[LisArno]

I’m in the process of adopting from Poland (girls almost 10 and 4, and a boy 2 ½). I’m also a special education teacher for students with learning disabilities and emotional impairments, so I am familiar with our rights as parents.


The National Center for Learning Disabilities has information about IDEA 2004 (Individual with Disabilities Act), the federal special education law. http://www.ncld.org/content/view/925/456088/ is the direct link to the requesting an evaluation page. The process is the same regardless if for a learning disability or speech/language impairment. On that site there’s even a sample letter to request an evaluation (select “IDEA Toolkit,” then “Sample Letter Requesting Evaluation”).


When you say you do not understand your son, do you mean his speech/articulation (the sounds in his words) or his language (the words he chooses, sentence construction)? Start writing down specific examples or even taping (audio) your son in his usual environment. That way when you meet with the Child Study Committee (not just the speech/language therapist), you will have solid ‘evidence’ to present and you won’t have to think of examples on the spot. You will also want your school’s ELL/ESL teacher present at the meeting; make sure you request this in your letter.


There are statements about English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learners (ELL) when deciding if a child is eligible for special education. Do you have any documentation that your son also had problems with language in Russia? If so, that would benefit your case. Although I hope that none of my children have academic difficulties, I was “thrilled” to receive documentation that our oldest girl is beginning to have learning problems in school and they are recommending an evaluation once she is adopted.


http://www.asha.org/default.htm gives info about ELL. I typed ELL in their search box. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/easl.htm is “Acquiring English as a Second Language”. One paragraph from that article: “Children may also manifest a common second-language acquisition phenomenon called the silent period . When children are first exposed to a second language, frequently they focus on listening and comprehension. These children are often very quiet, speaking little as they focus on understanding the new language-much, in fact, as adults do when traveling in foreign countries. The younger the child, the longer the silent period tends to last. Older children may remain in the silent period for a few weeks or a few months, whereas preschoolers may be relatively silent for a year or more.” That last sentence is interesting, though your child speaks.


Another resource (recently shared on the Polish adoption part of this forum) is http://www.adoptionarticlesdirectory.com/ . I’ve just started reading some of those articles.


I would not suggest the Hooked on Phonics for your son. You need to help him in short bursts using “real life” examples and make learning into games – the activities have to be meaningful to him. My school speech/language pathologist has recommended www.helpforkidsspeech.com/ to parents and there’s a link on that page to “Language Stimulation Ideas: Follow Your Child’s Lead”.


You may want to stop the direct word/letter activities for a while. You don’t want him disliking school activities before he even starts kindergarten! For words, label items around the house (my school ESL teacher has already suggested that to me) and have him help you attach the labels; you could add a couple labels every few days. Point out letters/sounds around the house and in your community to make him interested in them. If you have time and are energetic, you could take digital photos of him with the items and them make a booklet (or PowerPoint or slide show) for him to tell others about. You could do the same of activities he does, such as if you go to the zoo, take photos, then later add captions “I saw the elephants. I saw the tigers….” to make a repetitive booklet. When rereading them, you can start the sentence and he could fill in the animal name. He will probably memorize them and can then “read” them to others (memorizing is good). I’ve also looked at some electronic toys recently that help with letter names/sounds for 3-6 year olds; there were two major brands at the toy store I was at.


Definitely keep reading to your son. Find short, repetitive books (such as those described above) – maybe he’ll be quiet for the minute or two it takes you to read them. See if he’ll “take turns” reading with you, and you can model being quiet while he “reads” a page.

I hope some of this info is useful to you (and others).