The Miracle Worker DLM Revised By Deanna Ragland

The Miracle Worker DLM Revised By: Deanna Ragland Functional Independence

Helen Keller was a little girl that lived with her family in Alabama. She had a mother, a father, a step brother and a baby sister.

When Helen was a baby, she got very sick. She had congestion and a high fever. This illness left her deaf and blind.

Mom and dad took Helen to see many doctors, but no one was able to help her.

When Helen grew into a young girl, she got angry a lot. Helen behaved badly when she was angry. Her parents took her to many doctors and specialists for help, but no one knew how to help her.

Helen threw tantrums every day. She stole from her brother, threw dishes, knocked papers off desks, and ate off of other people’s plates. She would even hit her mom and dad.

Her dad wanted to send her to an institution. Her mom babied her and wanted her to stay in their home. Her brother made fun of her and didn’t like her very much.

Her mom and dad tried many things to help Helen, but nothing worked. They knew they had to try one more time when Helen knocked over the babies’ crib and the baby fell on the ground.

Mom and dad needed help to take care of Helen. They hired a woman named Annie to teach Helen.

Annie used to be blind. She had many surgeries to help her see. Her eyes still hurt in the light, so she always wore sunglasses. Annie knew what it felt like to be blind and for people not to understand her.

Annie had to move to Alabama to teach Helen. Annie rode the train to Alabama. She would live in their house.

Helen's family met Annie at the train station. They took Annie home to meet Helen. Annie was excited to meet Helen!

Annie was surprised to see that Helen was allowed to do anything she wanted in the house. She also saw that her parents would give her candy to help stop her tantrums.

Annie brought Helen a gift. It was a doll. Helen loved the doll. This was the first word Annie taught her in sign language. She would spell the word in her hand in sign language. Then she would pat the doll saying the word. Helen started to understand!

I was hard teaching Hellen. Helen's parents had a hard time not giving into Helen’s tantrums. Anne did not give up. Annie knew Helen needed to learn to communicate if she was going to learn to behave.

Annie taught Helen to eat at the table. Annie taught Helen to brush her hair. Annie taught Helen to brush her teeth.

The most important thing Annie taught Helen was to communicate. Annie was a great teacher that never gave up.