A Letter to all  children!

Hey guys!

I’m John. I am just like you all, but a little different in some ways.

I was two when my parents found out that I’m different from other kids. They took me to many doctors to figure out whats wrong with me and how to fix it. Yeah, I have seen a lot of doctors!

Hey, I am four now and I love going to beaches and parks. I love listening to the waves on the beach and playing in icy cold water.You know what? I can sleep on wet sand for hours, but my mother does not let me do that for more than 5 minutes. When she comes to pick me up, I dig deep into the sand. I know, that’s like my thing! My mom calls me a “Dirty Poodle” when i do that. Ha! What does she know?

But I really love my mom! Its awesome when she smiles. Whenever we go to the beach, she takes me where a bunch of kids are playing. I love seeing them play but don’t know why, they’re always running  away from me. Last week, I offered a mud-cake to one of the small kids. But that kid’s mom got sort of scared, i guess. She just grabbed him and left the place with a disgusted look on her face. I also heard her shouting to my mom,”Why aren’t you watching your kid?” It made my mom very sad, I don’t know why. Well, that was the best mud-cake i ever made.

One day I met a really cool boy at a park. He liked all my tricks. We had a great time chasing each other. My mom was so happy, her eyes were sparkling.In the next few days she took me to the same park again and again. She literally dragged me all over the park looking for the boy who played with me. You know, my mom even baked some chocolate cupcakes for him! But, yeah, we could not find him! I had never seen her so gloomy. Oh Mom, I just don’t know how to say how much I care for you and I just hate seeing you sad!

I know that many kids like me are waiting for a friend! But, most children get scared of us. I would like to tell you that just like some kids have long hair and some have short, some have black eyes while others have green or blue, I too am a little different from you! Let me explain. I too love playing with toys just like you all, but my way of playing is a bit different. When you get happy, you smile and may be dance about a bit. Well, in my case, I don’t know how to dance. So when I am happy, I start shouting and spinning around. I don’t really know to control my emotions, so when I laugh, cry or shout it’s always a little different.We all love the massage chairs at the mall, right? When I roll around the floor, it’s like getting a massage for me. So I do that quite a bit, whenever and wherever I feel like it.

I would really love to have friend. Do you know what Mr. H. Humphrey said about friendship? He said, “The greatest gift of life is friendship”. A friend, is someone who is always there for you, someone who guides you when things go wrong. A friend makes you happy. Guys! I am waiting for my gift, a good friend. You can be a very good friend if you try to understand me a little. Let me tell you a few things-

1. Parallel Play: I enjoy parallel play. Imagine we both are playing with blocks at the same time, but not really talking to each other. You may not be playing directly with me, but I can see you, hear you and understand you very well. I would love it if you can be a little patient and spend some time doing this with me. Also, I love sharing my toys.
2. Don’t touch me:My mom sometimes calls me ‘Touch me not’. I know why she does that. I always get a bit anxious when someone touches me. But, don’t worry, I still need you! I will let you touch me once I feel you are safe for me.
3. I am super sensitive: I hear, see and feel things differently. It’s like having a super-power and you can’t control it. Like when I go to a mall, the noise over there feels like a roaring jet engine to me! As you can imagine, this is super scary for me.
4. I am Safe:You are safe with me. You won’t become like me by just playing with me.

5. I Can Understand things:I know that I am not very attractive. And yes, I walk like a Star Wars robot. But, it is just because I am still trying to learn and understand my surroundings. I don’t know whether it is safe or not. When you make fun of me, I feel bad just like you would feel bad if someone laughed at you.Let me remind you that being rude and mean to someone with disability is disrespectful. You hurt them, as well as their parents.

6. Patience:You need to be a little patient when you are with me. It takes some time for me to understand you and get comfortable. But, trust me, I can be a really good friend. 

7. My world-My parents:I really love my parents. They are always with me and take care of me very well. But I know that my mom would love to go out with her friends, once a while. 

I know that we cannot live without 3 things- Food, Shelter, and Clothes. But, if you ask me, to have a friend is more important! Do you know what I always pray for? A truly good friend for me and all other kids like me!

John

By

Ms. Rupali Ranjith

Speech Therapist