Autism Awareness Month #iwalkwithmikko ❤️💛💙💛💚

My favorite thing with Mikko is when she says, "I did it!" and her W's. 😁

I am a special educator and have worked with children with autism for nearly 30 years. I love how you are working with her around her passion for letters. Just a bit of advice as she advances: please always keep the goal of her comprehension of what she reads in mind. Many children with autism pick up on letters and the basics of word reading quite easily, almost as if they learned on their own/ taught themselves. This is wonderful and amazing to watch develop, but often there is a lot of struggle later on to truly comprehend what they read. I love how you are linking the letter names to letter sounds, then sounds to words, and then words to the object. Excellent. You also followed up with what sounds the animals make to give her more context for comprehension. That’s just perfect. As her skills with reading increase, always be mindful of how well she is comprehending what she reads, particularly as she learns more connected reading, like sentences and stories. Always probe and ask comprehension questions. You are doing a simply lovely job with your daughter. Keep it up! Never doubt for a minute that you are helping to unfold the world for her, and with all the right amounts of respect, structure, praise, mindful regulation, and loving guidance. I am so happy for you both and I look forward to seeing your journey together, and how Mikko grows and learns! 💜

She couldn't have a better Mother!!!! GOD BLESS HER!!!!!😢

My heart melted when she pulled her chair up closer 🫶🏾

They way she celebrates her own sucesses is so wonderful. It's clear that you give her lots of positive reinforcement and confidence, but you still expect her to learn and work to the best of her abilities. That will serve her well her whole life! When I worked 1:1 with an autistic student he loved Rebus books where I could read the words he was still learning, and he could "read" the pictures. Books are such wonderful ways to connect!

Mom’s calm affirming demeanor is the best. She gives positive reinforcement but not excessive praise for every single thing. She tells her when she’s wrong. The best is Mikko learning the art of self pride, self praise, acknowledging when she’s done well and feeling good about it!! Self satisfaction comes from within! This is awesome

When she held out her hands and did the breathing for you ❤❤

"Doo doo doo" I knew that was "w"! I love it! And i love when she says "I did it!" I say it with her🥰 Good job baby girl!🎉❤ she is a joy and this video has made my whole day🥰

My daughter is on the spectrum . She is 6 years old and now becoming more verbal as well. She had alphabet flash cards and would play with them and eventually learned them herself. I remember hearing her say a letter and I thought it was maybe a coincidence.. she said another and I cried , I still cry. I’m so happy for your daughter and you as well!

lawd, i remember when Mikko wasn’t saying any words at all; now she’s calling out letters & reading 👏🏾👏🏾 you go girl! mom included!

YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB MAMA, DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU LESS!🙂

Mikko is blossoming and coming into herself. Mom is a diamond, a true mom, mentor, guide, teacher, and gift to her child.

You're teaching her to be patient. This will come in handy for school because she'll be in a class with other children that are autistic, some of them will not have the same skills she has been given.

I am *NOT* crying!! 😭 I'm so happy that you shared this with us Precious 💗. So many of us are happily invested in Mikko's happiness and progress. Happy isn't even a word right now *Yay MIKKO!!* ❤🎉

The way she says W is the absolute best! 😁

When Mikko pulled her chair in she showed us that she isn't playing with her letters! Well done Mikko you are doing brilliantly 👏

My aunt couldn't talk until she was six, with professional help she learned to read & write, structure, and have limited independence. There are things she can never do, like drive and live and completely alone. She doesn't do large crowds and definitely not a crowd of strangers. She somehow learned to crotche, and she can make a king-size afghan blanket in a day. She's in her early 60s, but mentally, she's like 13/14.

At 4:03 it sounds like she said “mom gimme this” and reached her hand out for the block! She is growing in so many ways.

Mikko looks at her mom with such love. It's heartwarming 🥰

Found myself clapping for Miko! God is able!!!

You all are doing such an amazing job with her. She is so adorable and so smart God bless.❤

Oh my goodness mikko has grown so much! Much love to this family 💕☺

I love to hear Mikko say "I did it !" She's so smart🎉 Blessings

You're really PRECIOUS and your daughter is a living proof that autistic people do have empathy and it's unfair to say otherwise ❤❤❤

Maybe for the color and letter exercise. You can ask her to pick up a certain color once that is chosen correctly, then proceed with the letter. Humans are naturally not great at multitasking even the most advanced. Her fascination with written languages makes me hope she continues to enjoy learning. You and your husband are good parents.

