First Words
”Time to go,” I announced, “Everybody in the car.”
As usual, the boys didn’t argue and got into the car, content to go wherever we went. Even if they had wanted to argue, though, they wouldn’t have been able to. Although James was 5 and Ian was nearly 4, neither boy could speak. Their speech delay worried us and we pursued it even after experts assured us that both James and Ian were severely impacted by autism spectrum disorder.
Sandi and I remained convinced that the boys were capable of speech. Both of them could laugh, make noises and had the occasional temper tantrums that their disability made extraordinarily severe. Words, however, were far beyond them and our hearts broke when we saw this and their other symptoms keep them from playing with other children. We kept our faith in their potential, though, and worked tirelessly to make their lives as normal as possible.
As we drove that evening, I decided that I wanted a soft drink and we pulled in to a Quik Trip. No sooner had I parked the car than James spoke for the first time.
“Daddy, can I have doughnut?” he asked.
Sandi and I looked at each other with our mouths hanging open. These were his first words and a complete sentence! OK, he left out an indefinite article and he didn’t say “please,” but he spoke!
To me, this meant far more than just speech. It also meant that James could reason. Firstly, he addressed me by name recognizing me as an authority figure, capable of making a decision in his favor. Secondly, he used a personal pronoun that showed he could identify himself as a separate individual. Although we had never bought doughnuts at QT before, we had been inside many times, passing their display case. James recognized from the outside of the store that doughnuts were available inside and that he wanted one. Finally, he phrased his sentence as a request. Instead of a demand made with a solitary word, he spoke a complete, interrogative sentence with a subject, a verb and he even used proper tonal inflection.
This elated me as much as his speech. It proved that James could overcome his disability! I knew that James had a lot of work in front of him, but now his future is lined with rainbows instead of despair. I wanted to dance around the gas pumps and sing to the heavens that James could speak. Being a naturally reserved sort, I demurred, but James got his doughnut.
Bill Bartlett lives in Belton with his sons and his wife, Sandi.