06/08/2023
My best day as a speech and language therapist
As a neurodiversity affirming therapist I always presume competence as the least dangerous option for the children and young people that I see in school and in clinic. This means that I assume that the person I see in front of me has the capacity to think, learn, and understand. I will never think they are inherently incapable; rather they just need the right supports and systems put in place in order to help them succeed. Presuming competence is about giving someone a chance—and helping them to take that chance in any way you can.
Many of the children I see in clinic are non speaking or minimally speaking autistic - a client group whose intelligence and capabilities are very often underestimated. 'We' all too often link an inability to speak with an inability to think. This is wrong......and potentially very harmful.
Every week the children that visit, allow me to see some massively momentous moments for them, for me and for their families. Often these moments, these steps are so small, but nonetheless, always significant in their own journeys. Last week however, I was blessed not only to witness but to play a part in one of the best moments in my (very) long career, with a non speaking child I have been seeing for about a year now.
Every week they come into clinic and play, most of it alone, with some shared moments of connection, but not many. They babble and jargon to themselves and sometimes say a single word in isolation, but never really to communicate with me. They even sometimes say numbers whilst 'counting bears'. or buses, or bricks......counting is a favourite activity, as is posting, fixing things, exploring, climbing.
Last week was very different, as well as pointing very appropriately to the rain on the window and the car outside and saying very clearly, 'rain' and 'car', they then went on to point to the clock on my wall and say, '1, 2, 3'. I took it off the wall expecting them to possibly point to the numbers and count them, not because they knew them but because I knew they liked to count 'things'.
What they actually did was so much better. They physically took my hand and guided it through the numbers, sometimes in order, sometimes not, and they labelled them - all 10 (they never count past 10). They then matched some numbers to picture cards and then took all the numbers and put them in order on the floor, even manipulating and experimenting with the numbers 6 and 9, turning them to 'read' correctly to fit their own preferred pattern.
This may not all sound much to some, but to them, to their mum and to me, the speech therapist, this was such a mind blowing, significant occasion, that reduced the two adults in the room to happy tears. This child who barely uses words, signs or gestures, doesn't often engage, and when they do, it is for very short periods of time, was interacting with me, looking at me, engaging, connecting, showing joy in social interaction. AND they were demonstrating to me and to mum that they could recognise and label every number from one to ten AND they loved it! Showing off their talent proudly.
This is why presuming competence matters. This is why access to numbers, to letters, to pictures, to objects, to symbols, to signs and gestures - visuals of all shapes and sizes, is so vitally important for these kids. They need us to focus on their potential, acknowledge and respect all communication styles, and put appropriate strategies in place for them. They need us to believe they can shine, and they will
