Autism Kept Him Silent for 31 Years. Then He Finally Spoke. - Neil + Lori Rogers | Our Family Invests

<p>For 31 years, Neil and Lori Rogers believed their non-verbal autistic son Craig was listening, even when the world had stopped expecting him to respond. In this episode, they share how a method called Spelling to Communicate finally gave Craig a way to express thoughts that had been there his entire life.</p><p>Craig was diagnosed with autism at two and a half. Neil and Lori spent three decades trying everything: diet changes, sensory therapy, speech and occupational support, even founding a nonprofit for special education in their school district. Nothing cracked the barrier until 2022, when Craig, then 31, sat down with a simple letter board and spelled out &quot;black holes&quot; in response to a question about Stephen Hawking. An eye-tracking study later confirmed these kids are choosing their own letters, not being guided.</p><p>Within months, Craig spelled his first words to his younger brother: &quot;Cam, I love you.&quot; He told his practitioner he doesn&#39;t want to be called autistic, because to him that word means stupid. His words: &quot;I am a human with apraxia.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>What Else You&#39;ll Learn: </p><ul><li>Why apraxia, not intelligence, is the real barrier for many non-verbal autistic people</li><li>How an eye-tracking study validated these kids are spelling their own thoughts</li><li>What changes in a marriage when a non-speaking child is finally heard</li><li>Why Craig rejects the word &quot;autistic&quot; and what he prefers instead</li></ul><p>Subscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: <a href="https://OurFamilyInvests.com/">https://OurFamilyInvests.com</a></p>