Between Spectrums

Speaking Without Words

"Not speaking is not the same as not thinking."

Ido Kedar

Ido is a 17 year old boy with autism. And even though he can't speak to communicate he still continues to be an advocate for those who are severely autistic. How is it possible? Well let's take a look at his life for a bit. For the first seven years of his life, he wasn't able to communicate with others and his behavior was erratic, which lead people to think that he doesn't understand the world around him. But around age seven, his mother mother Tracy knew that he can spell words and gave him a letter board. With it he was finally able to communicate and say the thoughts and feelings that have been trapped inside of him. After that he made it his mission to help other severe autistic people be free from misunderstanding and solitude. He currently has a blog and has written a book with essays about his thoughts and experiences. He plans to go to college and continue to talk about autism and help the non-verbal unlock their potential. 

In a way Ido was like me. I wasn't able to talk when I was a little kid. All I did was talk gibberish and that could of been an indication of why some people thought I was autistic. But by the time I was seven my mother told me that I should talk more slowly and that's when I started to talk more clearly. And to this day I'm still talking clearly. Now it wasn't that I didn't understand it was that my mind goes fast and I need to slow down and form out my words and thoughts. Sometimes I have to repeat what I said cause people didn't understand the first time and I have to think on what I want to say before I said it. I wish I can just say what I want to say without thinking it over and that I can speak in front of people without getting nervous. But like other things in life we work on our skills till they are easy to do. In the meantime I found a way to express my thoughts, ideas, and stories through writing.

I can talk and communicate with people. Ido can't really talk but he powerfully communicates through his writing. Autistic, Severely Autistic, Autistic traits, you have the potential to speak your minds in any form of communication and what you say can inspire people around you. That I'm sure of it.

Thank you for your time

Tay Gallagher

For more info about Ido please go to www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/06/06/heart-autism-17-year-old-advocates-others-severe-autism

And to go to his blog go to idoinautismland.com

You can also buy his book, Ido In Autismland, at Amazon.