16 June 2023 , 23:01
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A mum has spoken of the incredible moment her severely autistic teenage son spoke out loud for the first time in school.
Miriam Gwynne's son Isaac, 14, has non-verbal autism and requires round-the-clock care.
This week his special school was visited by other children who have similar conditions to the teenager.
And instead of giving his usual greeting of flapping towards them, Isaac stunned everyone in the classroom when he instead said the word ‘hello’”.
His delighted teacher rushed to phone Miriam to tell her of the breakthrough and she says the sweet moment has given her fresh hope for her son’s future.
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Miriam Gwynne's son Isaac, 14, has non-verbal autism and requires round-the-clock care (Daily Record)
Isaac's delighted teacher rushed to phone Miriam to tell her of the breakthrough and she says the sweet moment (Daily Record)Miriam, from Hamilton, told the Daily Record : "When I heard what he said it made me so emotional, I started crying because it was just such a special moment.
“Children from another school had come to visit Issac's special needs school. Isaac is very familiar with the kids and he always flaps to show he is excited to see them.
"His class is entirely non-verbal, so everyone was so stunned when Isaac said "hello".
"The teacher said everyone just fell silent. She was so excited to tell me.”
Miriam, who is a full-time career to Isaac and his twin sister Naomi, began to think about what had prompted Issac to say the word.
She finally realised he had recently become obsessed with CBeebies show BBC show Something Special and its main character - Mr Tumble.
She continued: "Isaac has his own iPad and he loves music and listening to Youtube.
"He went through a phase of constantly playing the Mr Tumble theme song and he sings "Hello, hello, how are you?" We have all been sick of hearing it because of how much he plays it."
Isaac has been a long-time fan of Mr Tumble (BBC/Vishal Sharma)Allan Johnston, the creator of the popular children's tv program, has now reached out to the mum after hearing the news about Isaac.
He said: "I cannot explain how wonderful that is. Around 20 years ago, I created the series Something Special in the hope it would help children with additional needs find their voice.
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"I also wanted to give them their rightful place on national TV. So when I hear the series is still helping families, it makes me smile.
"Thank you for making me smile. "
Miriam hopes Issac's story will help inspire other parents to not give up despite the challenges they face.
She continued: “A hope I've always had is to be able to show others they are not alone, encouraging them to keep going despite whatever circumstances they find themselves in.
"It just makes you think anything is possible.”