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My ongoing journey of literacy

By: Denisse Preece

Surprisingly, human beings can adapt to different situations in life. We learn to communicate with our parents, family, and community from a young age. Reading, writing, and verbal communication are known to human beings as being innate, and we master them at different stages of our lives. This is a significant factor in transmitting the information. For me, it was easy at the beginning; I had a standard development growing up with the Spanish language. I had a very "stereotypical" childhood using the language in what was written, read, and spoken. Living in Peru, my country of birth, we lived in a precarious political situation where I needed to leave my country at a young age, and the United States of America became my second home.

Confidence in communication in the language I spoke before needed to be more consistent. Now, I was in a country where, at 20 years old, I had to regain all my communication skills. Despite having an advanced level of English to this day, I always thought that I was reborn again. I used many methods for learning this new language, including the essential techniques at the beginning, and "close captions" were the most useful to me at the time; I watched television series such as The Simpsons, Lost, and Forensic Investigations, but “Friends" was my favorite. I enjoyed watching the series, and there was an extensive vocabulary appropriate for my age in society at the time. I remember very clearly telling the same jokes about this program; the one I remember the most was the episode where, with the help of Rachel and Chandler, Ross tries to navigate the new couch he bought up to the stairs by pivoting and screaming, "PIVOT, PIVOT, PIVOT" over and over again and Chandler follows with shouts

”SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP.”

Cognates was an excellent strategy that I found very helpful after seeing promising results as I watched many television shows and movies; using similar Spanish words with the same root and meaning was a great way to improve my vocabulary. As the years passed and I immersed myself more and more in not only the culture of a new country but also in a language with different characteristics than those of my tongue, I had to take jobs where I also learned and grew my vocabulary from a simple speech to having to write professional-level emails. There were difficult times, but I always had a goal in mind.

I got married and had two children, who were born in a dual-language home; while I was still trying to learn the language, I also used my skills with Spanish to teach my children Spanish, the language of their mother. Although Sophia, my eldest daughter, was able to communicate in both languages at home from a very young age, there was a problem with my youngest son's verbal communication abilities, such as not responding to my calls and not interacting with me, not responding with the simple words YES or NO for short answers, some friends said that sometimes children are reluctant to speak generally in bilingual homes; at least, that's what I thought. But Travis had other characteristics that it was not only communication.

Eye Contact -After extended research for the atypical characteristics that I had experienced with my one-year-old son. I remember the one that stuck out the most was the inability to engage with me; as I called his name many times, he never came to me; his eyes were always somewhere near, but never with me. Quite often, I see him with a big smile as he engages with the ceiling fan in the living room instead, and this is how we find out that Travis is on the Autism spectrum. Now, at this stage of my life, I find myself not only in the middle of English literacy but also in an entirely different language, Autism. Let the journey begin!!!!!

Power of Visual Communication or PECS - I remember conversing with Travis, BCBA (Behavior analyst), and explaining its benefits of reducing his anxiety and helping him throughout the day with an alternative communication system called PECS. I remember carrying a plastic older complete with pictograms of pictures, food, toys, clothing, brands, colors, shapes, activities, places, people, routines, and schedule roadmap and the most critical green circle for GO and a red one for STOP, which helped for immediate response if he was running on the streets.

Hyperlexia - Travis developed a great interest in letters; reading books was his favorite since age two. He would stand next to any street sign and read it as he traced his fingers around each letter. I was fascinated with this ability; reading books with him was just an enthusiastic moment for all of us. He would pick any page of books to read at such a young age; later, we realized that all the reading he had been doing for all these years, even before he started school preschool, had no meaning in his mind. He was decoding the words but couldn't comprehend the contents of the readings; I felt disappointed because he was not retaining information with time. It turned out a way to use this unique gift by writing down different words on his whiteboard as a way of communicating with society.

Echolalia-Travis started to speak soon after he started Kindergarten. I was thrilled with the new vocabulary he gained every day; there was a show he loved to watch “baby Einstein”; he would recite a whole episode. I just thought he had this great memory at the beginning, but it went from reciting not one or two but many other videos he watched. All day, he would repeat all these videos nonstop, and his teacher, on the other hand, was concerned because most of the new language or phrases were repetitive from sources he had heard previously, I remember Mrs. Hightower explained: “The echoing may occur immediately after hearing the word or phrase or much later, and he will continuously repeat this for a long time.” I could hear my son's voice, but the lack of understanding was not there.

Neurotypical and neuroatypical - Not only did I have to maintain my learning of this new world of my son, but I also had to learn the correct way to identify each of the meanings of how to call Travis, I remember that when I went to the doctor for a review, the doctor asked me if my two children were "Neuroatypicals" or if there was another relative in my family and I did not know what to answer, I realized then how little I knew and how much I had to know, and so I understood that he is not Autistic but Neuroatypical, in the end, they are just words that are assigned to something in this case to someone, but in the end, it is vocabulary that had to be used in all the places where Travis was seen by a professional.

Stimming - Travis’s “ atypical behavior, the “self-stimulatory or repetitive behaviors or motions when he feels overwhelmed, focusing on activities that will regulate his body and bring him to calm, some kids will bite their nails or rock their bodies or just any kind of movement that brings him enjoyment, Travis loved Cracker Barrel and one of the most enjoyable parts of my time with him, seeing him so happy was and still is delightful, looking at all the ceiling fans as he flaps his hand and runs on his tippytoes for hours outside the restaurant. Nothing else makes him happier than seeing something as simple as a ceiling fan at a popular restaurant in town.

IEP Meetings - Services and accommodations for my child were something completely novice in my understanding of the education system. Still, it was my final exam in my intensive learning of neurodiversity in Travis’s education. All I had learned with concepts and analysis of each idea will bring me to this meeting to ensure the maximal education for my son.

My journey of literacy learning on autism has been transformative, both personally and socially. Through reading, research, personal connections, and advocacy, I have gained a deeper understanding of autism and developed a profound empathy for those living with this condition. Literacy has opened doors to knowledge, compassion, and acceptance, allowing me to contribute to a more inclusive understanding not just about Travis but neurodivergent kids in society. As I continue this journey, I am committed to using my literacy skills to create positive change and empower individuals with autism to thrive and be celebrated for their unique abilities.

The intensive terminology, concepts, and vocabulary I had learned over the years was a way to help me communicate with one of the persons I love so much, as a parent, I have witnessed the challenges and the triumphs that came with raising a neuroatypical child, but the crucial part here is that this allowed me to know more in a language that wasn’t my first. All this effort of not just me but also my family brought joy and fullness to create a different world of learning new concepts of neurodivergent human beings learning how to adapt to a different world.

Travis is 11-years-old and can verbally request what he likes and wants to do. He can transition from task to task with a small use of his PECS, plan a trip to his favorite restaurants, read and understand “mostly” his work at school, and read books and understand most of the content, but most important of all is that he will tell me “Te amo mama” as he is looking into my eyes, every night before he goes to bed.