Nonverbal to VERBAL *She Taught Herself* 

Autism Awareness Month #iwalkwithmikko ❤️💛💙💛💚

My favorite thing with Mikko is when she says, "I did it!" and her W's. 😁

We have a non verbal autistic grandson this gives us so much hope. Thank you so much for showing us how to be patient especially with the meltdowns

Mikko is the most adorable. I love watching the interaction between the two of you. She is doing great and will continue to thrive because she has your love. She is such an awesome little girl. I'm loving her from a distance 😊

I love seeing her progress and when she celebrates her progress saying “yay “ or “I did” ❤❤❤

She's so adorable 🥰 Good job little one. 😊👍🏾👏🏾

You’re doing an awesome job! Both of you.

My Grand Daughter taught herself too. I love❤ Mikko and I love how she say's W

Girl, did Mikko just say “bye bye” to us or am I imagining things. 😂

Beautiful!

It's always the W for me, ❤

My heart melted when she pulled her chair up closer 🫶🏾

lawd, i remember when Mikko wasn’t saying any words at all; now she’s calling out letters & reading 👏🏾👏🏾 you go girl! mom included!

She couldn't have a better Mother!!!! GOD BLESS HER!!!!!😢

I am a special educator and have worked with children with autism for nearly 30 years. I love how you are working with her around her passion for letters. Just a bit of advice as she advances: please always keep the goal of her comprehension of what she reads in mind. Many children with autism pick up on letters and the basics of word reading quite easily, almost as if they learned on their own/ taught themselves. This is wonderful and amazing to watch develop, but often there is a lot of struggle later on to truly comprehend what they read. I love how you are linking the letter names to letter sounds, then sounds to words, and then words to the object. Excellent. You also followed up with what sounds the animals make to give her more context for comprehension. That’s just perfect. As her skills with reading increase, always be mindful of how well she is comprehending what she reads, particularly as she learns more connected reading, like sentences and stories. Always probe and ask comprehension questions. You are doing a simply lovely job with your daughter. Keep it up! Never doubt for a minute that you are helping to unfold the world for her, and with all the right amounts of respect, structure, praise, mindful regulation, and loving guidance. I am so happy for you both and I look forward to seeing your journey together, and how Mikko grows and learns! 💜

Mom’s calm affirming demeanor is the best. She gives positive reinforcement but not excessive praise for every single thing. She tells her when she’s wrong. The best is Mikko learning the art of self pride, self praise, acknowledging when she’s done well and feeling good about it!! Self satisfaction comes from within! This is awesome

They way she celebrates her own sucesses is so wonderful. It's clear that you give her lots of positive reinforcement and confidence, but you still expect her to learn and work to the best of her abilities. That will serve her well her whole life! When I worked 1:1 with an autistic student he loved Rebus books where I could read the words he was still learning, and he could "read" the pictures. Books are such wonderful ways to connect!

When she held out her hands and did the breathing for you ❤❤

"Doo doo doo" I knew that was "w"! I love it! And i love when she says "I did it!" I say it with her🥰 Good job baby girl!🎉❤ she is a joy and this video has made my whole day🥰

YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB MAMA, DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU LESS!🙂

My daughter is on the spectrum . She is 6 years old and now becoming more verbal as well. She had alphabet flash cards and would play with them and eventually learned them herself. I remember hearing her say a letter and I thought it was maybe a coincidence.. she said another and I cried , I still cry. I’m so happy for your daughter and you as well!

I am *NOT* crying!! 😭 I'm so happy that you shared this with us Precious 💗. So many of us are happily invested in Mikko's happiness and progress. Happy isn't even a word right now *Yay MIKKO!!* ❤🎉

You're teaching her to be patient. This will come in handy for school because she'll be in a class with other children that are autistic, some of them will not have the same skills she has been given.

When Mikko pulled her chair in she showed us that she isn't playing with her letters! Well done Mikko you are doing brilliantly 👏

Oh my goodness mikko has grown so much! Much love to this family 💕☺

The way she says W is the absolute best! 😁

Mikko is blossoming and coming into herself. Mom is a diamond, a true mom, mentor, guide, teacher, and gift to her child.

You all are doing such an amazing job with her. She is so adorable and so smart God bless.❤

Precious you are doing an amazing job even when it may seem hard. I just want to give you your flowers sis. Just to see Mikko get up to pull her chair closer to you so that she can learn, reciting the letters just warmed my heart. It's Mikko's "I did it" for me, lol. Love hearing her say that. Always a proud moment for her.

