What follows is one in a series of folk tales Emma is in the process of writing since we arrived in Texas visiting Soma Mukhopadhyay. I’ve written about Soma quite a bit; for more posts about Soma click ‘here‘, ‘here‘, and ‘here‘. Anyone who is curious about Soma’s Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) please visit her website, which is full of terrific information.
A quick note about how I transcribe Emma’s words. Emma points with a pencil to letters on a laminated letter board that Soma holds in front of her, though she also has Emma hold the laminated board herself from time to time. No one touches Emma as she does this. Every few words that Emma spells, Soma takes the pencil from her and writes what she has written and repeats the words out loud. Emma then proceeds. As there is no way to punctuate the words as she spells them, I take my notes, transcribe them and ask her to tell me where to put commas and periods. This story, Emma wrote yesterday and afterward told me, “You could put it on the blog!”
Why People Walk on Two Legs ~
A Folk Tale By EmmaLong ago people walked like animals because it was funny. They had to work in the fields wearing knee-shoes and regular shoes. They could not run fast that way.
In ancient Turkey there was a man who was sort of a doctor. He had to be very careful while treating his patients. He saw most of his patients had bone injury, so he asked them to stand. It was against the law. Kings punished anyone who walked that way.
But one day the king hurt his back. The doctor treated him. Finally the king made it legal. Today it is natural to walk the way we walk.
The end
Emma chose this image from a google search for images of “evolution of man walking”
Emma's Hope Book 
In Ancient Turkey? She is amazing, all that reading to your kids has paid off, she is referring to ancient lands. Being a Turk, I am smiling more. Great job Emma, you are a very good writer.
So great!
Hi Emma,
You are doing great on writing stories! I read your horse story to my daughter, Katrina, who also has autism, and for the first time in a long time she was willing to sit at the computer and type. She still needs help, but I showed her your picture and told her something about you. She talks with her voice but not a lot. If she can type by herself it will help her get her thoughts and feelings out. She will be forty years old on her birthday. I think you are inspiring her. When I told her about you, she gave me three hugs! I think she will like your people story too. Thank you for the good work you are doing.
I love your interesting words and imagination, Emma! Thank you for sharing with us. ❀
Knee shoes? Pure genius 🙂
I love how this is super creative, but what I think is even cooler is how you follow the rules of a traditional folk tale and put your own spin on it. This shows you don’t just have a wonderful imagination, but you are truly a fantastic writer as well!!!
LOL. I get it. A girl with my heart also
Tell Emma I think her knee-shoes are awesome!
Emma, Love the way you see the world and people. Truly wonderful story telling.
Pingback: Auditory Processing Disorders: Academics and Personal Experiences Collide Again | Notes On Crazy
Pingback: Why People Walk With Two Legs Instead of Four | Emma's Hope Book