Hearing one’s child utter their first word is a momentous event for parents. But for Briana Blankenship, capturing her five-year-old autistic autism do it is not just an unforgettable event. It was the most precious thing that she was waiting for!
Briana had a busy day accomplishing goals and making sure that she did her responsibilities at home thoroughly. While he was driving with her five-year-old daughter with nonverbal autism, a surprise happened that made her break down with joy.
When your kid has nonverbal autism, they may learn to speak a bit later than other kids. Learning a language is usually slow for them, and parents have to be more patient and loving as the kid grows up and slowly develops the faculty of speech.
This is what Briana was thinking while raising her five-year-old kid. She wanted to show the utmost support that her daughter needed. However, one day, Briana was taken aback when her daughter said her first word. She was driving to get her daughter’s favorite French fries at a McDonalds’ Drive-Thru when five-year-old Taylor said, ‘Mama.’
Briana was so surprised and so glad that she stopped driving to experience the moment fully. She took out her phone and started recording.
“I whipped my head around and asked, ‘Did you just say Momma?’ and she looked at me and said it again. I was so excited that I put the car in park right there in the line, dug my phone out of my purse, and started the video that has now been seen around the world,” she said in an interview.
Finally, Taylor showed a glimmer of hope. Saying her first word ruled out the possibility that she would not be able to speak all her life. Taylor went through exceptional treatment and training from school and family members around her to accommodate her condition.
“I can’t explain how unbelievably grateful and ecstatic I am right now. Our family and her teachers and doctors have been working for the last 2 and a half years to get Taylor to where we are now,” the ecstatic mother shared.
Briana had been investing on the latest tools and technology so that Taylor may finally learn to speak.
“We were told that it’s possible that Taylor may never speak. Last year we were able to get her a communication device- which is an iPad that is locked in a program called LAMP — and she started the process of communication. We are still working hard to get her to express her wants and needs clearly thru the device,” she said.
Briana was hopeful that she could get Taylor to enroll in a gymnastics program. She uploaded the video and tagged family and friends. However, many people outside her family got inspired by her story. The video went viral as it continued to inspire others.