When you become a parent there are certain milestones you can look forward to.
Simple pleasures such as watching your child take their first steps or say their first words are things most get to enjoy.
For parents of children on the autism spectrum, however, unfortunately there is no real timeframe for those accomplishments – certainly not one that has its foundations in any sort of concrete surety.
Briana Blankenship, mother of 5-year-old Taylor, had come to terms with that…
Early on in her life, doctors diagnosed Taylor with a form of autism known as “non-verbal”. Essentially, it means she doesn’t communicate with speech – she could understand bits and pieces of English, but coming up with her own words had never been a possibility.
That changed one day at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Briana shared her incredible experience with the Love What Matters page on Facebook:
“I am ugly crying in the McDonald’s parking lot and the employees probably think I’m crazy. In the drive-thru, I suddenly heard Taylor say ‘MAMA.’
For those of you that don’t know, Taylor is five and is nonverbal autistic. She has NEVER said a word. EVER.”
“As soon as she said it I grabbed my phone and started recording. I’m pretty sure I held up the drive-thru line but there was no way I wasn’t getting proof of this.
I can’t explain how unbelievably grateful and ecstatic I am right now.”
For Briana, the occasion marked something that she thought could never happen. Not only was it a huge achievement for Taylor, but it also now makes possible the idea that she might learn more words and be able to communicate through speech in the future.
Watch the emotional moment Taylor breaks her silence in the video below:
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What an incredible moment for Briana! This certainly put a smile on our faces!
If you, too, liked seeing Taylor speak for the very first time in her life, share this article to spread some joy with friends and family on Facebook.
