[mdaisyq]

I found the article very interesting. I have found both our local EI and our school system very reluctant to treat my children for speech delays. EI has stated that the delays are due to not being in an English speaking environment long enough (assessment for our daughter adopted at 16 months old) and that time will improve their delays.The school system insisted that our then 3 year old son (adopted at 34 months old) was speaking Chinese, only I just didn't realize it - he has been diagnosed with a severe speech delay by a private speech pathologist.Even with the speech test results (5% for receptive language and 1% for expressive language) they were reluctant to accept him into special ed until he had been home for one year.

If you find yourselves in a similar situation, fight, fight, fight, for the services your child needs and has a right to!

Also, just an FYI, our son with the severe speech delays, has refused to learn ASL -to the point that he will grab my hands to stop me from signing.Instead, he insists on using his own made up(and probably orphanage based)sign. In many ways, his signs are pretty cool.