Love Needs No Words

By Seneca Barker


About two and a half years ago my sweet little brother, Gabriel, was diagnosed with autism.

In that time I have learned so many lessons, and had my eyes opened to so many things because of him. One of which is that I wanted to become a Special Education teacher.

Because Gabe is nonverbal (which means he doesn't communicate verbally at all) he started school very young, and was put into a class with other kids on the autism spectrum. A moment I will never forget was job shadowing his teacher, Lisa Booth.

My brother is incredibly smart, but often times it's so hard to know what's going on in his head because he doesn't talk. However, I was able to see a whole different side of him at school, and it was amazing. I learned just how much of a difference this career can make.

Gabe is very organized and routine, but I didn't realize how organized until I saw him in his classroom. He was sitting down at his table doing an ABC puzzle. I noticed he had collected all of the alphabet letters in order from A-Z in a stack so he could correctly fill in the puzzle with the right order. Something so simple, but something I never knew he could do. He watches ABC videos all the time at home, and apparently it had sunk in. I was in awe and almost in tears watching him complete the puzzle. To some that may seem silly, but with autism, little moments like that are HUGE victories.

I also got the incredible opportunity to see my brother effectively communicate. The way he does that is by using PECS, a picture system that lets him express what he wants or needs by giving a picture to one of his teachers. One of the things Gabe has struggled with at home is letting us know what he wants because he can't say it. After seeing how good he did at school, we were able to get him using a full PECS set at home, and he now communicates with us better than ever. Now he can say "I want..." or "I need..." without having a meltdown because he can now tell us a few things. Through school, my brother has been given a voice.

The tattoo I have signifying my brother's journey with autism

Seeing the difference Gabe's teacher has made for him and our family is exactly why I want to go into Special Education. I want to be able to make that same difference in a child's life. Ultimately, I hope to be able to help kids that are just like my brother. I've learned how amazing this career field is, and I can't wait to see where it takes me.