VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 4
the term "developmentally delayed" for the first time. At almost five, he was
diagnosed with autism. At six, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and at six and
a half he was undiagnosed with cerebral palsy, although he continues to have an
orthopedic impairment. As a young mom, I knew the importance of building
relationships with our children, but I underestimated the need to build trust for
Eddie.
I was so committed to bonding with my children that I had a "baby tape" for
each I played while they were in the womb. It included recording on a tiny cassette
tape some classical music, talking to the baby in a sing-song voice by both Mom
and Dad, and then adding a touch of something unique. For Eddie, this was
"Sunrise" by Norah Jones. I would position the small recorder on my stomach with
the speaker facing in and simply rest while my baby was serenaded three times a
day. If their dad thought I was over the top, he never said it. He was committed,
too.
Once they were born we read them books, went for long stroller walks, said
"I love you" as much as possible, and played classic games like "peek-a-boo." On
top of all that, we tried to communicate with them constantly. We would tell them
where we were going, who was going to be there, when we would be leaving them
with somebody else, and when we would be back. As Dr. Seuss's Horton once
said, "We meant what we said and we said what we meant." This provided an
