Autism Communication

Nana was born in Japan when her mother was forty years old. Her birth was a difficult one and an emergency C-section was needed.

The first sign of a problem was the very dry skin and rash on her face when she was just three months old. Nana continued to have upper respiratory infections throughout her infancy and early childhood. She was prescribed steroid medications when her condition worsened as it often did through the years. Nana was slow in her mobility development and in developing language. She had difficulty in playing successfully with other children.

The Institutes have know for decades that certain brain injuries cause hyperactive auditory sensitivity. More recently others have also begun to study this problem. I first became aware of that condition when I met David, an eight-year-old brain-injured child at The Institutes who had this problem. He screamed at the slightest noise. In fact, he screamed eight hours a day. His parents whispered all day to keep from setting him off.

Is there a more wondrous or important characteristic of a human being than his simple ability to express himself to his fellow human beings?

Probably not.

When a human being loses his ability to communicate, or fails to acquire this ability due to brain injury, he loses his most precious passport to the affection and respect of his family, his friends, and his community.