Not long ago my thirty-two year old newly verbal autistic brother left a message on our answering machine. Declyn, Shay and I gathered around the machine and listened several times, discussing and debating what we each believed my brother was saying.
Not a single one of us ever considered that maybe he wasn't saying anything and was only making sounds because my mom had handed him the phone.
This, in my once-upon-a-time-I-rolled-my-eyes-when-mom-said-he-was-trying-to-talk opinion, is the most beautiful message in his message!
Regardless of whether he was saying,"Go on plane, home." or "Tell to Shay, love." or any other combination of words we thought we heard on that machine, we all knew that he was telling us something. We all knew that he was struggling with clarity, not with intelligence, motivation or ability.
My brother left us a most beautiful message on our answering machine last night!!!
Hugs, smiles and love!!
*Authors Note: Today is Dar's birthday, and there is no better way to celebrate my brother's birthday than by sharing this video! Music is one of his favorite things, and he's always wanted to be an actor. Well... this video has music, celebrities and was my brother's acting debut!!! The song is called 'Unfinished' by Lynette Louise aka The Brain Broad, and is a gift for autism families.
Please enjoy!!! See if you recognize any of the celebs!
