Words

This recent Radio Lab episode reminded us so much of Sandy. When she came to us at age two-and-a-half, the social worker told us she had a speech delay.

In those first months we delighted in her learning words and stringing them together. She gravitated toward nouns. When she formed crude sentences, they always led.

Then after being with us for three months, Sandy shocked us by crying, “Sandy my name, Sandy my name,” over and over, clapping herself on the chest. For hours.

We’d assumed she'd known her name. She seemed to respond to it.

How had we not known? Was it a dawning concept of self? What was her mindset before?

And how do we step outside our most basic assumptions?