The Sandstone Cathedral
Reflection by Sarah Roehrich
Sarah Roehrich, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who was worked at the Thom Anne Sullivan Early Intervention Center in Lowell, MA for 20 years. Working independently and on
multi-disciplinary teams, Sarah has helped families teach their toddlers, with and without special needs to understand language, learn to communicate, and/or help develop their feeding skills.
Sarah is the author of 2 blogs entitled “The Architecture of the Brain” and “Kuhl Constructs: How Babies Form Foundations for Language.” Inspired by outstanding lectures in early child development, Sarah has developed an interest in early brain development and social interactions between infants and caretakers. Certified in the Newborn Behavioral Observation System (NBO), Sarah hopes to continue to help parents bond with their infants using the NBO in the future
Slot canyon photo by Roland Roehrich
The Sandstone Cathedral
by Sarah Roehrich
The grandeur of a slot canyon
cannot escape the eye
Its towering walls,
gentle curves,
and portholes,
allow ribbons of light
to cascade
down waves of stone
like tiny waterfalls
A golden glow paints the walls
the warm tones of a sunset,
pale yellow,
peachy pink,
orange cream,
and dark chocolate
It is a sandstone cathedral
A majestic site
which inspires
wonder,
curiosity,
and awe
Like holding a baby
for the first time,
I am inspired to notice
everything!
A baby’s behavior is it’s language,
and you can trust that language,
said Dr. Brazelton
Using the Newborn Behavioral Observation System,
known as the NBO,
to nurture connections
between parents and babies,
I am enlightened by the hands that created it
and those who teach it
The baby whisperers of our time,
both past and present
Armed with a red ball, a small rattle, and a flashlight,
a willing parent, and a baby, 3 months or younger
I use my powers of observation, the NBO, and parent report
to answer questions, such as
Can this baby track faces and/or objects?
Does this baby look in the direction of a familiar voice?
Can she protect her sleep?
What is this baby’s temperament? Is she easy going or hypersensitive?
How does this baby express herself?
What helps her relax?
How does she interpret her world?
How do her parents respond to, and interpret her behaviors?
I am also curious to know
how this mother is feeling
Is she happy and tired,
and able to appreciate
her baby’s shining eyes
soft skin
and tiny toes?
Does she notice when her baby
looks for her voice,
gazes in her direction,
or smiles at her reflexively?
Or is this mom
anxious, withdrawn, and/or sad?
Life with a baby is not what she expected
She is exhausted and overwhelmed
She has not yet been able to sweep aside
her invisible veil of depression,
to notice her own strengths
or her baby’s gifts
She is not sure how things will go
Again, I ask myself,
How can I work with this family
to nurture their relationships,
recognize their strengths,
and help them address their baby’s needs?
The NBO provides us with
precious opportunities
to listen,
observe,
ask questions,
share insights,
and teach and learn from parents
The lessons from the NBO
can help build bridges of understanding and connection
between caretakers and babies,
caretakers and clinicians,
babies and their siblings,
and families and extended families
When using the NBO,
we can play an important role
in providing opportunities
for parents
to tell us their stories about their babies,
their families,
their culture,
their hopes and dreams,
and their fears
When using the NBO,
we have the privilege
of meeting families where they are
and creating a nurturing atmosphere
filled with smiles,
kindness,
humor,
wonder,
and compassion
When using the NBO,
we have the opportunity
to educate families
and provide them with
strategies and resources
to address their baby’s needs
When using the NBO,
we have the ability
to inspire caretakers
to open their eyes to new possibilities,
to recognize and appreciate their gifts,
to create micro moments of connection,
and to give caretakers
the wings to fly
towards the sunsets
of their hopes and dreams.
Reflection by Sarah Roehrich,
In the summer of 2019, our family toured secret antelope canyon, a beautiful slot canyon on a Navajo Indian reservation in Page, Arizona. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and it was hot. We climbed into an open air bus with an English couple, an Italian family, and 2 expert tour guides. After a bumpy ride and a short hike through the desert, we arrived at the canyon entrance.
Beautifully carved sandstone walls stood before us. Entering a narrow passage, I noticed golden beams of sunlight cascading down the rocks like tiny waterfalls. As we walked towards the heart of the canyon, the walls glowed like the hues of a sunset. The ridged layers of sandstone were smooth to the touch. The air was cool. I felt as if I had entered one of nature’s cathedrals, a magnificent and holy place.
As we walked deeper into the canyon, we spotted a lone grasshopper, an eagle’s nest, and spider webs clinging to a wall. Our guide pulled out his recorder and began to play a traditional Navajo song. The spiritual music rippled through the canyon like a soothing melody. Listening, I paused, looked around, and wondered, “How have desert rains transformed this canyon over hundreds of years? If I could watch the sun light up this canyon from dawn to dusk, what would I see? If these walls could talk, what stories would they tell?”
Seeing this canyon and using the Newborn Behavioral Observation System (NBO) with families and babies, has filled me with a sense of awe, fine tuned my powers of observation, and challenged me to ask new questions about how nature is transformed over time by its environment.
Over the last 10 years, I have had the opportunity to attend, and occasionally organize, wonderful
lectures on early child development, early brain development, infant-parent mental health, and on
social interactions between babies, young children, and their caretakers. I consider myself blessed to have heard so many incredible speakers, including Dr. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Kevin Nugent, Dr. Jayne Singer, Dr. Ed Tronick, Dr. Claudia Gold, Dr. Alice Carter, Dr. Charles Nelson, Dr. Takao Hensch,
Dr. Patricia Kuhl, Dr. Jack Shonkoff, and many others.
As a speech-language pathologist in early intervention, I have primarily helped families help their 2 year-olds, who have speech delays or complex medical issues, learn to understand language and
communicate in ways that their caretakers understand. When I became trained in the NBO, a few months before COVID swept across the country, I had the opportunity to help parents learn more about how to recognize and understand their babies cues, behaviors, and patterns.
The knowledge I have developed through attending lectures and trainings, watching videos, reading, and working as a speech-language pathologist in early intervention, has created a rich backdrop for
using the NBO professionally with families. Working with the NBO has challenged me to consider
different perspectives, and repeatedly ask myself the questions, “What are this family’s strengths? How is this baby responding to her environment? How does this baby express herself? How are this baby’s caretakers interpreting her behaviors? Is there anything I can do to inspire micro moments of connection and understanding between this baby and her parents? Are there any resources I could
provide or point to that would be helpful in addressing this family’s needs?”
Overall, it has been a pleasure to work with families and babies with the NBO in early intervention. I hope that the ideas of those who have made important discoveries about babies, baby-caretaker
interactions, and infant-parent mental health, will continue to inspire authors, researchers,
teachers, therapists, and parents to collaborate. By working together, we will help future generations of families with young babies, overcome their challenges, and step towards fulfilling their hopes and dreams.
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