Communication is Key

My son loves his letters.

Let's just say, even after several years, he is fascinated by anything dealing with the alphabet. He also loves to go on car rides that can often last a couple of hours. These rides would calm his nerves, and provide a change of pace from the usual sensory inputs.

When we go to his IEP meetings or discuss things about his habits, there is always a mention of his foam letter puzzles, or playing specific YouTube videos that deal with letters and sounds. In the words of Spock on Star Trek, he finds them "fascinating".

I've always expressed that when you can help him communicate in any way, any behavioral issues, such as aggression, will dissipate. In fact, I've been saying this for years.

What is frustrating is that some folks just won't listen. Or, if they try, they run out of patience.

Most of the time when we go on a car ride, we may play some music or put something on the radio. My wife may often play the song "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele.

This would be a regular song being played when she'd drive with him.

But one day, she didn't play the song. In fact, it was a day when no music was being played. Just a quiet car ride to help calm his nerves.

Later that night, this happened:

Take a moment here. He wrote out the lyrics, with his foam letters, of an Adele song.

It took me a few minutes to figure it out. I asked him what he was writing and it seemed very familiar.

He kept looking at me as I was guessing what it was.

I took a picture and texted my wife.

We were initially stumped.

Then, she said it was a song. It's Adele's Song!

To confirm, I googled the lyrics. Yep, that's the song all right, Rolling in the Deep.

I asked our son if that's the song by Adele.

He smiled and laughed. Got a bit excited and kept on adding more letters and words.

Reflecting back on the day, on that car ride, we discovered that my wife always played that song whenever she took him with her. This time, on this day, she didn't play that song.

So, I asked him if he wanted me to play the song.

He smiled again.

So, I played it. And as it played he wanted me to leave the room.

So, I did. And when the song was over, he seemed to be a bit more at peace.

Seems he missed that song in the routine.

He knew what he wanted, had a song in his head, and that was that.

How often do you have a song in your head and just need to listen to it? Well, that's what he needed. (Let me know if after this newsletter you're going to play that son, too)

Never underestimate someone's desire to reach out and express their interests. Or even their ability to communicate that need.

I'll say it before, and I'll say it time and time again... my son understands everything. His inability to communicate like us neurotypical people do may seem to be limited. But he reaches out however he can to express and describe what his perspective is... every day.

Communication is key. I'll share more in this week's episode of Autisable Dad's.

Now for the Podcast News…

We’re now posting season 2 podcast episodes on YouTube!?Here’s the?New Channel?for you to Subscribe to…

Highlighted this week is season 2, episode 4, where I chat with?Anita Lesko, who is an Autism Advocate-Nurse Anesthesiologist.?Anita shares her perspective on being autistic, and shares some insight into the healthcare world and how they can treat autistic individuals.

Listen in...

Autisable Dad's is available on most streaming services where you can find podcasts, we're always growing and expanding our efforts. Just select your preferred podcast streaming service and search for 'Autisable Dad's'.

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Cover Photo of the Week

Rather than always use royalty-free stock photos for these newsletters, I thought I'd start mixing things up a little with some other photos. I kick this off as a means for you to share images from other people within the community. So, if you're autistic, or know someone who is... or if you have an image you'd like to share, feel free to DM me the image and be sure to give credit where credit is due. I'll choose one each week to be the newsletter featured image.

This week is one I took a while back and is available for your home or office. So, Click Here if you like this week's cover photo. Yeah, it's a cheesy plug, but I'd love to provide an outlet for some talented folks.

And now, for more!

Sometimes an individual and organization need a bit of a shoutout, as they are making great strides in helping the autism community in some way. Here is this week's highlight:

1. Michael Klemmer - the CEO of Air Resupply Coffee is openly sharing his journey supporting people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make others successful.
2. Michelle Norman -?is the Executive Director of Partners in PROMISE, advocating for educational rights for military families with exceptional needs.

If you have a company or individual that needs a shout-out, leave a comment.

Thank you for subscribing and being a part of this journey.