Children rely on speechreading and hand signals which help distinguish among the speech sounds that look alike on the lips. Cues are not signs. They cannot be understood by themselves. They are only useful when combined with speechreading. It is hoped that children will learn language with cuing and will then drop the cues and rely on speechreading.
Some children go to school with a cued speech interpreter to assist in receiving information.
Programming decisions are very difficult and can only be made after a great deal of thought. Before making a placement decision for your child you should visit the programs and individual therapists in your community, talk to the parents of other hearing impaired children who are enrolled in different programs and talk to older hearing impaired teens and adults who have been educated in different kinds of programs. Every programming decision should be reviewed on a regular basis. Not every program is right for every child. As the child grows and learns, you and the therapists will know more about what is best.