Tiffany Hammond an her 16-year-old son Aidan talk in some acquainted methods, like hand gestures and physique language. But when Aidan desires to precise himself with phrases, he makes use of a pill.
Aidan is autistic and doesn’t converse, so when his mother asks a query, he can push a button on the display screen to vocalize his reply.
Hammond additionally has autism, as does her youthful son and Aidan’s brother, Josiah. The household has designed routines round their diagnoses, however typically, folks exterior the family do not perceive.
“Every single time we go exterior the home, there’s one thing. There’s a remark, there is a comment, there is a imply stare,” Hammond mentioned. “And you’re feeling alone loads, and our household feels alone loads.”
About 25-30% of individuals with autism do not converse or converse minimally, however that loneliness and people reactions from outsiders pushed Hammond to discover a strategy to symbolize the alternative ways by which autism can manifest. She mentioned when folks take a look at her son, they could not even assume he has autism or does not converse.
“But then as quickly as he makes noises, he grunts or he bounces a bit bit, or he makes use of his iPad to faucet that he desires fries or he desires to go to the park or no matter, that is while you get the stares,” Hammond mentioned.
The results of this expertise is a youngsters’s e-book from Hammond titled, A Day With No Words, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove. It follows Aidan by means of an everyday day, as he pushes buttons to inform his mother what he thinks or what he desires for lunch.
Hammond spoke with All Things Considered host Sacha Pfeiffer in regards to the significance of the e-book and what she hoped to perform with the writing and illustrations.
This interview has been evenly edited for size and readability.
Interview highlights
On what communication appears to be like like for Aidan and his household
Back when my son was youthful and since he did not converse, everybody would say, “Oh, he is nonverbal.” And that is all you’d hear on a regular basis [from] professionals. And I’m like, “But he is form of speaking with us, by means of his eyes; by means of pointing; by means of grabbing one thing and bringing it to me; by means of grabbing my hand and bringing me someplace; when he laughs after I make a joke; when he cries when I’m unhappy.” You know, all these expressions he had, I used to be like, that is communication. He’s speaking with me. He’s simply speaking in a unique kind of manner.
So, as he obtained older, the language began to alter round how non-speakers describe themselves and the way folks describe them. So these days, a whole lot of non-speaking folks confer with themselves as non-speaking, as a result of each human on this planet communicates nonverbally.
On capturing “the essence and fantastic thing about an autistic thoughts,” as a pediatrician described her e-book
It’s indescribable, as a result of I obtained one and I do not know describe it. Like, there’s a lot that goes on, and I believe one of many greatest issues for me is that particularly Aidan, my oldest, he’s so free.
He is simply lovely and worthy on his personal, and he is not caring what anybody has to say or do. He continues to be going to be him. He’s nonetheless spinning, he is nonetheless having enjoyable, he is nonetheless hugging timber, he is nonetheless laughing, he is leaping. And I like that. I like that for him.
On masking their diagnoses
Well, you are concealing loads. You’re concealing the stuff you wanna say, the actions you really need to do, you are preventing in opposition to your self. It’s like a conflict in your head. I used to be telling you, “Oh my gosh, I would like to do that with my fingers. I must twist them right into a manner that is actually comfy for me as a result of I’m actually careworn proper now, or that is what’s gonna calm me down.” But you are making an attempt to inform your self, “Don’t do this. Don’t be that manner. Don’t look over right here. People like eye contact, attempt to discover their eyes.” And you are making an attempt to inform your self all these items that folks will not maintain in opposition to you. And that is what masking is. And it isn’t one of the best factor on the planet, however it does maintain a whole lot of us protected in a whole lot of conditions.
On the sensory descriptions within the e-book
One of the challenges I had with this e-book was like, what perspective do I write it from? I did not wanna converse for [Aidan], however I’m the closest to him. So I observe him, I see how he responds to all these totally different voices after they’re coming in, and I see how he kinda shrinks when the voice is loud and booming. But he is additionally form of nonetheless tuned in and form of listening, after which I see how he reacts when the voice is easy and mushy, after which I see how he reacts when there’s like a whole lot of voices coming in and he is making an attempt to choose up on various things round him.
I wished to choose up on all of the issues that I see in him and attempt to put that in a manner that folks can form of perceive and see and relate to. I really feel like lots of people that aren’t autistic can relate to one thing being too loud and that affecting them, or one thing being too quiet and that additionally affecting them.
On how folks’s feedback motivated Hammond, and her objectives for the e-book
It was meant to teach, but in addition I wished to focus on the bond that I’ve with my son, and it was speculated to form of function this love letter to him. I wished to indicate that he was like all the opposite youngsters. He loves being exterior and he loves swings, and he loves spinning in grass barefoot, and he simply loves life, this child. He likes to hug timber and loves fries, and he smiles and he laughs and he dances and he spins.
I wished to indicate that as nicely as a result of a whole lot of the instances after I would learn different books about disabilities or in autism generally, it was all about folks telling you what autism was like. Like, “This is autism, that is Aidan. Aidan has autism. This means this, which means that.” And I wished to indicate the breadth of his humanity.