Speech

Today I want to write about children and adults who are unable to speak.  At this point in my life, the closest I have been to being unable to communicate is now.  I do not speak Spanish fluently and therefore I struggle to communicate even basic sentences.  Now I am getting better every day, but I am still not proficient.  It is so extremely frustrating to have something to say and not be able to communicate that.  It is even worse when I try really hard to get a point across and feel like I am saying the right thing and still the other person looks lost.  I am guessing that is how people feel who are unable to communicate.  I know many of the children I have worked with would like to have said things to me, but they just couldn't.  They may have even cursed at me for making them do something that was hard.  The parents of these children wish desperately that their child could tell them what hurts, what they want or just say I love you.  I know exactly why 1-3 year olds get so frustrated sometimes.  They know what they want or what is bothering them and they can't get you to understand that.  I have a little guy I work with right now that can only say yes by closing his eyes tight and that is the only thing he can do to communicate.  You are still left guessing and asking yes and no questions to find out what he wants.  I am sure he is really frustrated many times.  It would be the same with adults after a stroke or with Lou Gerhrig's disease, who lose the ability to form the words but still have the ability to think clearly.  I hope I never have to deal with a true inability to communicate, and I hope that I can be more patient with those that cannot tell me what is going on with them.  So if you have someone in your life who is trying to tell you something, slow down and be more patient and you just might make a connection that can open up a new world for that person.