Seeing the positive side

We all hate the word “failure,” and we don’t like being in a position where we may not be able to complete the task or reach the goal.

Recently, our daughter had her annual language and speech evaluation. She was not nervous. This is just another appointment. But this one differs for two reasons.

The appointment will be in the clinic and not at the school

A parent also goes.

Sometimes, she is being evaluated without realizing it

How did the event go?

We decided that Dad would go this time; he’d get an extra hour off, and I wouldn’t.

We were not nervous. We are very pleased with the progress of our daughter, her communication, her understanding, and her love of life. She was not worried. She was eager to see the toys that she missed last year and see if any new ones were available.

The assessment went smoothly. She answered questions and talked. Sometimes, she needed prompting, while at other times, she was able to do it on her own.

She is still behind her peers who are hearing in terms of speech and language.

Some people will see it as a failure. Others may be devastated. They’ve worked together as a team, they’ve spent hours narrating everyday life, or they may have paid for private Therapy.

We think she is brilliant!
We don’t view this as a setback but as an enormous progress. We can see her progress in her language, conversation, vocabulary, and understanding. We can see her social skills, confidence, and intelligence.

There are some words that she knows she shouldn’t say, but she can tell you the meaning or the purpose of the object. She will tell you that she is not familiar with certain words.

My children, who are deaf, didn’t have the same level of confidence. They would have made up words or made guesses.

Kids who are deaf or hearing have favorite subjects, such as cars, dolls, and dinosaurs. They know all the words associated with these topics, but other kids may not know them. That’s okay!

You can choose to be labeled as a failure, but you are only failing when you don’t use it to your advantage.

Be sure to acknowledge any gaps, delays, or mistakes you make and use these as a guide for your future actions. Add little prompts that will help you remember unfamiliar words, or create a game for learning new vocabulary.