When you have a child who communicates differently than most, you learn to listen with more than your ears. You learn to communicate with a look, a touch, a gesture. Words became less important. You read your child’s needs...
When you have a child who communicates differently than most, you learn to listen with more than your ears.
You learn to communicate with a look, a touch, a gesture. Words became less important.
You read your child’s needs just by looking at their eyes. A simple look is all you need.
You know what a sounds means. One grunt or squeal can tell you everything you need to know.
A flap of a hand or a stomp means happy or stressed.
Some days you swear you can even feel the energy shift in the room if there is danger. As if you two are connected by a tether in some way.
I leave out all the useless fillers. I get to the point. No nonsense. Straight to the point.
And so on.
We were both quiet. Only speaking when necessary.
We felt no pressure to fill the air with useless words.
When I inspected his upper body for bruises from the fall he took the day prior, I looked in his eyes and said ‘sad.’
‘Are you sad Dad?’
And he said ‘sad.’
He asked me if this was the end. I told him no.
Later he said…‘not bad’ about the room he would call home.
And then ‘love you.’
And right before he fell asleep he said, ‘drive careful sweetheart.’ It was barely a whisper. He was exhausted. Three words in a sentence. None of them unnecessary.
My dad has lectured me about safe driving my whole entire life. And he made sure he said it this time too.
I could have said a lot more. I can talk and talk. The gift of gab.
But my son has taught me to just listen. And speak when necessary.
The post The Power of Silence: Communicating with Heart appeared first on Finding Cooper's Voice | Welcome to the Secret World of Autism.
