Rhyming words, poetry, fables, history, science, multiplication, math word problems… these are the things Soma has covered with Emma over the last three days. Emma went from pointing to one letter at a time, to writing out several words and even whole sentences describing profound thoughts, insights, doubts and concerns, and I sat there witnessing this outpouring of words, this torrent of letters that, when added up, evoked emotion and identification and concern and understanding. The power of language. The power of communication. There is tremendous power in both.
This has been a profound few days; transformative, exhilarating and exhausting. I have watched my daughter work and she has worked very, very hard. I have watched her and I have marveled at her and been dismayed by her and astonished with her. I have laughed and wept and listened and listened and listened some more. She has said things that have provoked more questions than answers, but she is here, very much rooted in this world and not, as many suggest or seem to think, somewhere else, off in her own “little world”.
I cannot write about anything specific this morning, I’m too tired and Emma has said she is too. We have two more sessions today with Soma and then we head home. We are lucky. We are incredibly fortunate that we’ve had the means to do this, to come here, to stay for the week so that Emma could work with Soma. All the young children Soma has worked with over the years, so many of them are now writing books, and are at an age where they are publishing their hard-won words; there are too many to ignore. They are communicating on letter boards and iPads and keyboards, an unbelievable output of thoughts, ideas and opinions. “I want to be able to talk,” Emma wrote yesterday. And maybe, just maybe one day she will be able to talk the way she writes, but until then we will keep providing her with every available resource we can find so that she has a better chance of achieving that goal.
Em standing beneath the “Star of Texas”
Emma's Hope Book 
I think Em is a bigger star than the star of Texas and so are you and Soma for providing Emma with such supports.
“There are too many of them to ignore.” Every one of them a star!
Such progress, and in only 3 days! That is a testament to how much hard work you all have put into this: simply awesome!!
It becomes so much easier to talk or write when you know someone is listening.
Go Emma…so very proud of you and your accomplishments! You must feel sooo good inside and proud of yourself…you can do anything you want to do; the world is your oyster! Go Ariane and Rich…you are phenominal parents and grateful for the sharing your heartfelt and honest posts.
Good for you Emma! And also, way to go Ariane, for seeking out a method of learning and communication for your daughter. If you are like me, you don’t really want the praise, it’s just about being a mom and helping your kid. But you’ve gone the extra mile to help her and she is thriving because of it.
Wonderful!!! This post makes my heart sing. Thanks to you and Emma for sharing and giving us hope. May this hope be the fuel to transform many more lives as it has for you and Emma. Great work Emma!!!
I can’t wait to see you both! Counting the hours 🙂 You are both my heroes!
My heart is singing too… Maybe Lisa and I will start our own little choir!
♫♥♫♥♫♥
Your posts this week have made me so happy. Please say thank you to Emma for giving you permission to share her words here. 🙂
I hope Emma’s sessions go well and I hope she will be able to talk too.
Ariane, I can relate to what you as mom are feeling. When our children suddenly communicate things we had not thought they knew, it can be overwhelming. I remember when Kim first learned to type, I had to apologize for different things I had said in front of her, not knowing she understood me all along. I can’t wait to hear all the things Emma learned this week. Perhaps she can write a blog about it, too.
Amazing and wonderful!
You’ve got my mind in overtime! I have to meet Soma! Hope she returns to DC soon…
Emma, Sunny and I are so very proud of you!!!!
CJ
“She has said things that have provoked more questions than answers, but she is here, very much rooted in this world and not, as many suggest or seem to think, somewhere else, off in her own “little world”. As parents, sometimes we learn later, rather than sooner, how very much aware our children are of this old world. It is our responsibility as their parents, to spread the word to others – to show and teach others to show the same respect to our children that we expect others to show us. You learned sooner, and now you, and all of us parents, need to make educators, doctors, therapists, neighbors, family, everyone, how much our children are a part of this world and that our children are listening. A cognitive behavior therapist working with my daughter told me a number of years ago to say to my daughter some very important words, “I hear you.”
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