 years old if she could be autistic. I didn't think she had the severe symptoms (I started thinking about this after I watched the movie RainMan) but she does have alot of the symptoms I have read about now that there is so much more info on autism. I was told that she wasn't autistic she was Deaf. Like you couldn't be both. Now I know that you can but this is the way my daughter's life and my search for answers has been her whole life.

What I want to know is if anyone has a grown child or is an adult themselves that could give me some input. Her VR counselor had her to see a psychologist that had experience with deaf and supposedly autism and his letter to me said everything I already knew but he didn't give me any possible reasons. I was online trying to find anything I could about why she would be saying mostly Mama and Daddy over and over mostly when she is playing on the computer or walking around while watching tv or in the car. She used to walk around and look like she was talking to herself in her head when she was in school and you could see by her facial expressions that she was really thinking something thru but when I would ask her what she was thinking about she always said Nothing. Now she has started repeating Mama & Daddy out loud over and over and always says she doesn't know why.

It seems to be getting worse and I also think it seems to be worst around her monthly cycle. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not I am just trying to figure it out.
Sorry for such a long post but I am just so excited to find something that sounds like it fits my daughter's actions and would love any input I could get. I've been asking the same questions for over 25 years now but that is all I've known to do.

Thank you for your patience.