Maybe for the color and letter exercise. You can ask her to pick up a certain color once that is chosen correctly, then proceed with the letter. Humans are naturally not great at multitasking even the most advanced. Her fascination with written languages makes me hope she continues to enjoy learning. You and your husband are good parents.

My son taught himself to read too!!! He was 3 when he first learned. He will be 5 in July and is already reading level 2 books with little assistance. He has also started teaching himself math. She is going to do great in school!!!

My aunt couldn't talk until she was six, with professional help she learned to read & write, structure, and have limited independence. There are things she can never do, like drive and live and completely alone. She doesn't do large crowds and definitely not a crowd of strangers. She somehow learned to crotche, and she can make a king-size afghan blanket in a day. She's in her early 60s, but mentally, she's like 13/14.

At 4:03 it sounds like she said “mom gimme this” and reached her hand out for the block! She is growing in so many ways.

Mikko looks at her mom with such love. It's heartwarming 🥰

Found myself clapping for Miko! God is able!!!

My son is autistic. He used to carry around a "gum" flash card like a blankey. Also, he liked watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Price is Right before he could even walk. Flashcards, books, license plates (as we walked around the block), anything with words were his "thing".

You're really PRECIOUS and your daughter is a living proof that autistic people do have empathy and it's unfair to say otherwise ❤❤❤

She will be fine when she starts school .Im so proud of her and you .❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I love the gentleness you have for teaching and loving your daughter. Congratulations to you and your husband for all your hard work. Your labor is not in vain.

I love to hear Mikko say "I did it !" She's so smart🎉 Blessings

Go Mikko! You're doing an awesome job with her.

Mikko is so bright and Precious, you are so patient. You are both in my prayers each day.

I absolutely love how you are teaching her to regulate in challenging moments. That’s a skill a lot of adults would benefit from learning, and for Mikko it is already becoming a good habit! I celebrate your beautiful, loving, yet clear and structured approach with her. So much praise and blessings for you both! 👏🏻💜🙏🏼

I am 28 and just today I was so overstimulated at the beginning of work and just like Mikko I felt nonfunctional and overwhelmed and was crying. I called my stepmom who led me through deep breathing and I was able to go back to work. The point is if you are autistic you don’t grow out if these issues. Mikko is learning great life skills to prepare her to handle the sensory overwhelm so many autistic people experience

Mikko is such a cutie patootie pie, darling! My great-nephew Eli has autism and he is also fascinated with letters and numbers. He’s 5 and he sings all the time and Eli loves books, too. He has good and bad days, too. But, just like with Mikko, his mom works with him to destress. Thank you and Mikko for sharing your story and for making people aware of Autism. May Our Heavenly Father continue to Bless you both. 💙💙💙

Actually, reading is how my son began talking. Besides mama, dada, and no, his first word was book. He came to me with a book and said bbbbooook. That was the beginning of him saying many words to communicate.

You and Miko must be so PROUD! Wishing you both continued success as you navigate uncharted waters.

Mom you are doing an amazing job with Mikko. She is doing soooo well....i love seeing her progress. She loves learning and doing her breathing exercises😊. Keep up the fantastic work❤❤❤❤❤

My 3 year old can't talk yet. But she knows her alphabet and can spell a few words by using letter blocks and fridge magnets. Teaching alphabet and spelling can be a great way to reach non-verbal kids. Autistic kids seem to like the pattern of organizing the alphabet properly

GONE MIKKO. I'M PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR MOMMY. I LOVE YOU BOTH. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

She’s so smart. ❤ You do such a great job with her mom. 👍🏻

Im so proud of Mikko, and YOU mom for her progress and your parenting. I hope you all are well otherwise. God bless you all.

