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While shopping in a discount store I overheard a frustrated father talking to his young son as he wheeled him in the shopping cart. Although the boy was flailing and distraught, the father patted him with calming hands and assured him with words like, "Its okay, Billy. We have just one more item and then we'll go home for our nap, Billy. Calm down, Billy. Take a deep breath, Billy."
As a speech pathologist who works with many children with autism and behavioral disorders, I went over to the father and told him how well he handed Billy in that particular situation.
The father looked at me in surprise. "Oh. This is Joey. I'm Billy."
I patted them both on their backs and there was a calm.
Kathie Harrington is a speech-language pathologist in Las Vegas, NV.
Humor in Therapy is a Web-exclusive ADVANCE column. If you are a speech-language pathologist or audiologist interested in submitting an entry, please contact Web Editor Alyssa Banotai at abanotai@advanceweb.com. If your entry is published, you will receive a $25 honorarium.
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