Communication
Where would we be if we couldn’t communicate with each other?
For years we worried that Lucas would never be able to achieve any way to tell others of his needs. But thanks to the Delaware Autism Program (the reason we left our home in Virginia), he learned to communicate via the Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) within six months of moving here.
The PECS system was developed by the first Director of the DE Autism Program for the program, so they really do it right here. Our son went from literally not understanding why he needed to communicate to actually asking for things himself, all within six months!
Within a year of learning how to “talk” with the PECS system, Lucas began noticing that people made the same sound every time he held any given PECS card. He began getting the connection between the sounds people made and the picture he was holding.
He began to use a few words (”cookie, cat, want”), and at the age of seven, he said “Mom” for the first time!
He is now 17, and speech is his main form of communication. He speaks at about a 5 year old level, and will probably always struggle to communicate, because it just doesn’t come naturally to his autistic brain.
But considering that the “experts” said he would never speak, watching him tell a ghost story at the campfire (like, “The Hook”) is a source of pure joy!
Watching how Lucas struggles to communicate, I thank God every day for this miracle of His that allows us to make each other (and Him) aware of our wants, needs and feelings. Whether it’s speech, sign language or PECS, communication is truly a gift to be thankful for.