make a big difference.
In the past children who were born deaf in hearing families
often didn't get the opportunity to learn any language until their
brains were past the readiness age for doing that. As a
result they had limited communication skills.
Learning disabilities and other neurological problems
were often not diagnosed until kids were around seven years
old. If they'd been able to get the help they needed earlier they
would have been able to learn a lot more.
I remember a little boy in my preschool class whose behavior was unusual. Among other things, any time there
was a lot of noise he'd run wildly around the room. I
suggested to his parents that they get him tested, which the local school district did for free.
He was found to have auditory processing disorder and the
school district provided the training he needed. As a result
he was able to function normally by the time he entered Kindergarten.
On the other hand, a little girl in my preschool was
advanced in some areas but had a lot of difficulty in others.
I suggested to her parents that they have her tested,
but they refused, insisting she didn't have a problem. She
later turned out to have a learning disability and was placed
in a Special Education class.
If only she had started getting the help she needed at an
earlier age perhaps she would have been able to attend
regular classes with only a few hours of tutoring by a
Special Ed teacher each week.
Any time there's even a slight chance that children
might have a problem it can't hurt, and might help a lot,
to have them tested as early as possible.
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