Our daughter Macayla who is now 20 years old was diagnosed at the young age of 18 months old. We knew there was something not quite right when although she was a happy baby, she would hum and babble but the normal words parents are use to hearing as their babies hit those milestones never came.
Though she is Non Verbal, she does understand what you say to her, as you can ask her to do something and she does it, she just is unable to respond through language. We have come to learn that sometimes "Spoken Words" can be so over rated. Macayla shows us so much with just what she does, her actions speak loud--- a giggle when she finds something amusing on the computer or when shes laying in her bed at night with her squekums dollbaby, her humming to her favorite song that she watches on youtube or a smile when we ask her who our pretty girl is, or when she comes sits on your lap (yes at 20 years old, she still does this and as we all know as parents, when our "regular kids" get to that certain age, things like this stop but not with our Macayla and we love it!) Its simple things like this mean so much more than a single word!
Our son who is 19yrs old, and away at College, did something very special for his sister. He got a Tattoo with Macaylas name and 3 elephants across his back. He said he wanted to have his Big Sister with him where ever his future takes him. He knows how she LOVES elephants and he said like Macayla, the elephant shows true Strength though they are so gentle and quiet.
Radcliff, KY
