I love to talk! Ask anyone who knows me. So, of course, I would have children who HATE talking. I have 6 kids, and 2 of them have autism. My youngest daughter, Erica, is the superstar of the family though. Technically, she’s a twin, but she was born a minute later than her sister. She is 9 years old with the soul of a middle-aged woman. Everyone at school calls her “sassy.”
When Erica and her sister turned 3, Erica stopped talking as much. I thought it was a little funny because she was the first one to start talking, but I figured she was just the quiet type. Besides, her twin still seemed to understand her just fine. Over time, it got worse though. It was like she woke up one day and decided that she didn’t want to talk anymore. Talking was completely off the table. So, how in the world was I supposed to teach her anything?!? Everybody had their opinions, and I wasn’t afraid to try them. Our school district helped a lot as well. Do not be afraid to talk to your child’s school about your concerns. There are so many resources available.
For me, the hardest part about all of this is that Erica is so smart! She has an amazing memory too. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince people that your child is smart when she refuses to talk? Recently, I decided to start teaching her sign language. I read somewhere that it could be a good way to communicate with her. I looked up a few words on YouTube. Erica loves ramen noodles, but she hates saying the word “noodle”. The very next time she brought over a pack for me to cook, I showed her the word in sign language while saying “noodle”. Her eyes immediately lit up. I could tell that she understood! That was a really big moment for me.
Since that day, we have learned even more words, but something unexpected has happened too. She started talking more! Using her hands somehow encourages her to say the word. Sometimes she will even talk to me without sign language. I know that we still have a long way to go, but now I am confident that we can do this!
