Over the weekend, I purchased a cool new microphone so that I can do some promotional book stuff. It has a very funky appearance that caught Schuyler's eye as soon as I set it up, and she was captivated by the sound of her voice as we played around with it.
As we were getting ready to go to her summer program this morning, she pointed to the microphone and then herself and made her little sign for "please". This short recording is what resulted.
I thought I'd share this with you because it occurred to me that while I've shown Schuyler using her Big Box of Words before, I'm not sure if I've ever actually shared what she sounds like when she speaks. I'm not sure you can really understand who she is without hearing her voice.
And yes, you're hearing correctly. She can now say the word "no", at least much of the time. She's already rendered parts of my book obsolete, and I couldn't be happier about that.
You can hear her monster here, how it wipes away her consonants and leaves her largely unintelligible, but I hope you can also hear how hard she tries and how many of her words can become clear through context. Julie and I can understand a great deal of what she says, so perhaps her words aren't as clear to you as they are to me, I can't say. I can't see that forest; I'm perhaps too deeply in love with the trees.
One thing that I hope is obvious to anyone, however, is how clearly she must be hearing her words in her head. More than that, I hope you can feel how much of her vibrant personality comes through in her speech, and how much joy she manages to extract from a world that doesn't easily give much up for her in return.
Schuyler speaks (mp3, 1.3 MB)
65 comments:
Brilliant! What a sweet, sweet voice. I was able to understand much of what she said.
Oh.
My.
Gosh!
Hello Mrs. Schuyler! It was so good to hear your voice. You know, a big ol smile came across my face as I listened to you. Your dad is a real squirrel ya know. He is funny how he asks you if you eat BOOGERS! lololololol
You have a very pretty voice.
Shannon in Austin
loud and clear!
That's awesome!
I absolutely understood the vast majority of it. Schuyler's got that monster cowering in the corner.
Beautiful, Rob.
The giggles are the best - made me giggle!
Perfectly understandable if you know what you're expecting to hear... And that's a whole lot more than no words at all. That was awesome!
It sounds like she really does wring every last inflection out that she can. It's a lot clearer than I imagined. Go Schuyler!
I read frequently, but comment sparingly. However, this was excellent to hear and I couldn't not say "Thanks" - I loved hearing Schuyler's voice. She's just a little older than my oldest daughter and I've often thought they'd get along fantastically - except that we're in Philly.
That was awesome. She came in loud and clear, especially, "I am seven years old."
Wow. Thanks, Rob. And thanks bunches, Schuyler. You are the best, little girl!
My favorite is her "I don't know!" about five seconds in.
After she says "No" to liking pizza, does she say "I don't like pizza!" before you ask if she's a big liar?
I think that's what I hear, but I'm deferring to the expert.
Seriously, though, Rob...I can see how, if I was around her every day, I would begin to understand her. Amazing.
After she says "No" to liking pizza, does she say "I don't like pizza!" before you ask if she's a big liar?
That's exactly what she says. And of course, like every kid on the planet, she loves pizza.
Schuyler, you ROCK! Thanks for talking to us :) (are you SURE you don't eat pizza???). Thanks for sharing that, Rob :).
I could understand a lot more than I'd anticipated. very cool. Thanks for talking to us, Schuyler.
I thought she sounded great. I could understand much of what she said. Such a sweet and spunky voice. Love the laugh! Thanks for sharing this.
That was awesome! I understood almost everything, and I imagine it's even easier to understand her in person and being able to see her mouth move.
Also, I love that the one consonant she has completely down is the "n" in "no".
I love the way she says "no;" it's so sweet. It's very clear how much she loves you, just in hearing her respond to you. So sweet. And I could understand a lot more than I would have anticipated - but maybe that's because all of us that have followed through her life can't see the forest either; the trees are too much of a spectacular thing to behold.
Bah- that was me just now as "kendarin," I was getting my boyfriend a gmail account >.<
Incredible. This is more than half way to understandable. This girl can talk.
Won't be long before she renders even more of that there book obsolete! Way to go Schuyler! I think you sound wonderful and can't wait to hear you talk to us some more!
