This past week has been very emotional for me. Finding out that Ethan would need language therapy was unexpected, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I was ready to help him in any way possible. After all, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my little angle. It wasn’t until last night, when I read his poem, that I became overwhelmed with sadness and guilt. After Mrs. Hampton had evaluated Ethan, she helped him to write a poem about what it was like when people talked to him and how these experiences made him feel. I was shocked to learn what his life had been like and how frustrated he was because of it. I cried myself to sleep last night. I was haunted by the fact that my son had been suffering all this time, and I never even noticed. Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t I help him? I felt like a failure as a mother. Surely there was something I could have done to prevent all of this. What kind of mother was I? I was so sure that he would grow to resent me for all of this, and I wouldn’t blame him if he did.
This morning, I decided to go see Mrs. Hampton. I am so glad that I did! She talked with me for over an hour, answering all of my questions and assuring me that it was not my fault. I’m still not able to accept the fact that I am not at least partly to blame. In any case, I know that Ethan is in good hands. With so many people aiding and supporting him, he’s sure to succeed in his therapy.

My dear friend, Diana, invited me to attend a PTA meeting tonight. While Ethan isn’t yet a student at Glenn Oak Elementary School, he will be next fall so I thought I’d go see what the PTA meetings were all about. It started out as I had expected by addressing various areas of interest, such as financial issues, fund raisers, individual class developments, scheduled events, etc. However, tonight they had a guest speaker, Mrs. Hampton, a speech pathologist at the school. Of course, I was the naïve parent that had no idea of what this person did for a living. I figured she was going to present ideas about getting the children oriented with writing and presenting speeches. After all, this is considered an important part of school curriculums these days, or so I have heard. However, I was surprised to learn that this was not the case. She was actually there to present a PowerPoint presentation about how language development can be affected by chronic otitis media, specifically the language characteristics associated with chronic otitis media. This immediately caught my attention since Ethan had suffered many middle ear infections in the past. Still, I had never suspected him of having any developmental problems. I mean, sure, his language isn’t perfect, but he’s only five years old. Isn’t this normal?
After listening intently to the presentation, I began to worry about Ethan. Like any other caring mother, I only want what’s best for him. Only, I still didn’t know what I should do. I waited around until all of the other parents had left and then approached Mrs. Hampton. She gave me the phone number to a local audiologist, John Sutton, and advised me to have Ethan’s hearing evaluated. I’m going to give him a call first thing tomorrow morning.

I Am Poem
By: client

I am five years old and mad
I wonder why I don't know what people are saying
I hear less than you think
I see your lips move
I want to know what you are saying
I am five years old and mad

I pretend that I know what you say
I feel the pain in my ear again
I touch my ear and rub it
I worry that the pain will never go away
I cry because it hurts
I am five years old and mad

I understand you sometimes, but if I don't...
I say that I do not understand you
I dream that one day I will
I try so hard to tell you
I hope that this therapy will help me
I am five years old and mad