Keyboard shortcuts are available for common actions and site navigation.
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more
I just had such an affirming experience. On my 8hr intl flight back from a conference, I sat next to a father/son. In broken English, the father began to apologize/warn me that his ~10 yr-old son had severe nonverbal autism, and that this would like be a difficult journey. 1/
I told him not to worry, I was a speech-language pathologist with lots of experience with minimally verbal kiddos. Challenging behaviors began even before take off: screaming, hitting me, and grabbing for my things. The father repeatedly apologized, but did little else. 2/
I asked him how his son preferred to communicate. He didn’t seem to understand. Perhaps this was a language barrier, but I think instead the child had very little experience with communication therapy. I put away the talk I was working on & asked if I could try. He nodded. 3/
I tried to see if he was stimulable for a communication board. I started by pulling up some standard images for basic nouns on my computer but I could tell that screens really bothered him. So I summoned my god-awful drawing skills and tried to create a (very!) low-tech board. 4/
And by god, it clicked. I made symbols for the things he was grabbing, for his favorite stuffed penguin, and for his dad. He took to it very quickly. I introduced way more symbols that I normally would, but hey, how often do we get an 8-hour session?! 5/
By the end of the flight, he had made several requests, initiated several times, & his behaviors had reduced quite a bit. The father was astounded – clearly no one had ever tried an AAC approach with him. I gave him the paper & showed him how to use it, and he nearly cried. 6/
This was the human desire for communication, pure and simple. To connect with another person and share a thought. Communication is a basic human right, and I was overjoyed to help someone find it. What a privilege and a gift. 7/
As I face the upcoming job cycle and the nearly endless imposter syndrome of academia, this was precisely the reminder I needed about why I love studying language/communication development. It was a good day to be an #SLP! 8/8
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. My son, now 24, has MR and apraxia of speech and when he was younger it was very hard for him to make himself understood. Now, he never stops talking 
My grandson has apraxia of speech. Very few people understand him. Your grandson grew out of this? Is understandable now? Wow.
My son talks a blue streak. He self corrects when he says a word incorrectly or if he leaves out a verb- for example, he may say “I not” then correct it to “I am not”. My son is understandable about 95% -98% of the time - I think sometimes I listen “too hard”
This gives me hope.
Yes! Speech therapy works wonders. I also think that as their brain strengthens the connections, their speech gets better.
I’m curious if anyone here is familiar with the studies of music therapy in conjunction with speech therapy? I’m looking into getting my license and my focus I’m planning is a form a communication therapy or help with TBIs in Veterans.
Thank you, human person. These days I’m more grateful than usual for kind, smart, lovely people. 
Yes, I treasure every little moment of people being kind to each other more and more each day. They seem so much more important.
If only this story had its 10 minutes...
Hello please find the unroll here: Thread by @RachelRRomeo: "I just had such an affirming experience. On my 8hr intl flight back from a conference, I sat next to a father/son. In br […]" #SLP https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1166817555257942016.html … Share this if you think it's interesting. 
I'm clinging to my belief that more than 50% of us are good and decent people. One more tick for the good column.
Far more than 50%! It is just that the others are so very visible.
Loud too 
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.
, and speech-language pathologist 
Avid marathoner, triathlete, and cat mom.
