The wheel is broken!

That is what the little girl said to her mother to convince her to wrench the toy from her newly two year old sister's hand as she held out the toy in her own with the offending wheel making her case for exchange.

The wheel is broken!

Her brain does not allow her to say much more than these words, even though there is an ocean of emotion inside of her that needs release.

The wheel is broken!

Prompting her mother to begin the regime of prompting... Ready made questions. Ready made answers. How many times do we say things? (class?) Once!

The wheel is broken!

They have eluded to the problem without really identifying the problem. The words developmental and delay have finally arrived in the same sentence, but pervasive has yet to make an appearance.

The wheel is broken!

At first the room is unnerved as this display has never fully been seen. It is usually hidden beneath the scripts and cues designed to do so. Then there is some laughter that seems to come from a common phrase being repeated over and over again randomly hitting on perfect comedic timing.

The wheel is broken!

Her voice heightens as she realizes the meaning of her strained communication, already having struggled to get through her labyrinth, is no longer effective. She has no other phrase waiting on deck when this one strikes out.

The wheel is broken!

Her tears halt the laughter and the uneasy feeling returns. The way her voice strains in her last chorus clearly indicates this little girl is in pain. All she wants is her sister's toy. She doesn't care that it's not her birthday, she doesn't care that her sister is only two and cannot share, she doesn't care that she breaking all of her rules, she's just a desperate little girl.

The wheel is broken!

Yes, My lil' Angel, the wheel is broken.....