Today was a remarkable day. Today I learned that Owen reads words. Today Owen typed sentences to tell about his thoughts and feelings.
If you watched the process by which these words were brought to birth, you would very likely be skeptical. And I would understand your skepticism. I felt divided in half for much of the day, both weeping as I listened to my son’s mind emerging, and yet… skeptical. Incredulous.
At the beginning of learning typing to communicate, the support person must hold the typer’s hand, and no one looking at that process could tell who was doing what, esspecially with my son’s wriggling, twisting, grabbing for things and having to be redirected, again and again to focus, to come back to it, to finish telling us what he wanted to say.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. We are asking a person who has always been defined by his behaviors, by his outside, by his dis-ability, to be now reveal to us his abilities and to be defined by what is inside his head and his heart. It’s a big ask. It will take time.
But watch videos for yourself. I have seen now (at Marilyn’s presentation tonight) how the children, teens, adults who have been typing to speak for a long time do so with very little support. A hand at the shoulder, at the elbow.
Tomorrow Edward and I will have more lessons in talking with Owen. Learning the method. Baby steps. Don’t think too far into the future, just take “the very next step,” Marilyn says.
So – here we go.
Embracing Chaos 
Whoa. Staying tuned…
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Yes – I will have more to share. ♥️
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You must be full of feelings you can’t quite describe. When my speech delayed kids actually began to talk, my heart felt like it was swelling out of my chest and my stomach twisted because I didn’t know how much farther this development would go. As it turned out, in my kids’ case, they became very verbal – to the point where you would just beg the universe to find a way to stop the logorrhea. (Still do when it comes to the youngest.) Any time one of the special kids in your life makes a discrete leap to a level you never thought they would ever get to, there is that initial time when you are just flabbergasted at this accomplishment and are so afraid it’s just a fluke. I believe he was given to you because the LORD knew you were the best Mom for your extraordinary kid
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I am optimistic for Owen and you family. I hope this opens doors for you.
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I’m trying to factor in all the criticisms I’ve found about this technique and all the hope I feel (and excitement) when I read his words. I can see how it would just take time. Maybe the critiques were of situations in which the autistic person hadn’t finished the training and still used a lot of guidance?? Well I know we just have to wait and see and let the unearthing start.
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