I haven’t known where to start when sharing all the things James is saying on his letterboard.  The first time he spelled on the board with Soma it seemed like a miracle that he could answer questions about the vapor cycle, do word problems and let us know that yellow was his favorite color because it made him think of flowers. But now fast forward 6 months and he is writing poetry, scientific hypotheses, fables, myths and other literary expressions. He asks startling questions and sometimes just says things that only a teenager would say, such as Hunter Hays (the country singer) “sucks” and “I was mad at my mom this morning but I don’t know why”. I am not entirely sure of the right  format for these blog posts because I want it to be a place friends and family can quickly check in to see what James is saying  but I also want families with autism who don’t know us to be able to learn from following our progress. So bear with me as I begin to journal and catalog the communication of a young man who just six months we had no idea was this bright and knowledgeable!