Calmness in Conversation

There have been many occasions over the past 2 1/2 years that Bubba and I have stared down one another in complete and absolute frustration because of the communication barrier that autism slapped down between us. There might as well have been an actual brick wall between us with him gesturing and screaming on one side, while I am searching for a crack in the mortar just to get a glimpse of any potential non-verbal communication that might aide me in figuring out why he was screaming at the top of his lungs on the other side.That wall is crumbling.

Just as citizens stepping through the border crossing of Berlin signaled the fall of the Berlin Wall, Bubba's break-through sentences meant our wall was coming down...brick by brick. This week he has really begun to have mini-conversations with us. He has started to ask, "What you doing?" or "Where are you going?" I have begun to include him on conversations about our dinner menu or what he might like to do in the afternoon. He is just now able to understand these concepts and he is beginning to reason. He now tells Baby "I'm sorry" or "It's ok, Baby" He told Baby today that it was too cold to go outside and play. When she asked again he told her she needed a jacket to go outside because it was chilly. Amazing!

It has been interesting to see that as his speech grows, his anger and aggression dissipates. The more he can communicate the happier he is. There is a calmness in his conversations that I have never seen, but this makes him even more frustrated when he cannot get out what he is thinking. He has begun to studder a bit, but I think it is because his mind is going faster than his mouth. We have always said that Bubba was extremely smart, but we had no idea how smart until he was able to communicate. Now, we are amazed at the comments he makes or the observations he notes. It has been a long and arduous task for him, but the wall toppling. He is about to break right through it!