December 1, 2023
Nonspeaking Son Says ‘Balloon’ for the First Time
My son said the word balloon this morning.
I didn’t catch it right away. I was packing his lunch and putting toothpaste on a toothbrush while simultaneously signing a form for his school.
It was a chaotic morning to say the least.
That’s when he said it the second time.
BA – LL – OOOOO – N
Now a 12 year old boy saying the word balloon probably doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.
But it is. It’s huge.
My son was diagnosed with nonspeaking autism at age 3. Around age 5 they told me he would most likely never speak. At age 6 we turned to other forms of communication.
There was grief on my end. I’ll fully admit that. I had planned on my son speaking to me. I thought everyone spoke. I thought it was a given.
The secret world of autism. That’s what I call it. Entering it felt like waking up. Slowly and then all at once.
Thankfully, time has a way of healing. Of helping us accept. And find the right amount of hope.
This morning, at age 12, my son and I were communicating about his birthday.
It’s in five sleeps.
He’s so excited.
That’s when he touched my arm and said balloon.
It was slow and drawn out as if he was plucking each sound down from the sky.
BA – LL – OOOOO – N
‘Did you just say balloon?! Do you want balloons for your birthday?’
Speech.
Unprompted.
A want shared with me.
I screamed and celebrated. And teared up.
He high fived me and hugged me.
He made me write the word down for him on a piece of paper.
He does this so he can share it with more people. He shows them the word.
Communication is a gift. A beautiful gift.
He’s having a birthday party with balloons. As many as he wants.
Imagine being able to count on one hand the number of words your child has said unprompted.
I get to remember each word. Each request. And know how special they are to him.
See each word becomes a memory. Safe in my heart.
Balloons.
