Trending Now
We all hope to one day have a career that’s both meaningful and helpful, and after reading through this Twitter thread, there can be no doubt that speech pathologist Rachel Romeo has found her true calling.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817555257942016
Her thread begins with her finding herself seated next to a man and his nonverbal, autistic 10-year-old son. The man apologized in broken English for what would likely be a difficult flight due to his son’s issues, but Rachel assured him it was fine – she was more than used to dealing with children with similar struggles.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817556134580225
The child began the flight exactly how his father feared, but when Rachel asked how the boy preferred to communicate, the father didn’t have an answer.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817557015400448
So she put away her laptop and set about making him a communication board to see if he could use it to make his feelings, wants, and needs known.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817557862584325
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817558680494081
It took some trial and error, but she was able to work with him over the 8 hour flight until he was able to communicate with both her and his father.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817559611658240
They were both grateful for the intervention, and Rachel chose to look at the experience not as an interruption of her flight, but as a chance reminder that she was exactly where she was meant to be.
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817560509263874
https://twitter.com/RachelRRomeo/status/1166817561356451840
As the daughter of a special educator, I can confirm that people who choose to work with challenged kids are special indeed – and most, if not all, of them would have responded exactly the same way.
