Many of you have come to me in the past several weeks, asking if I’d heard of Telepathy Tapes. This is one of the recent episodes, about my dear friend, Laura and her son, Trevor. Whether you have, or whether you haven’t, give it a listen. It’s gonna blow you away.
It’s funny because the first time Laura told me that Trevor could do this, I had already noticed this, and more, in Dave, so I immediately believed her. Let me start from the beginning….
I started doing a therapy called “Spelling to Communicate” with Dave (it’s called S2C for short). We began doing this in 2021. The theory behind S2C is that our children, who suffer from Autism, have apraxia. Their issue with speaking is motor planning (not a neurological issue as believed) and that through using a letterboard, we can help create new neural pathways so they can learn to actually tell us what has been in their minds all along. There are non speakers, limited speakers and unreliable speakers. Dave can be an unreliable speaker and he is also a limited speaker.
I was really excited about the results I’d seen with S2C, so Dave and I started (shortly after Laura and Trevor started – Laura was the one that actually told me about S2C to begin with). I didn’t notice this right off, and in fact, it takes time to get the kids up to a full 26 letter letterboard, so I’m not really sure when it had started, but this is what I began to notice…
During S2C lessons, the practitioner presents a lesson. She then reads a paragraph from the lesson to Dave and I. I am Dave’s CRP (Communication and Regulation Partner). The lesson is as new to me as it is to Dave so we both sit and listen to the practitioner read the paragraph (while reading along with her). Then she removes the paragraph from the screen and will ask Dave questions. I hold the letterboard and will help move Dave along, if he gets stuck, without actually giving him the answer. From the very beginning, he would constantly look to me before trying to spell. We have been trying to continually encourage Dave to go ahead and spell and give him the confidence to do it on his own.
At some point during the lessons, I began to notice something unusual. Sometimes when they would read the paragraph, my mind would wander, and thus when she would ask the question, there were MANY times (more frequently than not), that I didn’t know the answer. I would begin thinking another answer in my mind and I noticed that Dave would spell out what I was thinking. Word for Word. In the beginning, I thought it was a fluke. But after years of doing this with him, I know he is reading my mind.
In fact, once we noticed this, I began to try to clear my mind of any answer, (which is much harder to do than one would think)! When I did this, Dave would look to me, stalled. Like he was waiting for me to think of the answer so he could spell it.
When Laura told me Trevor was doing the same thing, I was floored. And then a short time later, she told me about the Telepathy Tapes and all the kids that were doing the same.
Ronnie and I had also been noticing, that Dave would always look at Ronnie’s shirt. He always would go up to Ronnie, every morning, and look at his shirt and then repeat the saying. One day, I heard Dave say, “people ruined it,” over and over. I had no idea why he was saying that and then I saw Ronnie, wearing a shirt that said, “I used to like people, but then people ruined it.” We used to laugh that Dave would always want to see Ronnie’s shirt. And then one day, we saw something we couldn’t explain.
Ronnie was asleep when Dave had to wake up. I was getting Dave ready and then we went downstairs for breakfast. I heard Ronnie, shortly thereafter, get up and get in the shower. Dave was eating breakfast and a few minutes later, Dave said, “Metallica.” And I looked at him blankly. Then Ronnie came walking downstairs, wearing a sweatshirt. It was an EVH sweatshirt that he was wearing. You couldn’t even see what shirt was under it. When Dave said it again, I looked at Ronnie and said, “What shirt are you wearing under that sweatshirt?” And Ronnie looked at me and pulled up his sweatshirt to show me that he was wearing a shirt that said, “Metallica.” I was blown away.
Months later Laura told me I should try to think of some numbers in my head and see if Dave could guess them. I did. And he did. He spelled exactly the numbers I was thinking.
I can’t explain it, but I know without a doubt that Dave can read my mind. And I know he has been for years. And I can read his, not quite the way he can do it, but we are absolutely connected. But the way he can, verbatim, read my mind, is remarkable. It’s a gift.
I know Garritt and Ronnie have been skeptical. I’ve been telling them Dave could read my mind for years. Today, I decided show them. I went upstairs, where Dave was building a lego puzzle and listening to music. I told him I was going to think of a number and I wanted him to spell it out for me. He said, “ok.”
I thought in my mind (didn’t mouth it, just thought it), three two three. Three two three. Three two three. I asked Dave to spell and without hesitation, he spelled, “three two three.”
Then I told him I was thinking of a song and I wanted him to spell what I was singing. Again, in my mind, I began to sing, “do you remember, the 21st night of September.” Again, “do you remember, the 21st night of September.” “Do you remember, the 21st night of September.”
I looked at Dave while I thought it but did nothing else. Then I held up the board and asked him what song I was thinking about. He spelled, “September.” I asked him, “who sings this?” He wrote, Earth Wind and Fire.
I came downstairs and told Garritt. He said, did you sing September? The song you always dance to with him? I said, “well yeah.” He said, “well even I thought of that song.” And I said, “ok, ok, let me do another.” Ronnie walked in and I told him what was going on. I told them both, “Ok let me do another song. I’m going to think of Purple Rain, ok?” They agreed and we walked upstairs. Dave was still up there, listening to the radio loudly. I turned off the radio and said, “Dave, I’m going to sing a song in my head and I want you to spell it out.” I took off his glasses, Ronnie was standing behind Dave and looking directly at me. I was making no motions, and my lips were not moving. I sang, in my head, “Purple Rain, Purple Rain.” Again, “Purple Rain, Purple Rain.” “Purple Rain, Purple Rain.”
I told Dave to spell. His finger went directly to the P and then U and then R and Ronnie gasped. Dave finished writing PLE and then RAIN. Ronnie freaked. I asked Dave who sang it and he and spelled “Prince.”
I began to cry. I know Dave can read my mind. And I’ve been telling the guys for years that he can. But to see it play out like that was surreal. And it was proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he can.
They said that these kids have been locked inside their minds for so long. Just like a blind person will usually have a heightened sense of smell. Obviously our kids have a lot to say. And they’ve been unable to say anything for so long. It seems another sense had to kick in. And I never would have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. They are telepathic. At least I know Dave is. And I know Trevor is. And I believe any other parent that says the same.