d. m. arney, m.a.

One of my students has a genetic issue that makes verbal communication difficult. His brain is stuttering, trying to find the words and process them back. It is very confusing and annoying for him. He’ll know the correct answer, but be unable to say it, or say a different answer entirely, all the while knowing it was wrong. He also suffers some emotional tension from not being able to readily communicate what he is trying to say. Last night as we were working on addition and multiplication using ASL numbers to visualize, he told me “This is kind of fun, almost like a game.” Best moment of this year, for both of us I think. Don’t be afraid to start all over again; if it’s not working, it’s you.