I happened to turn on the T.V. the other day when a show about Autism was in progress. It was on a channel I never watch. I was about to switch to the show I wanted to watch when I realized it was a documentary about 3 teenage boys with Autism. I was intrigued. Each of the boys had different issues and challenges. The one that fascinated me the most was the story of Jeremy. Jeremy was 16 and non verbal. He attended a regular high school but didn’t have friends because he was unable to communicate with them.

As the story unfolded, Jeremy learned to communicate by pointing to letters on a card to spell out his message. I was fascinated to see Jeremy spell very quickly, without even looking at the paper. An aide held the alphabet card out to his side while Jeremy looking straight ahead, typed each sentence. It was amazing.

Eventually Jeremy transitioned from using an alphabet card to a Lite Writer Machine. As Jeremy typed each letter, the words scrolled across the screen and a computerized voice spoke each sentence. It made a big difference in Jeremy’s life. He was able to begin expressing feelings. He was able to ask questions. He was able to establish friendships with the other kids in his class.

Up until he was a teenager Jeremy was completely non verbal. He still is in light of the fact he does not speak at all. He makes sounds, but he is not able to speak words. However, now Jeremy can let others know what he is thinking. How remarkable.

I wonder if Josiah will ever be able to communicate his thoughts and feelings. In the past few weeks I’ve heard of a few people with Autism who had been non verbal and are now able to communicate with the use of technology. I can only hope the same will be true for Josiah. Right now he has a communication device. It’s big. It’s heavy. It’s not really something Josiah uses very often. He’s had it for years. He hasn’t quite figured out it is his voice. Until he does, he won’t really use it functionally.

So we are on the look out for other options. It would be great for Josiah to have a small handheld device to use for communication. It would be great for him to carry it with him always, in his pocket perhaps. With his visual impairment, the pictures would need to be large though. He would have to feel very comfortable navigating through it to use it effectively.

Rick and I have both had dreams in which Josiah is speaking. It just seems so real and so natural. I often imagine one day Josiah will just begin to talk in clear, audible sentences. Sometimes when I am texting on my phone I show him what I am doing. I say each letter as I type it and then read each word out loud. I wonder if it makes any difference.

I guess only time will tell. I do have hope though. Seeing others who are very similar to Josiah learn to communicate is very encouraging. I would love to know what Josiah is thinking. I would love to know how he feels. I would love for my little boy to have a voice. But, if it never happens, I’ll be okay with that too. Rick and I have adjusted to life as it is. Josiah has too.

For now, we do our best to understand his needs and wants with some sign language and gestures. It’s all we have.

For now, it’s enough.