As conventional communicators, we often take for granted the ease with which we are able to communicate with others. When we’re ordering food at a restaurant or asking where our missing keys are, we simply open our mouths and utter words while using hand gestures to increase the likelihood that our appeals can be deciphered accurately.
When we are put in situations where we are listeners in the midst of speakers who are unable to communicate in conventional and familiar ways, we feel confused, anxious, and stressed. Even worse, we feel like failures in front of our non-verbal children whom we are supposed to understand inside out. With all these negative feelings in tow, we often struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel and wonder how on earth we would ever be able to soothe their cries and prevent future tantrums. In the midst of this chaos, learning and teaching our children alternative methods of communication can be mutually rewarding and enriching. These methods can be used simultaneously or interchangeably. Although these methods do not guarantee the absolute prevention of tantrums and outbursts (but they do reduce a good bulk of them), they help us to develop a better understanding of our children and decrease our feelings of stress and confusion.