Firefighter Received Praises after using Sign Language to Communicate with a Non-Verbal Boy.

Firefighter Received Praises after using Sign Language to Communicate with a Non-Verbal Boy.

Firefighters and Manchester Fire Department together with Lt. Mike Rheault responded to a call from the apartment building where Amy McCall lives with her young son, Tegan.

Tegan is a special needs child with cerebral palsy and is nonverbal.  He was seen by  Rheault standing in the hallway like he wanted to say something but wasn't able to speak. He could tell the young boy was reading his lips “a lot” when Rheault attempted to speak to him.

The Sign Language

Rheault, having learned how to sign because both his mother and father are deaf, decided to talk to the boy using sign language. According to him, it was not his first time to use it on the job.

Non-Verbal Communication

"I said, 'Hey, how are you?' Tegan kind of smiled at me," Rheault said. "And I said, 'My name is Mike.'"

"What's your name?' And he said, 'My name is Tegan,'" Rheault continued. "And I said, 'It's nice to meet you.'" 

Rheault also taught Tegan how to say "fireman" in sign language.

Because of this, the firefighter received praises.

Amy, Tegan's mother, was touched by the brief encounter

Amy, Tegan's mother, was touched by the brief encounter. She said that she will never forget the sweet exchange anytime soon. Also, it made her cry and she can tell that Tegan is thrilled.

Tegan also received a fire chief hat from Rheault. McCall shared the photo on her Twitter and it was shared multiple times. It also gained more than 50,000 views.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.”

- Mother Teresa