All in the way you word it

My mother called to "check in" last night and amazingly I had the most civilized conversation with her and my father about Speech Therapy my son has just begun for assistance in Pragmatic language. The typical push back, non-believer mentality and lack of appreciation for early intervention services was overtaken by an appreciation for what I was doing for my child. They were both a bit confused b/c of how clear and extensive his speech and language skills are but once I explained what Pragmatic language really meant they were quite interested in finding out more. I was shocked by their openess to really listen and try to understand what led me to get him these services for our son. Once my dad listened and explained it to my mom they were both impressed with what had been discovered and the fact that my son was being offered free Speech Therapy through the school district.

I think this just goes to show that it is "all in the way you word it." Had I said, by the way my son now has an IEP through the school district for XYZ issues I am certain the discussion would have gone down an entirely different path. After many many years of trial and error I think I have finally figured out how I need to speak with parents in order to get them to see outside of their little box.

I bring up this conversation b/c if you are following this blog, you either know of my family or you have most likely come across at least one person that has reacted to your early intervention choices with the "non-believer" attitude. I hope this shows that no matter how much you don't think someone can open their hearts, ears and eyes to see what is going on, there is hope. I am not sure that I will ever share with them all of what I have done thus far to help my son but last night was definitely a step in the right direction. I think baby steps are the best way to go.