God's Gift of Communication*
One of the greatest ways we have seen the faithfulness of God is through my learning to communicate. Due to my low muscle tone and seizures, I have never spoken more than a few words, and I have had difficulty learning to do sign language. However, though a reading program developed by the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, my parents taught me to read. From age 4 to 6, they daily showed me words in extremely large print, then phrases, and finally sentences, short stories and books. Much of it was by faith, but occasionally Mom would “test” me by showing me a couple of words and asking me to pick the one she called out which I would successfully do. Mom began to pray that God would show her a way to use my ability to read to help me learn to communicate.
Then, in January of 1992, a breakthrough occurred, and we discovered that all the work that had done for and with me had not been in vain. After viewing a program on Prime Time Live about facilitated communication, we felt this might be the answer for my communication needs. Mom immediately made a keyboard from a piece of poster board and showed me how to type the words I knew, with her holding my right hand with my pointer finger extended. Then, Mom asked me to type words myself with her only pulling my hand back after each of my selections of letters. Immediately, I was able to type suggested words and also my own choice of words. By the end of the day, I began typing simple sentences to tell Mom what I wanted. Within a few months, I could answer all levels of questions (who, what, where, when, how, why) and even ask questions of my own. I also began to type my own original stories. My parents now knew that I was not mentally retarded like some had thought. In fact, at 7 years of age, I was reading at a 6th grade level, writing stories at a third grade level, spelling at a fourth grade level or higher, and doing math at a fourth grade level.
Throughout the years, I was able to participate in regular classes in school with the assistance of a facilitator. Through my method of communication, I have been able to tell doctors my symptoms when Iwas ill or injured so they could more easily diagnose what was wrong. I have been able to type and tell teachers and others, things they had not known. I have now learned to type with only elbow support and have the goal of becoming an independent typist. Best of all, God has given me the gift of poetry. I have written over 100 poems and have won a number of contests for my poetry. I have also begun putting my poems into artwork and have had my work exhibited in art shows. Soon, I will be publishing a book of my poems and paintings. I have a deep love for God and what He has done for me, and it often comes through in my poetry like the following:
Searching for God
As today comes to an end, quiet thoughts lift my spirits.
Gone are my worries and fears;
Hope and peace come instead.
Yet, groups of hidden ideas
Go through my active mind.
God speaks to my heart
And shows me His will.
All of my dreams
Leave me laughing inside.
Awesome visions of Jesus
Give my lonely self peace.
When life’s days come to an end,
I’ll see sweet Jesus and give Him my deeds.
For each task that I do
Is only for Him.
by Kimberly R. Dixon
*The story "God's Gift of Communication" was originally written by Marilyn Dixon, Kimberly's mom, and has been adapted to be in Kimberly's words. All poetry and other stories on this website are original works by Kimberly Dixon.
Then, in January of 1992, a breakthrough occurred, and we discovered that all the work that had done for and with me had not been in vain. After viewing a program on Prime Time Live about facilitated communication, we felt this might be the answer for my communication needs. Mom immediately made a keyboard from a piece of poster board and showed me how to type the words I knew, with her holding my right hand with my pointer finger extended. Then, Mom asked me to type words myself with her only pulling my hand back after each of my selections of letters. Immediately, I was able to type suggested words and also my own choice of words. By the end of the day, I began typing simple sentences to tell Mom what I wanted. Within a few months, I could answer all levels of questions (who, what, where, when, how, why) and even ask questions of my own. I also began to type my own original stories. My parents now knew that I was not mentally retarded like some had thought. In fact, at 7 years of age, I was reading at a 6th grade level, writing stories at a third grade level, spelling at a fourth grade level or higher, and doing math at a fourth grade level.
Throughout the years, I was able to participate in regular classes in school with the assistance of a facilitator. Through my method of communication, I have been able to tell doctors my symptoms when Iwas ill or injured so they could more easily diagnose what was wrong. I have been able to type and tell teachers and others, things they had not known. I have now learned to type with only elbow support and have the goal of becoming an independent typist. Best of all, God has given me the gift of poetry. I have written over 100 poems and have won a number of contests for my poetry. I have also begun putting my poems into artwork and have had my work exhibited in art shows. Soon, I will be publishing a book of my poems and paintings. I have a deep love for God and what He has done for me, and it often comes through in my poetry like the following:
Searching for God
As today comes to an end, quiet thoughts lift my spirits.
Gone are my worries and fears;
Hope and peace come instead.
Yet, groups of hidden ideas
Go through my active mind.
God speaks to my heart
And shows me His will.
All of my dreams
Leave me laughing inside.
Awesome visions of Jesus
Give my lonely self peace.
When life’s days come to an end,
I’ll see sweet Jesus and give Him my deeds.
For each task that I do
Is only for Him.
by Kimberly R. Dixon
*The story "God's Gift of Communication" was originally written by Marilyn Dixon, Kimberly's mom, and has been adapted to be in Kimberly's words. All poetry and other stories on this website are original works by Kimberly Dixon.