Re: speech delays

Gary & Tammy Bangs (gbangs@earthlink.net)
Wed, 06 Mar 1996 08:54:39 -0800


Liz, I do find conversantions with you always enlightning. It give me other 
avenues to think about besides just typical preemie stuff.  It also gives me 
hope that even if it is the hydro that causes his probs, he can work through 
them.  Taylor is so amazingly good at spacial things.  He got engineer blood 
in him. He can figure out how things work quite easily, and is very good at 
cause and effect.  He uses the remote, and loves to play on the puter with 
the mouse.  I tried giving him his own mouse (not hooked up to the puter).  
That lasted about 30 seconds,  as soon as he realized it didn't do anything 
he was reaching for mine again.  It wouldn't surprise me if he could assemble 
circut boards.  I can attribute all of his 'delays' to either his language 
barrier or his tactile aversion.  For those, its just a matter of time.  

I would like to hear about your experiences with the 'evaluations' and 
labeling.  Did you recieve harsh, and probably inappropriate, labels as you 
went through school?  And did that hinder you in any way?
A friend of mine was telling me how his neice was a preemie and had been 
labeled, always beeing pulled out of class for 'special classes' etc.  At 
that point her grades and self esteme were pretty poor.  THen her mom decided 
to stop all the 'special ed', the girl blossomed after that and started 
getting a's & b's.  I do worry how labels will effect Taylor as he enters 
school.  I know that he needs the extra help now, but I am concerned that the 
labels will limit him later.  I don't want his future educators to simply see 
the label and not challenge him.

BTW if your hubby is still here in SD, hve hime give me a call, maybe we 
could have lunch or something.  I'm in the book, but it's spelled 
wrong...it's under Gary Bang instead of Bangs.

Tammy.