Three decades ago, I was flagged as needing special education services because I had a Deaf parent.
The teachers found gaps in my academic and linguistic development. I received those services for six years until a school speech pathologist noted that my language and speech delays were because of a language difference — American Sign Language, or ASL, was my first language — and not a language disorder.
Not recognizing earlier that special education services were not what I needed was a waste of resources, not to mention unhelpful to my progress as a student. What I needed was support as an English learner; instead, I had to sink or swim as I figured out school on my own…