Score one for the team

Yesterday was Bug's hearing test.

One of three things happened.

1. My daughter has perfect hearing but got too tired to finish the test (this is what the audiologist believes happened).
2. My daughter has mild hearing loss in one mid range and it was toward the end of the test making it difficult to tell if she was just too tired to finish or wasn't hearing the tones.
3. My daughter couldn't hear much of anything but likes to make people happy and played the games to get the reaction anyway.

Anyway... As I stated above, the audiologist believes she hears quite well but was tiring out and was just not playing the games anymore. She wants to see Bug again in 6 months to repeat the test and said they would begin with the range they ended with and were unable to fully ascertain her hearing ability in. However, if I felt uncomfortable with that I am welcome to have her come back in less time for a repeat exam and we could start with the mid-range she failed yesterday.

BFF is the one who pointed out possibility number 3. Bug is a girl who likes to make us happy. If she believes putting the fishy in the bowl will give the reaction she'll do it. So it's a slim possibility that she really was just playing along. I may need to discuss this with the audiologist, see if she has a method of testing without giving Bug a reaction. I will get her email with the report in about 3 weeks. So I guess I will ask then.

Overall though, I tend to agree that for the most part her hearing is probably okay. Her speech is garbled though. The audiologist advised me to have her evaluated by the local school district for possible speech therapy services. I had to have speech therapy in the second grade. So I know it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I'm not sure I'm totally comfortable though with moving her into the public school system though. I never have intended to put my daughters in school. Before I even got pregnant I intended to homeschool my children. I am a firm believer in homeschooling. And to tell you the truth, I am scared that by putting our names "into the system" it puts a target on our backs early. Especially because of the fact that putting her in now for special services shows that she needs help and may make the school district(s) more resistant to me homeschooling her down the road if we remain in the area. Flying UNDER the radar is so much more preferable. But I can't let her speech suffer either. I'm confused as to what the better choice is.

In a way, being told she had a mild hearing loss might have almost been a better answer, because if a hearing aid would have helped and we could have avoided speech therapy, we could avoid the school system. *sigh* I don't know what to feel.