Today I am Cake

Guest Post by Tamara Pogin M.A. C.C.C. Speech & Language Pathologist

I started working with a little boy, Ethan, this week. I confessed to Mom that I am muddling through these first sessions, trying to stumble upon strategies that work as I take in information about his needs, his strengths, his likes and dislikes.

Today, we had a high point when Ethan expanded his pretend play by inviting his favorite lovey toy to get in the pretend car with us. We also had a low point when he cried inconsolably about our clinic not having the right swing when we went outside.

When it was time for Ethan to go home, he was still visibly upset, though no longer crying. I started singing a goodbye song from Super Simple Songs Three (#19). I held his hand and sang as we walked down the hallway. Ethan loves music. For one of the few times that session, he looked right at me and said with sheer relief, You're cake. His mom said that that was a good thing, but she didn't need to tell me that. Little Ethan was telling me, You found something that made me feel better. Whether it was the sound of my voice, or my hand in his, or some combination of both, I plan on doing it again. I am hoping next time will be better and that we'll continue to get the chance to learn from each other. Today, I learned that it is good to be cake.