On my son Andrew's 15th birthday, I whisked him to a shoe store near our home in Toronto to get a pair of sandals. We knew the exact style and size he wanted, and arrived right when the store opened. Andrew is nonspeaking autistic and prefers shopping when it's not busy.
"Size 41 of those black slip-on sandals, please," I told the clerks.
Andrew slipped his feet into the shoes with no protest or head banging (signs of distress we have seen in the past). A perfect fit. We boxed them up, paid and thanked the clerks.
"It's Andrew's birthday today. Fifteen! Got our new shoes and now we're off to celebrate with family," I said.
"Happy birthday!" they said. "Have fun!" What comes next only happens when you act on intuition, when the voice inside says to stop and do things differently. Instead of having Andrew point to the "thank you" symbol on his picture chart, I hold up his letter board.
For 10 years, Andrew has used a picture chart to communicate. The images represent important and common words: people, places, food, greetings and activities.
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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READER'S DIGEST-BOOKS
These book summaries highlight Siddharthya Roy's exploration of conflict and violence, Michael Castleman's deep dive into the history of publishing, and Swadesh Deepak's examination of social issues and masculinity through Hindi literature.
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A lawyer, pianist, critic, and mentor to artists, Lionel Wendt is best known for his photographs of Sri Lanka, especially those of people indigenous to the island, captured amidst the lush landscape or posing in his studio.
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Coimbatore-born Prashanth Srivatsa is a science fiction/fantasy writer whose stories have appeared in magazines such as Asimov’s, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance. magazines such as Asimov's, Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance.
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