When Micah was growing up I used to grieve over the fact that he did not have friends. Sure, he always had wonderful aides, therapists, and teachers, but there were no play dates with friends or an endless stream of birthday parties to attend like his older brothers. I took comfort in the fact that we have a large family who surrounded him with love as well as the mistaken belief that Micah did not realize that he was missing out on “normal” friend relationships.
Spelling to Communicate (S2C) has opened so many doors for Micah, one of which has been to hit me with the reality that he is super aware of everything going on around him and that I have been super clueless about the guy locked inside my silent son. Spelling to Communicate and then the Telepathy Tapes have given me a glimpse of contacts that Micah has that I had no awareness of. In one of his spelling sessions, Micah wrote out two names of friends, Christian and Craig. I knew who Christian was as Micah had been in a group with him, but Craig was a mystery name. When asked, Micah said he knew Craig from ‘The Hill”. If you listen to the Telepathy Tapes, you can learn more about The Hill, but basically it is a place for non-speaking people to spend time together and socialize and learn. It is not a physical place that we can see. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I am convinced this is a place that has been and continues to be a deep source of support for Micah and his peers.
The exciting reality about Craig is that he also lives in New Hampshire, something Melody (S2C Certified Practitioner) discovered via her S2C contacts. She suggested trying to get Craig and Micah together to socialize. I participate in a Parents of Spellers zoom meeting once a month, so I knew that one of the participants, Lori, has a son named Craig. With some fear of perhaps being seen as a nutcase, I emailed Lori to ask to talk with her about getting our sons together. During the phone call, I cautiously asked if she had heard of “The Hill”. To my relief Lori matter-of-factly shared that she was well aware of it, so I asked her if she would ask her son Craig if he knew my son Micah as Micah had told me he met Craig on The Hill. Lori checked with Craig, who answered “Yes, Micah Lessard from New Hampshire”. This blew me away and prompted us to set a time for our guys to get together in person which has happened a few times in the past couple of months.
I have not been present for their meetings but hope to meet Craig and his mother Lori when we all attend a conference for Spellers in Virginia later this week. Melody has been present for the get togethers which consist of a time of spelling back and forth and then a time to go for a walk or other activity after. Melody has shared with me that physically the guys may not even seem to be focusing on each other, but their minds are actively engaged as they ask each other questions and spell out their responses. One question Craig asked Micah was where I was (his mother Lori is always there when the guys meet as she is Craig’s spelling partner). Micah told Craig that I was with his niece, which was true the day they were meeting. Just an everyday conversation, but a reminder that Micah is so aware of all that is happening in his life, although for years we thought he did not notice or perhaps just did not want to be engaged. At their most recent meet-up they watched a video of a Speller who has written books and created videos sharing his story. Both Craig and Micah spelled that they would like to share their stories as well.
S2C has led to Craig going back to school to get the degree (s) that he did not attain when people did not know how smart he really is. Micah has shared that he would like to do that as well. Like many friends, contact with each other has inspired them to pursue goals they might not pursue on their own. S2C has opened up so many possibilities for Micah that I never in my wildest hopes would have dreamed possible as he struggled with basic life activities over the years. We need to get the word out to other families of nonspeaking people with Autism so that they too, can be given the opportunity to escape from their silent lives. Recently, Lori was able to share Craig and their family’s story on a newscast that I am including this month, as this is just the type of mainstream coverage needed to get the word out about S2C. I see Spelling to Communicate Certified Practitioners like Beth Frede and Melody Bjorkman as modern-day Anne Sullivans. (If you don’t recall her name look up Helen Keller’s story). They are changing lives in amazing ways.
https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1663794
I also want to share another exciting development that just occurred this past weekend. With Melody’s support, Micah has progressed to typing on a keyboard that then speaks the words he types. The keyboard is set up a bit differently than his laminated letter board, but Melody said Micah picked up on it quickly and also chose a voice to speak out the words he types. Melody sent me his first voice message on my phone, which was one of the biggest surprises and blessing of my life. I had hoped to include it here, but my blog does not currently support the technology needed. But he said in a male voice that he chose “Mom, I love you”. Tears of joy when I realized what I was actually listening to when it showed up on my phone. Long prayed for miracle.
Hopefully Micah will be speaking to you through this blog soon. Stay tuned, the best is yet to be!
Jan Lessard Peightell, July 21, 2025