I noticed my son watching me closely this morning.

His eyes following my every move.

As I finished getting things ready for school, I grabbed his gloves and placed them in his book bag.

He started jumping up and down and clapping his hands. He smiled. He reached for me.

He hugged me tight and didn’t want to let go.

Then he pointed to the gloves I put in his backpack and started jumping up and down again.

This time he shouted “bedder!” (his way of saying better)

I asked him if his hands have been cold at recess and he shook his head yes!

Friends, my first instinct was to feel sad.

Because his hands have been cold when he’s playing outside and he wasn’t able to tell his teachers or his aide.

He also wasn’t able to tell us at home when talking to him about his day. It truly breaks my heart.

Communication is hard for our little guy.
Apraxia of speech makes it difficult for him to form verbal words and articulate them correctly.

We support him by providing many forms of communication, not just verbal words. He also uses sign language, hand gestures and his speech device.

Although he wasn’t able to use these to tell us in the moment, I’m so proud of him for finding a way to communicate that he was happy!

That I was doing something that made him feel BETTER!

If you have a child or another loved one with a severe speech impairment or who is non speaking, I hope this story brings you joy.

It’s never too late to find different ways to help them communicate.

We just have to listen with more than our ears.