The Julius Series 2/3: Ayako/Mom

(The Julius Series 2/3: Ayako/Mom)

“I waited 5 years to hear my son say “MOM”, and I was overwhelmed with joy and cried when it happened for the first time. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard! I remember the day like yesterday. We were playing and all of the sudden he said “mom.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I froze and looked at my husband then I cried. Julius had a significant speech delay, so everything was just sounds. Nothing made sense, and I often felt sad when I saw kids the same age having a conversation with their parents. Then I learned about baby sign language. It was a life changer! Since we started using signs, his behavior got better and that’s why I knew it was helping. I’m sure he was as happy as I was to be able to communicate. It was around the time when he started seeing a new speech therapist, his words became clearer, and we could understand each other more. And the first time I heard him say “mom” was the happiest moment of my life. Julius is 11 now. He still has a speech delay and was diagnosed with Childhood Speech Apraxia a few years ago. He came a long way. Every time he says something so clearly (even bad words) makes my day. We praise him and the look on his face is pure joy.”

#ThisIsDownSyndrome #TheLuckyFew