You are the best mother for Mikko. May God bless you with all the strength and patience this special little girl needs. I know she gonna be a blessing for other Mothers who are struggling, and thinking there Is no Hope for their child, or children. Nikko you are so beautiful, I know Everything is gonna be alright. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Mikko is precious! It warms my heart to see her continued accomplishments. Bless you all❤🙏🏾🙏🏾

The W had me in 😢 🎉🎉🎉🎉. Good job, Mikko!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

Mikko definitely has superpowers that non autistic children doesn’t have. Girls generally are smarter than boys so on top of having a GREAT MOM, she has many advantages that will take her far in life. Everytime she is frustrated and wants a certain reaction from you, she acts very atypical. Though it is apparent in some ways that she is autistic, she has GREAT eye contact and is therefore learning appropriate responses to situations. If she continues to improve, she should be able to integrate in an atypical school (if not an advanced placement program). 10:01 JOINT ATTENTION ALERT. THIS IS A HUGE THING. My heart is overjoyed for Mikko 🥰😍❤️❤️❤️❤️

She is so stinking cute and so smart Mom needs to get more excited and praise more when she’s correct Her monotone voice is blah Have more excitement in teaching her She will learn more

So adorable when Mikko says “I did it” & “w” . Wonderful how’s she progressing…great job mom.

You both are lovely. I am a licensed speech pathologist. Look into the picture exchange method. Feel free to contact me. She may become verbal and use pictures to communicate as well.Best of luck!

You are such amazing mother, I don't what to say to you. Keep doing the good things ❤

Oh my goodness when Mikko had Mommy to g ive her her hands and breathe, that was the cutest thing ever. She has really come a long way since I started watching this family. ❤

You're an awesome mother.❤

My 5 year old daughter who has autism is very smart. She taught herself to read, she can write, spell, count past 20, count by 2's, 5's , 10's, she is an amazing artist. Her struggles at this time are more emotional, social and expressive language. Don't ever give up! These children are very gifted and exceptional.

Mom, wonderful wonderful job! I believe that so many parents will benefit from your experience's social media is great., but hands on support will be a blessing. I speak Blessing over your life Mikko, and your family. Watch for windows of Opportunity! God make no mistakes.

As someone who works in communication with students like Mikko, I appluad you for doing gentle behavior with her as well as learning. Love the relationship you ❤️ two have. She is progressing. You go little one! 🎉

Mikko is amazing! You all are doing a wonderful job with her. She definitely has come a long way. You guys are awesome, I love how you work with her!

I've never clicked on a video so fast. I'm so proud of Miko for all the progress she's making! I'm also proud of you mamas! You're raising a healthy little girl with a good head on her shoulders. You've also done a wonderful job with her hair. Edit: Invest in the book, *Chika Chika Boom Boom* it's very cute, goes through the letters, and it usually has thicker pages so it's a little more tactile. You could even make an activity out of construction paper, based on the book. She can help all the letters up the tree and say the names on the way up. Once she has a consistent vocabulary built. You can start reading low level chapter books like *Judie B. Jones* and *The Sideways School* and work up as you go. This will make her more interested in reading on her own time as well as organically introducing her to bigger words she may not have seen yet and can ask about if she'd like. Last thing: If you feel like you're not doing enough or you feel discouraged in your quiet moments. You are doing wonderfully. My little cousin is autistic and I wish his parents were even an ounce as good as you. They just sit him in front of the TV without really interacting with him, he's always filthy (like days worth of grease and dirt creating a film on him), there's bags upon bags of trash in the corners of the house, they don't read or talk with him, his clothes are always dirty, and just so much more. That situation breaks my heart constantly. None of my family has called CPS as we're afraid what would happen to him in the system and with how things are rn, none of us have the facilities/financials to care for him in our homes. The best we can do is help

Hey Precious, I have suggestion for you. Have you ever heard of the leaprog my pal Violet or Scout? They are talking dogs that you can personalize to say your child's name, favorite food, and animal. I still have mine, and I learnt phrases from my violet at a young age. Violet or scout teaches first words, and mindfulness activities, and plays up to 15 minutes of bedtime music if you press violet or scout's paw 3 times. I am Autistic, and I absolutley loved, and still love my Violet. If you don't like this idea, that's okay. Just suggesting what worked for me. :) The smarty paws version of my pal violet and scout, are the ones that teach mindfulness activities, and you can hold violet or scout's paws to play music to their own beat.

You are an inspirational family. As someone who was involved with an autism center fior education years ago, you're doing an amazing job.

Former pre school teacher...I just recently discovered your channel..So interesting..When it comes to snack would it help to lay out 2 or 3 and have her pick/say it vs. going to the pantry and getting distracted or overstimulated? Her focus with letters was great and so in tune with you. Interesting..She is so beautiful and sweet

Mikko is making wonderful progress, so happy to see her making great strides. Keep up the wonderful job Mikko and momma too!