It won't be long before she renders more of that book obsolete! Its clear the only monsters she believes in are the kind who eat her barbies! Way to go Schuyler! Talk to us again anytime!
That was fantastic and everything you said about it was so true. Thank you for sharing with us. I cannot wait for your book to come out.
Wonderful! You have to count me in with the group that understood most of what she was saying. I really loved the way she says no to you, you can tell that she knows you're fooling around!
AMAZING !!
have fun at school :O)
That was beautiful. The context did help me understand quite a bit, and it's pretty clear that she's determined to make herself heard, in whatever way she can.
(And additionally, that has to be the cutest "I don't know" I've ever heard.)
She has a beautiful voice.
It's like reading a sentence where occasional letters are missing/faded--after you get used to the rhythm of her words, it's easy to fill in the blanks.
And she's got "n" nailed. I'll bet more clearly-defined consonants come tumbling out, over time.
Tell Schuyler hello right back.
Thanks for sharing that, Rob. And I'm SO glad to hear she's conquered "no". A useful word in society. :)
All smiles (you can hear it in her voice) and giggles! She's adorable.
That was great! Her humor and her love for you come through loud and clear. No pizza?! As if.
Wow, her voice has grown up a lot since the baby videos.
That was amazing. Just like everyone else, I was able to understand a lot of what she said. I could just hear her smile, too. Thanks for sharing with us, Schuyler!
OMG!!
She is totally my favorite new blogger!
I understood almost all of what she said and honestly it sounds less like a monster and more like a cleft palate issue. Not minimizing the seriousness of the Actual Monster; just saying she is obviously winning the battle. GO SCHUYLER!!!
I understood almost all of what she said and honestly it sounds less like a monster and more like a cleft palate issue.
It does sound a little like a cleft palate. The interesting thing is that her condition is neurological in nature, not physical.
what a sweet voice she has. it is certainly music to my ears.
thank you for sharing.
Had I not known about the Monster, I would have attributed the 'soft consonants' to poor recording.
I understood most of what she said.
She has a beautiful voice, and her laughter is joy to my ears.
That made me cry. She sounds so sweet.
I was thinking of your daughter today. I was surfing and ran across two things that might interest her. I wasn't looking for anything remotely "monster" related, so I thought it was odd to have run into these two things. I wanted to buy them for her, because I live in Austin and I have a new daughter and I read your blog, so I just somehow feel like I know her (does that sound weird?) ... and then I realized I don't know her, so I can't buy them for her.
But they're really inexpensive, so maybe you can buy 'em and stockpile them for Christmas or a birthday or something.
http://www.flying-pig.co.uk/pagesv/trex.html
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6386823
Cheers.
That was fantastic, music to my ears. I, too, understood much of what she said. I'd love to hear more, sometime
Smiling with tears
of happiness,
Robin in Illinois
My favourite part-
Schuyler: I don't like pizza.
Rob: Liar!
She sounds absolutely beautiful, and she treats every syllable so carefully. I even heard a little "s" sound when she said her name, and I know kids without monsters who can't pronounce their "S"s.
It is interesting how her speech sounds as if it's affected more by something physical (by something structurally in her mouth) than something neurological, but it's really the other way around.
I feel like I know her a little better now, but we're still worlds apart, and I like that. Thank you.
Donna said:
I understood everything she said including Petie.
If she hears herself and how she sounds, can she train her mouth to make the consonants?
Is that a really stupid question?
It just occurred to me that if she heard what she sounded like, vs what you sound like, could she change how she sounds?
She is obviously not mentally impaired, but can the neurological part of her monster be altered with training?
I'm sorry if this was a dumb question, or a touchy subject, it just sounds to me after listening to her that she has the rhythms of speech down, it seems like she just needs a little tweeking. I guess I thought that she really couldn't be understood at all, and now that I've heard her, it's not as bad as I thought. Again, sorry for any offense this comment may have caused.....
um, wow.
that made me cry.
Much clearer than I would have expected! I am impressed, actually. She gets a lot across without the consonants.
