Have you ever wondered what it is like to be trapped in a body that refuses to follow the commands of your mind? Now imagine a 7 year old in that situation. In the child’s medical file, a single label sets the course of her life: cerebral palsy. Sitting in a wheelchair, she waits on the sidelines at recess. Around her, there are the sounds of life being lived to the fullest––kids chasing each other, running, swinging high in the air, playing hopscotch!
Except for her! Her arms twitch. Yearning to connect, to reach out to another.
A child walks up to her and takes her hand in her hand. Her new friend kneels down and starts talking to her. Engages her in nonverbal play. Draws a face in the dirt with a stick! Laughs. The girl in wheelchair gets excited. She wants to smile but she can’t.
Her friend smiles for her.
Read the rest of my guest post at Special Needs Book Review:
http://www.specialneedsbookreview.com/2014/05/18/childrens-book-friendships-cerebral-palsy-friend-suhana-shaila-abdullah-aanyah-abdullah/