Most children utter their first word at a few months old, so when Juli Lanser Mayer’s son had reached the age of two and still hadn’t said anything, she became worried. Rafael had underdone numerous tests, including hearing, which proved to be normal. Taking the advice of a friend, Juli and Valcir took Rafael to a neuropediatrician where he received a definite diagnosis.
Rafael had nonverbal autism, a variety of the neurological disorder which often impedes or changes a person’s communication. Juli and Valcir didn’t know anything about autism, and quickly reached out to several therapists in order to understand more about the condition and how their son was experiencing things.
With a nonverbal type of autism, Rafael may have been talking internally, he wasn’t saying anything externally. He was reluctant to engage with others and wouldn’t look people in the eyes, which they connected as traits of his autism.
His parents took him to many different therapists to find ways of learning to connect with Rafael and encourage him to speak. It was when a simple electronic tablet was suggested as a learning device that everything changed. Rafael was so entranced by the device that he started learning language very quickly – the only problem was that it wasn’t his own.
Living in Brazil, the Lanser-Mayer family speaks Portuguese, but the videos that Rafael took to on the tablet were shows in English, which he picked up immediately. A usual trait of autism is hyperfocus, meaning Rafael would concentrate intensely on his device without interruption, blocking out any other activity. Engaging fiercely with English TV shows and videos he watched, he started communicating comfortably in English, expressing enjoyment of learning it.
Juli and Valcir, however, didn’t speak any English, so encouraged him to learn Portuguese. Rafael found it hard to pronounce and preferred to turn to other languages. As he was most comfortable in English, his parents decided to start learning it in order to communicate with their son.
With a sharp memory and hyperfocus, Rafael’s autism helps him to quickly compare similarities and patterns between languages, meaning that he found it enjoyable and easier than most to learn new languages and their rules. It wasn’t until he had learned three other languages that he finally picked up Portuguese!
Even though still very attached to his electronic devices, Rafael is limited to just two hours a day on his tablet, and is more focused on his school work, socializing skills, and his new passion of playing musical instruments. He still enjoys learning and can speak an astonishing nine languages at the age of seven! These include Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Esperanto, Japanese, German, and Arabic, and, of course, English. He is also learning Portugese sign language.
Rafael now has lots of talents, across linguistics, music, and technology. Now that his parents understand more about his autism, their family feels closer than ever. Juli is a proud advocate of autism awareness and shares her story on her website and Instagram page. She has plans of releasing a book about her son in 2020.
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