Intelligence isn’t always immediately obvious. Physical disabilities can limit a person’s ability to share and express their innate intelligence. Sadie had cerebral palsy and was diagnosed with autism. She had poor eye contact and spent a lot of the day slumped in her wheelchair, unmotivated to interact with others. Her parents told our group of therapists that they weren’t sure about her intelligence level since she was virtually non- verbal. On a recent IQ test, she scored 68. Any score below 70 is considered what used to be called “mentally retarded.” They explained she could say a few words,…but inconsistently, and described how oddly she would silently mouth words sometimes. She had had some speech therapy but her communication was still a mystery.

 

Our team’s first goal was to find games and toys and activities that interested this little girl. We weren’t trying to teach her anything yet except that we were friendly and interested in whatever she was interested in. We presented a whole range of activities including some physical play like tickle and wheel-chair dancing. Sadie showed us quickly that she could understand most of what we were saying. When she was motivated by something, she did her best to gather energy and, with great effort, she’d try to play with us. She was gentle and genuinely sweet. The best reward for our efforts was the huge smile she beamed when she liked a game, arching her head back looking right into our eyes.

 

After the first two days of play-sessions, we felt we had made a connection with Sadie and she was watching us with her eyes more and more. She seemed happier, but we still weren’t certain about her cognitive abilities. What kind of intelligence did she have? Could she learn to speak, for example? Then, during a therapy session on the third day, a therapist had heard Sadie say several words very clearly. He sang and did the actions to the “head-shoulders-knees-and-toes” while she moved her body as much as she could, looking straight at him the entire song. At the end of the song, Sadie said “Again!” Our senior therapist asked for more details, “How did she say it exactly?” “Kinda breathy…it was really soft…but I heard it…she definitely said the word.”, the therapist explained.

 

During the next session the senior therapist watched closely for other clues. Then he saw it. Each time Sadie whispered a word, she was sitting more upright. This seemed to happen when she was highly motivated. At the peek of a game her body was less slumped in the wheelchair, and she held her head up straighter. “That’s it!”, he thought, “She’s in a better position to make vocal sounds.” When she isn’t slumped on her diaphragm, her airway is more open.

 

Working with another staff, the senior therapist kneeled down in front the wheelchair. He told Sadie he had an idea that might help her talk more easily. He asked her if they could hold her under her arms to help her sit up straighter. She nodded and smiled yes. With her torso no longer slumped, he asked her to tell him how that felt. She mouthed a word but no sound came out.

 

From his position kneeling in front, he studied her behavior very closely and noticed she hadn’t taken a breath before speaking. Even though her airway was more open now, for some reason she wasn’t taking a breath before trying to speak. Her breath control (the breathing-talking cycle) wasn’t coordinated. He reached forward and put his hand lightly on her diaphragm, “take a breath Sadie,” he coached. She followed his cues and took a deeper breath. “How does that feel now?” he asked. “Good”, she answered out loud. It wasn’t a whisper either. And for the next few minutes, with the other therapist supporting Sadie to sit up as he reminded her to take a breath each time before she spoke, they had a little conversation. How do you like the games we’re playing with you, he asked? “It’s fun!”, she said clearly.

 

Her parents stood nearby with tears rolling down their cheeks. Sadie was talking. With more breath-control training and posture strengthening Sadie would go on to show, and tell, her family and teachers how smart she really was. Needless to say, along with her posture, her IQ scores surged upwards.