Remember that brief window when your baby or toddler couldn’t communicate pain? How you would look for nonverbal cues to see if they were hungry, gassy or perhaps had an ear infection. Thankfully, for most, this phase lasts only a few years. But, for many special needs parents we find ourselves indefinitely immersed in this guessing game.
Navigating the world of parenting a nonverbal child is like being handed a puzzle with missing pieces. Every day is a guessing game, trying to interpret their needs, wants, and feelings without the luxury of verbal communication. It's a constant dance of observation, intuition, and trial and error.
And this week we have been dancing.
Brantley has not been his normal happy, hungry, wild boy. He has been calmer than normal. He isn’t eating the mass amounts of food he normally shoves in and be has cried so many tears, with no clear antecedent. All of these signaled that something wasn’t quite right.
The pivotal moment arrived when he repeatedly reached for his left ear. Armed with this insight, we made our way to the doctor's office, where we uncovered the source of his distress: an ear tube positioned incorrectly, dangling on the side of his eardrum instead of snugly in place.
Reflecting on our journey to uncover the cause to Brantley’s behaviors, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for nonverbal communication signaling an ear problem. But still, I can’t deny that the inability to communicate directly with my son leaves me feeling powerless at times.
However, it’s that same feeling that propels me to become a detective, constantly searching for clues to unravel the mysteries of Brantley’s world.
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