Communication skills

From Darkness to Joy: A Catholic Story about Communication and Autism

/ chicoinematt

It was a Wednesday afternoon…I pushed open the door…

This moment was worth more than all the sales I made the past few months. 

It was worth more than my weight in gold. 

To see my child work through (via play) a parable during CGS and have him gain an understanding of the main message is incredible. 

Josiah’s Journey

An older picture showing Josiah and his sister acting out Good Friday. ✝️ 🙏

He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 18 months (thankfully we had the benefit of going through the diagnosis process with his older brother a couple years earlier). 

Communication was tough for him. His brain worked differently. He couldn’t tell my wife and I about his basic needs and this led to many meltdowns a day and even banging his head on the ground in frustration. 

Reflecting on this journey I am brought to tears with how amazing God is and the awesome gifts he blessings he gave my son and family via therapy, social support, and comfort through the saints. 

For a while, I was thinking my son wouldn’t be able to ever verbalize his love for my wife and I. My heart goes out to any parent and children struggling with not being able to communicate verbally. 

An Experience More Precious Than Gold

When I opened the door to his Wednesday Atrium session and saw my son acting out the parable of the Good Samaritan it was a moment etched into my heart forever. 

This is one (of many) reason why I continued to help him grow in learning how to communicate daily. 

🗨️ Weekly speech and occupational therapy sessions.

📈 Meetings to go over his IEP goals

🙏 Daily (sometimes 2-3 times) conversations between my wife and I about his progress, backsliding, and new process

Always trying new things.

Finding different sensory tools and educational resources to help him grown and to speak.

I’m currently in the middle of another growing season (trying to launch a neighborhood Catholic magazine in my city). I’ve planted lots of seeds.

But it’s dark and silent. Lots of rejections. I felt like giving up (similar to how I felt years ago when I didn’t see growth in my son’s verbal communication). 

Feelings aren’t full reality. 

Sure emotions are part of what makes us human. 

The Enemy wants us to be discouraged in the silence and in the midst of “NOs”. 

God always cares for you

Sometimes the best growth occurs in the silence and darkness. 

Jesus said, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). 

Death and growth are the same (and different depending on your vantage point). You cannot bear fruit unless you die to your own control and desires. Total surrender to God must happen. 

Today, I renew my pledge to trust confidently in God during this Dark Night. 

P.S. This post didn’t employ the use of AI. 🤖

It was written entirely by a human named Matthew in the presence of Jesus Christ in Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday January 18, 2024. 🍞🍷☀️

One could say I sought out the assistance of a Divine Intelligence. 🙂

Thank you for sharing!

The Best Weapon Against the Unexpected

/ chicoinematt
Communication is key
Captain Picard has it right!

Unexpected things are the greatest destroyer of consistency.

But life isn’t wrapped up in a neat bow.

It’s messy. Unpredictable. Less than ideal.

It took me a while to understand perfection wasn’t possible.

But you know the best weapon against stress and inconsistencies at work is?

Communication.

Excellent communication between boss and employees and coworkers is the single best way to defeat employee burnout.

It seems so simple yet why don’t more companies do this?

Because communication requires empathy, organization, and teamwork— and that’s not always easy (especially if you aren’t hiring the right sort of people).

Excellent communication also improves your mental health.

Would love to get your thoughts on this topic!

How important is communication in battling unexpected things?

Drop your comments ⤵️

Thank you for sharing!

Communication— the Key to Success

/ chicoinematt

💡Communication is the most essential skill to learn for success in life.

It’s a skill that everyone can learn to improve no matter your age.

My kids have special needs (sons diagnosed with autism-a social/communication disorder) and my older daughter has partial hearing loss.

I’ve had to adapt:

✨ Learn sign language

✨ Advocate for special education services

✨ Take my son to therapy sessions

Today this little girl starts speech therapy!

Yesterday she had a hearing screen done at school for the deaf (we wanted to rule out that her ears weren’t an issue for the speech delay).

At one time I contemplated being a speech pathologist.

💬 Communication is my passion and I love learning new ways to help others.

My experiences helping my kids communication delays helped me improve my ability to tailor message to my audience (writing) and my employees as an assistant manager at a grocery store.

❓How have you improved your communication skills?

#writing #communication #speechtherapy

Thank you for sharing!

Communication Hack—Tailor Your Message to Your Audience

/ chicoinematt

Communication

Everyone learns and communications differently. Changing how you talk with others will be the difference between a positive or a negative experience.

Everyone learns and passes on information in different ways

You may be a thinker, director, socializer, or empathetic worker.

Or even a combination of those communication styles.

🤔I am more of a thinker. I need to understand the process step by step.

Clarity and accuracy are prioritized over speed or small talk.

🗣Directors—I know I need to talk faster and limit my explanations to a high level.

😃Socializers— it’s important to chat about the topic they are talking about.

❤️ Empathetizers—discuss feelings more so be open to utilize that type of language when interacting with empaths.

❓Which of the four communication styles fits you best?

❓How have you tailored your communication to someone with a different communication style?

Share in the comments below?

Thank you for sharing!