And then, she said “hi”.

Day 98

I generally enjoy sessions with my clients here at the MU Speech & Hearing Clinic. With my older clients, I joke around a little. With the younger kids, therapy resembles play, complete with puppets and Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. That’s not to say that it’s not a grind sometimes, that it’s not hard work.

With “Maggie” it’s always hard work. She’s pretty severely cognitively disabled and non-verbal. She is learning to use a device that “talks” for her, i.e. she pushes a specific button to produce a pre-recorded message. Our hour and a half together once a week consists of me drilling her on the different messages on her device. She gets tired. I get tired. It’s not fun, but we’re making progress.

Maggie used to talk. She doesn’t any more. From what I understand, she went through some traumatic experience a while back and just stopped talking. She didn’t utter a sound with the clinician all last semester. I never heard her voice. Until yesterday.

Yesterday, Maggie was doing great. She was smiling and getting some of the more abstract messages correct with little or no cuing. After our little walk break, I decided to try something new. Putting aside her device, I said, “Maggie, can you say ‘hi’?”

She mouthed “hi”. She always frames words with her lips. I was looking for vocal cord vibration. But how to get that across?

“Maggie, can you use your mouth to say ‘hi’?” That was a little nonsensical, but . . .

“Hhhhhhhuuh”. There it was. She had said it. I nearly jumped out of my chair. I asked her to do it again. And again. It was a little rough, but she was saying “hi” on cue. Despite the fact that the effort seemed exhausting, she had the biggest smile on her face. I did too.

It’s a simple word, a throw-away word. We use it all the time and never think twice. But when Maggie said it, “hi” became beautiful.

Onward.

Spiritual Vitamins for Believers, Part 16

1. Christ has given me an understanding (1 John 5:20).
2. I have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).
3. I have all sufficiency in all things (2 Cor. 9:8).
4. I have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
5. I can ever be content for I have Christ (Heb. 13:5).
6. I have all the armor and weapons I need (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:10-17).
7. I have God’s all-sufficient grace (2 Cor. 12:9).
8. I have grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).
9. I have God’s power (Eph. 1:19; 3:20).
10. I have access to the Father (Eph. 2:18; Heb. 4:16).