I adopted a nonverbal boy with autism when he was 9. He's done so well, we now sing in a choir together.

She said CJ was doing great at the age of 20 and had learned to communicate through singing..

But we helped him learn.. I'd put him to bed every day and say, 'Mommy loves you'..

Even in the middle of a meltdown, when his left leg was the only thing that was sitting still, I'd say, "Your left leg is doing a great job of being calm."..

I said, "I'll bring you some boxes of Cheez-Its," and school personnel said, "Holy cow, this kid knows the alphabet."..

He still does a lot of scripted talking and talks about himself in the third person something we're working on but it's functional communication..