Moms like to praise their kids, and I am no exception. One of my kids has to work harder than the others, so it's just possible I talk about him a little more ;0) So, picking up a trail I dropped a couple weeks ago, let me tell you a little about getting Tate's diagnosis...Tate didn't get diagnosed until he was 3 and a half, because he seemed to hear and speak normally. (Apparently he missed the introduction of newborn screening in the hospital by a few months.)
Well, he didn't hear normally, but his communication was pretty darn good. He is, in fact, ferociously tenacious. I have been told by various specialists that they’ve met very few people that do as much as he does with the level of hearing he has.
Before his Audiologist would order HA’s, she retested him repeatedly, because nobody thought he could have “that loss” and communicate as well as he did. When I first had him assessed (at age 3) by the local school district his scores were amazing.
Red Alert - Bragging Mom Moment:
His lowest score was a 42nd percentile, for articulation (pre-HA’s), and ranged up through a 63rd percentile for Grammatical Morphemes, and a whopping 91st percentile for vocabulary. Overall, 77th percentile. Scored against normal hearing peers.
Like many Deaf/Hoh kids, he struggled with learning to read. So much so that it was added to his IEP by 1st grade. But that boy is a worker. By the end of 2nd grade his teacher told me he had aced every level for which they’re willing to test 2nd graders.
Yes. Have mercy on me, I am really proud of Tate. :0)
But here's my real plea for grace...
In all my 'bragging' about him and how well I think he is doing, I'm not comparing him against you, your child, or anyone else. I don't for one minute think that anyone else, who is struggling, is somehow 'just not trying hard enough'.
We've all got enough on our plates without adding resentment, so please, please, don't "hear" that from me :0)
4 comments:
I always think it is amazing what some kids can do with residual hearing! Matthew (hearing kiddo) is not on the charts for articulation (in a bad way- he is 3 standard deviations below his peers). Nolan, who is hearing impaired and 12 months old looked at me and said "doggie" the other day. Something Matt would NEVER have done at that age! I think there are so many things that play into their abilities- their native language ability, the amount of residual hearing, the amount of distortion, language opportunities at home, etc. It's different for every kid. I think you have every right to brag on Tate- he's done an amazing job!
There is not a thing wrong with bragging on Tate! Deaf/HoH kids need proud mama's in their corner! I know you balance your "props" with the same kind of love, grace, and discipline you give your other grasshoppers!
Way to go Tate! What an amazing little guy!
You're just simply telling it how it is; Tate is a very bright and hard-working child, end of story! No excessive bragging there! It's amazing how observant children with a hearing loss seem to be. They pick up on a lot more than we give them credit for.
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