For families all over the world, the diagnosis of autism in a child can be life-altering news. Parents often find themselves going to any extent to make it possible for their child to reach their full potential. Count Melodie Reboira among them.
At the age of 3, her son Angelo was diagnosed with non-verbal, low-functioning autism. Though it was something his parents suspected, it didn’t lessen the blow. “Fear, terror, what’s going on,” Reboira said of the thoughts going through her mind. “I kind of surmised that it was potentially autism. So the hopelessness that sets in you can grip you hard.” This experience was not just about receiving a diagnosis; it was a profound moment that reshaped their lives and aspirations.
Determined to do their best for Angelo, they diligently followed the curriculum available to him. “He sat in a Special Education classroom doing pre-school work,” she said. “And I was taught to believe that he was cognitively incompetent.” Despite the challenges, Melodie sensed there was more to Angelo than what was being recognized in the educational system. Yet, she felt lost, unsure of how to help her son with autism express his true capabilities.
In 2021, a pivotal moment occurred when a cousin in Philadelphia gave her a key—this key took the form of a book that would ultimately unlock Angelo’s potential. “Underestimated; An Autism Miracle” details a family’s journey through a program called “Spelling to Communicate.” This innovative program teaches individuals with verbal challenges, like Angelo’s, the motor skills needed to point to letters and spell out words as an alternative way of communicating.
The only problem for the Reboiras? “There were no practitioners in the area, so I had to go to Tampa, Florida. So every four to six weeks, I was traveling back and forth to Tampa, Florida, and we even lived there for a little under two years. We just got back in December, actually,” she said. This commitment required immense dedication and sacrifice, but Melodie believed in the potential it held for Angelo.
During their time in Florida, she and Angelo learned the skills that allowed him to share the inner self that had long been hidden from the world. “And so just by us reading that book, we started our journey with Spelling to Communicate, and shortly after we began our journey, I was able to see that my son was highly intelligent, with a high IQ. So now we are doing an online high school curriculum, and he’s taking all honors classes while using the Spelling to Communicate method to access his education,” she said. This newfound method opened up a world of possibilities for Angelo, allowing him to participate fully in his education.
As for his class load? “AP U.S. History, AP Physics, AP English, some electives, and stuff; Spanish II he just completed,” she shared proudly. This accomplishment reflects not only Angelo’s hard work but also the incredible journey they had undertaken together.
Now, at 18, Angelo is preparing for the next phase of his education. We asked him what his future holds, and he patiently typed out his response. “I am currently prepping for the ACT,” he typed regarding the college admissions test. “After I pass my ACT test, I will begin applying to colleges of interest. CSU is one on my list. I plan to go to Med School at Case.” His aspirations are a testament to the progress he has made and the determination that drives him.
Working with Angelo and others now in Northeast Ohio on their Spelling to Communicate journey is Katy Custer, a long-time friend of the Reboiras. They operate Mind over Body, Spelling to Communicate, in Aurora.
“I saw Angelo grow up, so when I saw he could communicate very differently than a few years ago on these boards, it piqued my interest, and I had to know more. I could not look away,” Custer said. “There are a lot of people out there that are locked captive in their brain, in their mind, in their body, and they cannot communicate their thoughts, and that makes me sad. So, I knew that there was a need, and a few of us jumped on board, ran with it, and recognized that there was a need for the community.”
Katy has seen the profound impact of this program firsthand. She remarked, “Angelo is great to work with. He’s brilliant; he’s an excellent speller, so he has great motor control, but it still needs to be coached. So we’ve worked together, starting from a three-board where the letters are bigger to the smaller board, where he needs a little more accuracy to his laminate board, and then you saw him spell on the keyboard.”
With his newfound voice, Angelo patiently typed a message to share about his journey. “I was labeled as low functioning before I could exhibit any other characteristics. It was the stigma I had to work against,” Angelo typed. “We nonspeaking people are marginalized on the grounds that we can’t speak. I am one voice to be heard.” This powerful statement reflects his determination to rise above the labels that were placed upon him.
The journey of helping a son with autism is filled with challenges and triumphs. The resilience of families like the Reboiras serves as a beacon of hope, showing that with the right tools and support, children with autism can achieve remarkable things.
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