My brother has non-verbal autism.

[Jasmin Cottontail]

Hi everyone! My youngest brother was diagnosed of non-verbal autism when he was 2 years old and since I was young then, I had no idea what exactly it is. Obviously my mom and dad were both devastated knowing that their only son is autistic, as well as they seemed to not have enough knowledge about my brother's case. My brother began to walk when he was 4 years old, he's hyperactive all the time and always having tantrums that my mom can't really control. My parents enrolled him to a special school in our place but unfortunately, he wasn't able to learn anything. At home, we teach him how to do basic things like sweeping the floor, turning on and off the lights, the fan, get this and that. I believe he has the ability to learn things it's just that he's having a difficult time understanding what we're trying to tell him.


He's 12 years old and up to know, he still doesn't talk. He does baby talk most of the time and even though we know that his case is non-verbal, we're still hoping that somehow, he may eventually talk. There are still a lot of things that he needs to learn and yet he's having a hard time which makes us worry since he's growing up.


Do you have a family member who is autistic and has the same case as my brother? Do you think it would be possible for him to speak even if the doctor told us that he won't and will never?

 

[hades_leae]

Yes I believe that he will, and after 4 years old he starts walking? I'd like to learn more about what specifically keeps a child from walking until that age. I wouldn't let a doctor tell you because not only is it an opinion even though it's coming from a doctor who is a professional, they can and have been proven wrong on many occasions.


I had a friend girl who had surgery, and they clipped a nerve in her leg on accident and told her that she would never walk again. She was walking weeks later because she did not want to believe them, so she worked her leg until it was stable enough she could walk again.

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

Yes I believe that he will, and after 4 years old he starts walking? I'd like to learn more about what specifically keeps a child from walking until that age. I wouldn't let a doctor tell you because not only is it an opinion even though it's coming from a doctor who is a professional, they can and have been proven wrong on many occasions.


I had a friend girl who had surgery, and they clipped a nerve in her leg on accident and told her that she would never walk again. She was walking weeks later because she did not want to believe them, so she worked her leg until it was stable enough she could walk again.

You're absolutely right. Seeking professional help is normal for most of us however, we can't just base on their findings and their opinions. When my parents learned that my brother has autism, they didn't want to believe the doctor and even if the doctor is right, they still would like to raise my brother as a normal child. Yes he started walking straight at the age of 4. When he was 2 years old, he just keeps on crawling up to when he reached 3, then he tried standing until he can finally walk but sideways and with the help of a walker as well as he should grab onto something to support his balance.


I do believe that it also depends on the person's eagerness and willingness on how he/she will handle his/her disability. However, it's a bit different with my brother's case since he doesn't have the capacity to decide for himself and surely aren't aware of certain things

 

[Natasha0717]

I don't have a family member with this, but I do know a guy who seems to exhibit some symptoms. Could you tell me if this sounds like some form of autism? He's in his 30's. He barely speaks, and will only speak if spoken to first. He has a hard time holding eye contact, and his answers are always very short, direct, and to the point. Yet, he is a very kind guy, and instead of expressing this kindness through speaking, he uses actions instead. If he knows you like something, he will buy it for you, and not say a word. Or if his Mom asks him to do her a favor, he never enthusiastically replies, in fact, he doesn't respond at all (in words)....but he does go through with doing her the favor, and then some. Meaning, if she were to ask him to take her car and fill it up with gas, he will not only fill it up with gas, he'll also run it thru a car wash. What kind of behavior is this? He's obviously a super-nice guy with a big heart, yet he lacks almost all social skills.....even with people he knows.

 

[elliotidiot]

i made an account on this site just to reply to you. My two brothers and I are all autistic, it kind of gets more severe as it goes down. I have asperger’s syndrome, my second youngest brother has mild autism, and my youngest brother is nonverbal. He is twelve as of right now and I really see where you were coming from.
it really sucks. I know it sounds harsh but i just want to hear his voice. I wanna know what he sounds like and I wish we could help him learn to talk. He used to say things sometimes like “go go go” “e-e” (cookie) “e” (eat) mama, goodbye, etc. he says none of those anymore and the only thing he will ever say is bye bye.
I’d love to hear an update on this if you’re active on the forum anymore. i know this is two years later but i wanted to share my own experience.
I’m glad I found this today.

 

[Menesis92]

This story touches me as a individual with high-functioning autism my hands are extremely impaired so I tend to use a verbal commands in a lot sometimes if I begin to type of sentence and go back to look at what I have typed it totally wrong I had to struggled with speaking being nearly nonverbal since the fourth grade but I have learn to speak and enunciate enough to get my words across I still sometimes cannot get out full sentences my concept of learning there's also very impaired I don't learn very quickly there's a huge part of me that does not want to accept my diagnosis but when I've had been having the same problem since kindergarten as very hard to ignore

Be prepared for future struggles for your brother will definitely want to learn something and he will try very hard and will need a lot of help