On the recordMay 1, 2001
It is just that those precious moments in the upbringing of a child, as the child begins to communicate, there is a glimmer of recognition of the child, of his siblings, of the world around him or her, and the joy of beginning to sing with their children and to teach them their ABCs and to read to them and to laugh with them. It is just at that time in the development of a child that this terrifying phenomenon occurs, and that is closing down where suddenly the child begins to just turn away and fall away from the grasps of the parents, not beyond their love but certainly beyond their ability to communicate. It is a heartbreaking event. The parents in my district and in my colleagues' districts around the country, many of them decided to turn their anguish into action. They decided that the thing to do was to see if this process that we are engaged in here in Washington actually works.
Source
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