Stories of Listening: Nico & Isla (age 4)
Captured by Lindsey Solots
The Language of Seeing Connections
Nico is a child with Down Syndrome who has unique abilities of communicating. Nico has developmentally appropriate fluency in ASL that he employs most frequently as his more conventional language, but he offers a lot more subtle and nuanced languages of communication as well - this one I’m calling “The Language of Seeing Connections.”
Nico has taken a special interest in his peer and friend Isla this year. The two met back in August of 2023 and quickly connected.
Isla is learning to use an eye-gaze device to aid her in communicating verbally. When her eyes lock onto a button on her screen for a set amount of linger-time, the screen speaks for her in a consistent AI voice that is a 5 - 6 year old girl. This voice is known in our classroom to be “Isla’s voice.”
I have paid close attention to Nico’s own eye gazes when he interacts with Isla at her device. In listening to him I have inferred that Nico has a keen sense of the complexity of the process of Isla’s communication, and it’s allowed for me to be more aware of these same subtle complexities in other non-verbal communication. Nico’s mindful back and forth attentiveness helped me to realize that there may be multiple reciprocal conversations being had in a single interaction, and I’m grateful to have learned that from him this year.
SEEING CONNECTIONS:
Noticing, registering, associating, checking, pointing, announcing, listening, affirming
