Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson

'The monster in this heartfelt memoir is polymicrogyria, an extremely rare brain malformation that, in the case of Rummel-Hudson's daughter Schuyler, has completely impaired her ability to speak. It is the story of a family seeking answers to a child’s dilemma, but it is also a chronicle of their unique relationships, formed without traditional language against the expectations of a doubting world. It is the story of a little girl who silently teaches a man filled with self-doubt how to be the father she needs. Schuyler’s Monster is more than the memoir of a parent dealing with a child’s disability. It is the honest, funny, and heart-wrenching story of the relationship between a unique and ethereal little girl and her father who struggles with whether or not he is the right dad for the job. Once they knew why she couldn’t speak, they needed to determine how to help her learn. When she was diagnosed with Bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (an extremely rare neurological disorder caused by a malformation of the brain), her parents were given a name for the monster that had been stalking them throughout the search for the correct answer to Schuyler's mystery. When Schuyler was 18 months old, a question about her lack of speech by her pediatrician set in motion a journey that continues today.

Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson