He is *never* quiet!! :)

I know many parents of autistic children long for the day that their child starts talking and starts having conversations with them; to hear those three precious words that every parent wants to hear, "I Love You!"

Well, I am one of those lucky parents... Ashton never shuts up is never quiet! We heard "I Love You" back when he was around three or four years old, so quite some time ago. Now granted, it was usually in response to us telling him we loved him, but hey, he was saying it! It's not a new thing for him to say it to us, but when he does say it unprompted or unrelated to what was said to him, it's a bit spine-tingling.

My favorite things now are when I'm coming back from the store, getting lunch, etc and Ashton will excitedly run up to me, give me a hug and say "I'm SO glad to see you Mom!" How sweet/cute is that?! This isn't something we've ever really said to one another so it's something he's picked up on his own/formed on his own and just says it at the most appropriate times.

Personally, I love to hear my son talk. It's music to my ears most times and the fact that he CAN actually talk to us, tell us what he wants/doesn't want, and tell us if something is bothering him (although not always accurately) is a true miracle. I know many parents/caregivers are left to a guessing game of what a child wants/needs and are even further perplexed when something is bothering said child and you can't figure out what it is.

Just because I love to hear him talk however, doesn't mean that it doesn't sometimes get on my nerves. This doesn't make me horrible, but it does make me very normal I think. Ashton can be very echolalic. He can get stuck on a phrase from a book or movie and will repeat it, over and over and over and over and over and over and over, ad nauseum. Or sometimes, if you're not paying attention to him when he's trying to tell you something, he does the same thing; repeats it over and over again.

Yep, sometimes I DO tell my son to "please be quiet!"

I know I should be grateful that he talks and converses (although not age-appropriately) and I really, truly am. But there are times, when I've heard the same phrase/noise so many times that I can no longer hear anything else! He also has a very annoying habit of tapping you on the shoulder when he talks as well as talking with his hands (basically moves his fingers as though his fingers are talking while he's speaking). He also likes to talk in your face which I am sure as you can imagine, is a bit unnerving as he's in your space.

Anyways .... yep, a child with autism can talk, and talk and talk and talk..... and yes, it can be annoying. But it doesn't mean I'm forever grateful that I am blessed with a child who can speak his mind and tell us like it is. I love knowing what he wants/needs (or doesn't) and that he can tell us when he's not feeling entirely well.

I'll take the incessant talking over never getting to hear my child's voice....