ALIYAH VA HABLAR-Because Autism is silent but Aliyah speaks So Listen up!!!

Yesterday could of been considered our daily routine of simple procedures done at the children's hospital or any other hospital but something amazing happened and it wasn't planned. I sent off my kids to school early morning and headed out to the children's hospital with my daughter Aliyah and my dad (Aliyah's grandfather), while it was still pitch black outside. Aliyah was screaming as usual while I drove her to the hospital for over 50 miles from home. I kept trying to calm her down by saying "Aliyah its ok mija, you are only getting your teeth cleaned at the hospital and after they're done we'll get something to eat at McDonalds so you can go home and relax". She kept screaming and crying pointing her fingers to her mouth "papa papa papa". She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday but doctors orders were to not eat or drink anything before the dental procedure because she was getting general anesthesia. "It's ok mija after they're done you can eat something" but Aliyah wasn't having it, she kept screaming and even slapped my dad. "No Aliyah, that's not nice, we don't hit Welo". I couldn't help but feel sad that she was hungry and couldn't wait but I realized she had to get this done and she would be fine afterwards. Aliyah is getting better in morning schedules but when you mess with her food and breakfast prepare for war (lots of laughs).

As we arrived at the hospital Aliyah was very upset and uneasy so they immediately admitted her and started the registration process but she still had to wait because their were others ahead of her. As usual Aliyah was being very bossy even without much words. She kept pointing to her fingers and arms and making sounds and said "ira ira hey hey ira ira". She wanted the nurse to do the regular routine at the hospital to check her blood pressure and vital signs which she was getting ready to do but Aliyah wanted it to be done fast. The nurse seemed to be impressed with Aliyah and understood her pretty well. She said "ok ok we will check that in a sec ok" Aliyah with a smirk on her face made humming sounds (indicating she is happy that someone was listening to her and she was getting her way). Yeah she's the boss like that he he!!

The waiting time was making Aliyah anxious so they turned on the TV with cartoons. Aliyah didn't seem interested but as soon as they gave her some colors and coloring papers she was eager to get a hold of them. She kept looking at me with a smirk on her face and proceeded to use her crayon. I thought she was going to start coloring immediately but she kept looking switching her looks back and forth between me and the paper. I could tell she wanted me to see her. "Start coloring Aliyah all the pretty bears" I told her. she pointed to the line at the top of the paper where the name belongs "ira ira ira" "Yes Aliyah that's where you put you name" We had been working with her at home and in therapy getting her to write her name with the small dots. She was able to trace her name and any word but when it came down to writing on her own she was only able to write her first letter on her own without assistance.

As I was about to start writing her the dots for her to trace she pushed my hand away and that's where the miracle began. With such poise and certainty she started writing the letter A. I thought "well she always writes the letter A so its ok I will draw the circles for the rest of the letter" but then she started writing another letter and to my surprise it was the letter L. I just stood there gazing in amazement. My heart was pumping so fast I could hear it in the center of my ear drums and I could feel my ear was about to pop off. It wasn't that I couldn't believe she could do it its that I could not believe it was happening so fast. Her therapist had told me that she could already write her own name without assistance but I had not personally witnessed it until now.

She paused for a few seconds and turned to see if I was still looking then she continued with the third letter and so on until she wrote Aliy h. The overwhelming excitement that I was feeling was so great that it didn't matter if it wasn't perfect because this moment was perfect and in my eyes Aliyah couldn't be anything but a perfect angel from God. I looked at my dad to see if he had witnessed this miraculous moment. I had been frozen and focused in the moment that I blocked everything and everyone while it was developing. "Viste Apa Viste lo que iso Aliyah" my dad smiled "Si escribio su nombre". After the grand momentum I asked Aliyah to add the A that was missing from her name. I thought she would get upset like she normally does if she is told she didn't do something right but to my surprise she just smiled and wrote her letter A so now it spelled Aliyah.

Immediately I smothered her with mammy kisses and hugs and she gave me a high five after I asked her. I couldn't stop smiling and she couldn't stop smiling. The happiness I felt at that time surpassed any sadness that I felt the previous day and I could feel that Aliyah was happy that I saw her write her name. This moment was more than just writing her name. It represented hope, a voice for Aliyah. I could already see Aliyah writing and communicating with not only me but the world. Thoughts scattered my mind... what would she say? Will I finally get to know her thoughts? Will she stop hitting us for no reason and communicate why she is upset? Will she tell me I love you back? Will she be a writer one day or help other children with Autism? Whatever she decides to do with this new discovery it will open up a window of new possibilities and give others hope that miracles do happen in the most unexpected unparalled manner. Aliyah Va Hablar and everyone will listen up!!!

-Vane D. Lopez