Given that she is now able to say "no," how hopeful are you that she will gain more consonants? Is there conceivably going to be a day when she'll be able to do more speaking herself, and use the BBOW as backup? Or is it still all up in the air?
Wow.
Just...wow. Go Schuyler!
Rob and Schuyler
Thanks so much for sharing. Schuyler, I love your voice, you keep it up!
Bernard (typing with years)
absolutely wow! Rob, it was nice to put a voice with your photos!
:)
This reminds me of that text that is floating around the internet ... can you read this:
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
All the words are there, and if you pay attention, you can understand it, in Schuyler's case by inflection and partial words. It's just that it's not the way you expect it to be.
But clarity is not the important thing, communication is, and it's lovely to see that Schuyler is able to communicate well, and I trust that as she grows, more and more people will be able to understand her.
Thanks for sharing.
That was amazing. I felt like I was hearing a voice from the ages. Thank you.
I understood quite a bit, without your translation. She speaks much like my nephew with autism does. Her words are intentional, though, and make sense in context. (He just tends to repat the credits of movies.) Thank you for sharing.
I teach a little one who experienced a severe brain bleed in the areas that control language while undergoing surgery to correct the heart defect that he had as a result of Down Syndrome. He is four years old and even though he has more consonants there is no way that he is anywhere close to being that comprehensible. I have been using an AAC device with him but his parents still are firm that he must talk. They do not understand that voices come in all sorts of beautiful forms. Schuyler, I love all of your voices! You are awesome!! Rob, thank you for sharing this journey with all of us. Your daughter is one amazing little punk!
She's got a cute little voice, missing consonants notwithstanding.
Thanks for sharing Rob. I really did understand a lot of what Schuyler said. What I liked was the playfulness that I heard in her voice. What a treat! Samdy
O.k. after 25 tries to remember my password I'm not sure my last comment went through.
What I want to say is thank you for sharing. I did understand a lot of what Schuyler said. But the really neat thing was to hear the cheerfulness and personality in her voice. It was really great - thanks! Sandy
This made me brawl my eyes out this morning.
That was awesome! I understood her better than I thought I would. I thought "I don't like pizza!" was clear, like someone else mentioned, too. Aw, she is so cute! I'm happy to hear her talk. Thanks, Rob!
~Meg in Los Angeles
Wow! I'll nth what everyone else has said and say that Schuyler has a beautiful voice and her speech was much clearer than I had anticipated.
You, though, Rob? You don't sound ANYTHING like I thought you would. I have no idea what I thought you'd sound like, but that wasn't it (great voice, though). It's like the reverse of finally seeing the photograph of the NPR commentator and having it not match your mental image at all.
I understood everything - and she is adorable! Keep it up!
Stacy in Brooklyn
Her voice is just as pretty as her face, which is saying something.
Thanks for sharing this. It's really interesting--it's like there's a consonant filter. Her words are the right length and inflection, and all the vowels are in their places, but the consonants have been plucked out. I had imagined her speech as running vowels together without any regard for consonants, but you can hear the spaces that the missing consonants are leaving. Not like aphasia at all--more like a crossword puzzle.
Again, thanks for sharing. It really touched me to hear her voice.
Just wonderful! What a sweet sounding little girl.
Love the blog. Keep up the good work. And good luck on the book!
i've been meaning to comment for a while. but things went a bit t*ts up in my strange world. its truely amazing to hear Schuyler speak. Her voice is so vibrant, and yes, I can understand her. I love how she says 'I don't know' so sweet.
Sarah UK
I'm incredibly moved by you sharing Schuyler's voice with us. Thank you. Hugs all around.
Absolutely great to hear you talk, fellow-pizza lover Schuyler! You have a truly lovely, happy voice.
As a non-native speaker of English I can understand the majority of what you say. And let me tell you that with other English-speaking kids it can sometimes be hard for me to understand.
Rob, thank you for writing. I discovered your blog yesterday and have already learned so much by reading your stories. Thank you for sharing.
You are totally going to think I am bullshitting you, but I just played that with my 2yo (who also has BPP) in my lap and as soon as he heard Schuyler's voice he waved at the monitor and said "EY!". :)
Seriously, no joke.
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