She's doing so good! At 8:00 I think I heard her say "that cow fell down" with a little laugh so proud of her and i think she'll do great in a school setting once she's adjusted to the initial change

As someone who has a autistic sister watching miko read brought back memories of when my sister was young and I used to help here read when she let me

My 49 year old was this same way. It was amazing, and so is she. And so are you Mama.

She’s so cute and learning quickly! The best mom I’ve ever seen

Good Mikko with matching your colors to the letters of the alphabet which you did a very awesome job and I see you progressing with your learning skills and I’m very proud of and kudos to you too beautiful and mama as well too for having the patience to teach her that and to get her here this far bcuz everything that you do with Mikko is a challenge but it’s also a process to success

This is great!!! I'm so happy to see her progression.

Alrighty Little Miss Mikko! Proud of YOU!!!!

She has grown so much god job Mom 👩🏾 you’re so strong and love Mikko the way she needs to be loved

You just have to give her time continue to do what your doing.I said months ago she'll be talking up a storm in no time.She knows more than you think.Bless her little heart.

she's so sweet when she copies what her mom does! when she reached out her hands and said "can i have your hands?" and breathed deeply @ 6:54? 😭so loving and gentle like momma! she's amazing

So proud of Mikko and mom. 🥰

Good Girl.... Her Memory and Recognition skills are heading up to the 100's.....Her progress is inspiring...This makes me happy.❤❤❤❤

OMG...I can watch this all day!!! GO MIKKO & MOMMY (family). I'm SO proud of her progress‼️ 🎉❤🎉 ❤🧡💛💚💙

Mikko, sweetie, you did it. 👏😝🙏 I’m so proud of you. I’ve been watching you for so long. Your family helped me get my toddler diagnose with autism. I’m rooting for you, Mikko. You inspire me.

I love hearing her say, " I did!" and watch her celebrate and cheer herself on. Love you Mikko ❤❤❤. God bless this sweet baby girl, her mother and her family. Good job mom.

This lil girl is ready 4 school. U schould make it a lil more fun 4 her cuz that's what she's looking for. Make a game outta things & she would be more engaged!!

So, so proud of you both!!!

Mikko your doing great Yeah!!!💃🏽🙌🏽🥰 I'm so proud of you Mom. There is an Angel beside you with prayers and God strength 🙏🏽 you got it. Both you and Mikko working it out together ❤️

That baby is so smart! It blesses me to watch her and mom’s progress.

This video was the best. Mikko initiating the breathing exercise was my favourite part, and her giggle as you started talking at the end. Great work both of you ❤

She’s so bright… i’m sure she will do very well as long as you both keep working hard

It seems like her husband is no longer in the family or does not participate anymore. Is this correct?

I love your videos, you are such good parents.👍💕

Miko is doing a great job recognizing the colors. When it comes to doing the letters and colors at the same time it takes a lot of practice. I believe she will improve. She's so smart and she's doing so well on the breathing exercises. You are a great 👍 mom and she has a great dad as well. I love y'all parenting skills.

I always felt that Mikko wasn't nonverbal. I just believed she needed a little more time. My little cousin was diagnosed with autism, she didn't have much interaction with other children because her parents were nervous to put her in school or daycare. The psychologist said she was nonverbal. Her parents accepted the autism diagnosis, but they had a hard time believing she was nonverbal. They finally decided to put her in school, within six months, she was a new kid, not only talking but identifying words as well. She is now 5 years old and the only time she isn't talking is when she is asleep 😂. Honestly, I feel like the nonverbal label is thrown on children way too soon sometimes. Everyone doesn't hit milestones at the same exact time but I also believe that it is important to realize if it is the timing or something deeper. I always tell people, be careful of what you are claiming and accepting. I know we only see a few moments of your lives but I have always seen so much potential in Mikko and I am so proud of her! ❤

1:44 Mikko looking like…lemme school you right quick Mama! I’m loving the confidence!!! Great job 👏🏾👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤️

My Son would only talk to me. No one believed he could speak until they heard a recording of him. He is now one of the smartest people I ever met. His diagnoses of HighFunctioning Aspergers came late in life. Queen Mikko will be fine. Keep at it & "thanks Mom".

Now this made me tear up!!! She did so good!! 🥹

I Salut you! Well done, momma! My now 14 year old was diagnosed with Mixed Receptive Expressive Communication Disorder at 2yrs old. I got her in speech therapy and occupational therapy. They taught her as well as me how to help when they weren't around. I have so much gratitude for their help.