My sweet nephew is about to turn 12 which is a very significant age for Mormon boys. This is when they are ordained to be Deacons, receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, and have the opportunity to pass the sacrament during our services. He told me recently what an honor it will be for him.
When he was two years old, he was diagnosed with Autism. From birth, there was something different about him and much to everyone’s sadness, over time he stopped making eye contact and interacting with others. People became a thing to count and he obsessed over numbers and letters. Miraculously, therapy was a huge help to him and now he is able to function in school, he has friends, he is an amazing student, but that’s not what this post is about.
When he wasn’t even two yet, my sister and I were practicing a song for church. This was during a time when he didn’t seem to pay attention to anyone much, but as she sang “A Window to His Love”, he gazed at her and tears started to stream down his cheeks. We knew he was in there somewhere and it was a very special moment.
As he grew, he learned skills with the help of his various therapists. He wrote in a school paper that someday he was going to be a missionary, adding, “I want to teach the Gospel to all 6 billion of you.”
At family gatherings, he says the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. You wouldn’t believe such a lovely prayer could come out of such a young boy’s mouth, but he amazes us every time with the things he prays. It’s not cliche, regurgitated words he has heard others say. They are his own thoughts coming from his own mind and heart.
This is a miracle to me. Although he still struggles with his interactions with people, I think he is beyond his years when it comes to his testimony of the Gospel. Some things no one had to teach him. He had to be taught what happy looks like, what angry looks like, what sad looks like, but somehow he figured out on his own what the Spirit is.
I am so proud of him.
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5 Responses
I just wanted to say that this story brought tears to my eyes. We also have an autistic boy in our ward..he amazes me with his knowledge, and he is the greatest kid you could ever meet.
Thanks for sharing
Posted on March 9th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Thank you! It was a trial for the family when he was diagnosed and there are a lot of challenges, but he has blessed our whole family.
Posted on March 10th, 2009 at 10:39 am
What a beautiful account. We have 12-year-old autistic twins (our daughter has low-functioning, and our son has Asperger’s), and I am Asperger as well, so we are very familiar with both the trials and the blessings of autism. Our daughter is the happiest girl you can imagine and goes around singing “I Am a Child of God” (and fully believes it); our son has genuine insight into the scriptures that blows us away. There is a definite spiritual strength that comes with autism–it’s almost as if they are closer to the veil than we are.
An interesting non-LDS website that examines the spirituality of autism is at http://www.williamstillman.com/–it‘s well worth checking out.
Posted on March 10th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I’m autistic …
He’s not “in there somewhere,” that’s him that you’re dealing with. He’s just different. That’s why he can move you so.
Posted on January 3rd, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Hi Jared, to clarify, I love how different my nephew is, but before he was in therapy, he had lost all interaction with people – no eye contact or communication of any kind, just repeating numbers and letters and screaming. It was very hard. Within two weeks of starting his therapy, he had rapid improvement. I went on a trip and when I came back, he was smiling at me and feeding me popcorn. I missed his smile so much and it was a miracle.
He is still different, but he can communicate with people how he feels and it used to be he couldn’t identify emotions. He has spoken at conferences about Autism and though he is 12, he is in AP Calculus. I celebrate his talents and adore him. I am grateful that he learned to talk so we could hear his testimony. Thank you for your comment and for reading.
Posted on January 5th, 2010 at 2:39 am
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