Date of Award

5-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

Department name when degree awarded

Communicative Disorders

Abstract

One night a few years ago, my husband and I stopped in a fast-food restaurant to grab a sandwich. We sat down at a table and our eyes were drawn to a table close by. A young woman in her teens sat at the table, with a small infant in a carrier next to her on the floor. She sat, staring out the window, sipping a soft drink. After a few minutes, the baby began to fuss and squirm. The young woman continued to stare out the window. Soon the baby began to cry, but even this evoked no response from the young woman. Screaming from the carrier finally woke her from her reverie and she bent low to scoop the child from his chair. However, she didn't talk to him or offer comfort. She turned him so he faced away from her and wrapped him in the crook of her arm. Tears soon began to stream silently down her cheeks, and I felt we were intruding on a very heartbreaking experience as mother and child wept together.

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Faculty Mentor

Sonia Manuel-Dupont

Departmental Honors Advisor

Sonia Manuel-Dupont