Our Autism Room is brimming with interesting sounds. Many of our students enter our room at three years of age and leave when they are ready for kindergarten. They often start out as nonverbal, so you might assume the room is quiet. Not so.

Most of the time, you hear adult voices modeling words and young voices trying to talk. Each student receives one-on-one personalized training, so with eighteen people, it can get loud. Sometimes you hear screams of frustration (from the kids, not the adults—though our patience is also tested). Occasionally, you hear singing (from the kids AND the adults). Maybe it’s because of my years as a music teacher, but hearing little ones sing brightens my day.

There is one small boy in particular whose singing makes me smile. He hasn’t started talking yet, but that doesn’t stop him from sharing the song in his heart. Sometimes he hums. Other times he uses sounds like “duh-gah duh-gah” to fit the tune. His singing is contagious and I often join in. I’ve found that both of us feel better afterwards.

What does he sing about? I’m not always sure, but sometimes I recognize the song. His favorites include You Are My Sunshine, We Are the Champions, Here I Come to Worship, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I’m guessing many of his tunes are originals that he composed.

He reminds me that there is always a reason to sing. We all have challenges and go through hard times. If we focus on the bad, we can easily become depressed. But if we look for the good, we will find something to sing about. Our grateful attitude will seep out through a song or a smile and spread to others. Why add complaining to a noisy room, when we can be singing?

So keep singing, sweet boy. I wouldn’t be surprised if music opens the door to your vocabulary. Either way, thank you for reminding me (and now others) that there is always something to sing about.