A Girl Named Helen

Learning to Communicate

Most children learn to speak by listening and watching others talk. Helen could not listen or watch. Therefore, she couldn’t speak. But that didn’t stop Helen from exploring and noticing the world around her. She would follow her mother around wherever she went by holding onto her skirts. She would sniff the air for different smells. She felt vibrations when people moved. In those days, there weren’t any schools for deaf or blind children. But Helen slowly began to figure out her own ways to communicate.

When she pulled somebody it meant for them to come. When she pushed someone it meant to go. But she still couldn’t always express herself in a way that was easy for others to understand. She couldn’t communicate her thoughts or feelings. And when she couldn’t communicate, she’d get angry. Helen would kick and scream, and it was hard for her parents to control her.

When Helen was under control, she loved to explore her garden. She learned to tell plants apart by smell and feel. She spent a lot of time with her dog, Belle. Helen even tried teaching Belle her signs, but Belle never caught on. She was more interested in chasing birds.

When Helen was five, she got a big surprise: a sister named Mildred! Helen was jealous of the attention her sister got. One day she tipped over the cradle while Mildred was in it. Luckily, Mildred wasn’t hurt. But it was clear that Helen’s anger could hurt herself and others. Her parents felt sure she would become less frustrated if she learned how to communicate better.

In Washington D.C., the Kellers met with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. When Helen walked into Dr. Bell’s office she climbed right up onto the doctor’s lap! He suggested that the Kellers write to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts, and ask if they had a teacher for Helen.