Carly’s Voice
I feel that everyone who has non verbal Autism has an inner voice that is just waiting to come out. I feel my story helps inspire parents to believe, understand and help their child reach their potential. My story shows and proves that you can never say never and that parents need to believe.
I had previously heard about the inspiring story of Carly Fleischmann, a teenage girl with severe Autism. Her story highlights how important it is for us to recognise
- Every body has an inner voice
- We should never place a ceiling on someone’s potential or ability
- We should never take the ability to communicate for granted
This post aims to highlight how important it is for us as therapists, family, friends and carers to work with those who are non verbal and enable them to communicate. My view as a therapist is to never place boundaries or limitation on what someone can achieve but for us to help unlock their potential.
Carly’s story reinforces how important the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists campaign ‘Giving Voice’ is.
Carly was diagnosed with Autism and oral motor Apraxia and was unable to speak or communicate with her family. It was suggested that Carly was likely to be moderately retarded but everyone was proved wrong when at aged 10 Carly had a break through and began typing on a computer. It was from then on that her previously locked potential and intelligence came to light. Her story has achieved massive media coverage in the US and Canada, and she has been on Larry King Live and the Ellen show as well as a number of other top news shows.
Carly is now an ambassador for Autism and seeks to raise awareness of the condition. She explains why children with Autism cover their ears, flap and hum and gives true first hand insight into what it feels like to be non verbal and unable to communicate with others.
Carly now writes a blog and engages on Social Media. You can visit carlysvoice.com or follow Carly on Twitter @Carlysvoice. You can watch a short video about Carly’s journey here: Carly’s Voice Book Trailer
Carlys Voice, written by Carly and her father explains their remarkable story. It is on sale at a range of outlets. I recently bought the digital version on iBooks for £6.99 and wanted to share her incredible story.
This is just one example of why I am a motivated and passionate Speech and Language Therapist, committed to helping others communicate and find their voice.
Lisa Franklin
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
