Sam (not his real name) comes ones a week to a language group I run in one of my schools. He was born with cognitive and physical delays and spends part of his day in special classes. Sam is very social and walks down the hall at his middle school high-fiving every other student. Once in two years, I have seen him upset and sad. Generally his face shines with excitement and his smile brightens everyone’s day. Nothing is ever an obstacle to Sam. He loves to talk but his articulation skills are impacted due to poor motor control and planning. Sam omits sounds and chops off words while speaking, which makes him unintelligible to unfamiliar listeners in most contexts.
My small student group was answering questions and took turns circling correct responses on the whiteboard. It was Sam's turn to walk up to the board, grab a pen, and be prepared to answer the next question. I told him once that it was his turn, and he gave me a blank stare. I prompted him again, "Sam, it's your turn. Are you ready?" His priceless reply came back quickly like the crack of a whip, "Wha? I wa bown weady." There was much laughter. Indeed, he was. Born ready to make the world a better place.
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