Autistic Teen Sends Beautiful Letter to Police
Gordy Baylinson is a 16-year-old from Maryland who did not speak and did not show any signs of emotional behavior ever since he was born. His family was convinced that he could not understand them and could not participate in life around him in its full specter.
But ever since Gordy’s therapist started to work with him on a new technique of communication, things apparently changed. Gordy was able for the first time to express himself and reach those around him.
Gordy managed to use the technique in order to communicate and share with others what he thought, how he felt and what his view of the world is. He showed his family that he has, in fact, an extraordinary inner life.
On the day he found out about his local police department organizing an autism event, Gordy was encouraged by his therapist to contribute to the event.
Thus, he started to write a letter in which he described how autism has impacted his life. The autistic teen went on to explain that his mind and his body are not interconnected as they should be.
“My brain, which is much like yours, knows what it wants and how to make that clear. My body, which is much like a drunken, almost six-foot toddler, resists,” said Gordy in his letter.
He stated that the letter was not intended to provoke pity, as he accepts himself just as he really is. Gordy ends by saying that what he really wanted is to raise awareness and to educate public on what autism means.
The answer from police was not a disappointment. Gordy had been invited to their upcoming training session and the officer who personally wrote back to him fully acknowledges the fact that non-verbal autism signs should never be associated with cognitive impairment.
Seeing Gordy communicating and sharing with the world an entirely beautiful and complete personality, made his family felt extraordinarily relieved. They have all started to share family moments which they never before thought were accessible to him.
His therapist is also very optimistic in regards to his future. The autistic teen is now following the presidential campaign together with his family; his parents started to read him Harry Potter, and his dreams of becoming a researcher for a news magazine is looking not to be that far away.
The technique used is the Rapid Prompting Method, specially designed for people with autism. It involves an excellent cooperation between the therapist and the autistic person, cooperation that will lead to obtaining an answer to a specific question while avoiding the self-stimulatory behavior.
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