Texting vs. Speaking

Joel, our 20 year old autistic son, has difficulty speaking most of the time. Some days he speaks little to none while other times he is a little more verbose. Yet, even in his talking moments, rarely does he have something substantial to say. On good days he is full of questions that seem to build on each other. The questions could be about family members or what hymns we are singing or the starting times of events or how old people are or what instruments are being used. Mainly, though, spoken language is a challenge for Joel and he mostly finds himself nodding or speaking very quietly.

Yet a new and rather stunning development has occurred. Joel enjoys texting on his phone. He writes long involved texts that demonstrate a deeper understanding of life, a way to seek beyond the obvious, and a way to express his emotions. Below are some of his texts:

"Hey daddy can you pick me up around 4:00 so I can get my haircut afterwards? See you in an hour and forty-five minutes! Do you think it is going to snow tonight? It is kind of chilly outside! Brrrr! I am taking a cold rc cola break at the library! I am dressed kind of warm! I have a scarf some gloves a hat a jacket and a sweater! Are you wearing a tie today or a turtle neck? I am going to shelve some more books here in a minute! Then I will call you at around 4:00 to pick me up in time to take me to get a haircut! Ttyl bye! P.S. It is my birthday in 5 days! I am going to be 20 years old! Yay!"

and:

"Thanks dad! Do you mind if I wait outside for you at around 3:30? I shelved lots of books today at the library and I might shelve some more books here in just a few minutes! See you at 3:45! Tell all the professors of Howard Payne University I said hi and tell all the students I said hi too! Ttyl bye!"

Of course some texts are shorter and simpler, but in general he speaks more through texting than through talking. Why is this? Is it the strange block that occurs from the brain to the mouth for some autistic children? Does texting actually allow a circumventing of the neurons needed for speaking? Perhaps communication for an autistic child is deeper, requiring a different form and transit from which we are familiar. Perhaps the conduit for expression is a channel not usually found in most people.

Whatever the reason, we are enjoying the new communication and we are enjoying discovering a personality that shines forth from the cell phone! Ah Joel...always keeps us on our toes!