Liebling
)), Thanks for your careful and pointed responses. It helps so much to hear others experience and opinions.
I don't believe there is any way around making a choice for Sarah. If we choose CI now, well, obviously the choice is made. If we don't choose CI now, and suppose she chooses CI later, then we've made a choice that takes from her of the best opportunity for success, since the first years of life are critical to language acquisition.
How old is old enough for a child to make an intelligent decision. I can say from first hand experience how immature I was as a teenager. If my parents had said "let the boy make his own decision about going to school, you know, we don't want to force him, and besides school is so much hard work and training. He can always choose to go to school when he's older." WOW!, I think I would have ended up in kindergarten at the tender age of 18.
-SarahsDad