My son taught himself to read too!!! He was 3 when he first learned. He will be 5 in July and is already reading level 2 books with little assistance. He has also started teaching himself math. She is going to do great in school!!!

I love the gentleness you have for teaching and loving your daughter. Congratulations to you and your husband for all your hard work. Your labor is not in vain.

Precious you are doing an amazing job even when it may seem hard. I just want to give you your flowers sis. Just to see Mikko get up to pull her chair closer to you so that she can learn, reciting the letters just warmed my heart. It's Mikko's "I did it" for me, lol. Love hearing her say that. Always a proud moment for her.

She will be fine when she starts school .Im so proud of her and you .❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Mikko is so bright and Precious, you are so patient. You are both in my prayers each day.

she's so sweet when she copies what her mom does! when she reached out her hands and said "can i have your hands?" and breathed deeply @ 6:54? 😭so loving and gentle like momma! she's amazing

I absolutely love how you are teaching her to regulate in challenging moments. That’s a skill a lot of adults would benefit from learning, and for Mikko it is already becoming a good habit! I celebrate your beautiful, loving, yet clear and structured approach with her. So much praise and blessings for you both! 👏🏻💜🙏🏼

My son is autistic. He used to carry around a "gum" flash card like a blankey. Also, he liked watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Price is Right before he could even walk. Flashcards, books, license plates (as we walked around the block), anything with words were his "thing".

My 5 year old daughter who has autism is very smart. She taught herself to read, she can write, spell, count past 20, count by 2's, 5's , 10's, she is an amazing artist. Her struggles at this time are more emotional, social and expressive language. Don't ever give up! These children are very gifted and exceptional.

I am 28 and just today I was so overstimulated at the beginning of work and just like Mikko I felt nonfunctional and overwhelmed and was crying. I called my stepmom who led me through deep breathing and I was able to go back to work. The point is if you are autistic you don’t grow out if these issues. Mikko is learning great life skills to prepare her to handle the sensory overwhelm so many autistic people experience

You and Miko must be so PROUD! Wishing you both continued success as you navigate uncharted waters.

Go Mikko! You're doing an awesome job with her.

Mikko is such a cutie patootie pie, darling! My great-nephew Eli has autism and he is also fascinated with letters and numbers. He’s 5 and he sings all the time and Eli loves books, too. He has good and bad days, too. But, just like with Mikko, his mom works with him to destress. Thank you and Mikko for sharing your story and for making people aware of Autism. May Our Heavenly Father continue to Bless you both. 💙💙💙

You are the best mother for Mikko. May God bless you with all the strength and patience this special little girl needs. I know she gonna be a blessing for other Mothers who are struggling, and thinking there Is no Hope for their child, or children. Nikko you are so beautiful, I know Everything is gonna be alright. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

She’s so smart. ❤ You do such a great job with her mom. 👍🏻

Oh my goodness when Mikko had Mommy to g ive her her hands and breathe, that was the cutest thing ever. She has really come a long way since I started watching this family. ❤

As someone who works in communication with students like Mikko, I appluad you for doing gentle behavior with her as well as learning. Love the relationship you ❤️ two have. She is progressing. You go little one! 🎉

Mikko is precious! It warms my heart to see her continued accomplishments. Bless you all❤🙏🏾🙏🏾

Mom you are doing an amazing job with Mikko. She is doing soooo well....i love seeing her progress. She loves learning and doing her breathing exercises😊. Keep up the fantastic work❤❤❤❤❤

GONE MIKKO. I'M PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR MOMMY. I LOVE YOU BOTH. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

So adorable when Mikko says “I did it” & “w” . Wonderful how’s she progressing…great job mom.

She's doing so good! At 8:00 I think I heard her say "that cow fell down" with a little laugh so proud of her and i think she'll do great in a school setting once she's adjusted to the initial change

Im so proud of Mikko, and YOU mom for her progress and your parenting. I hope you all are well otherwise. God bless you all.

My 49 year old was this same way. It was amazing, and so is she. And so are you Mama.

I love hearing her say, " I did!" and watch her celebrate and cheer herself on. Love you Mikko ❤❤❤. God bless this sweet baby girl, her mother and her family. Good job mom.

That baby is so smart! It blesses me to watch her and mom’s progress.

Mikko is making wonderful progress, so happy to see her making great strides. Keep up the wonderful job Mikko and momma too!

You just have to give her time continue to do what your doing.I said months ago she'll be talking up a storm in no time.She knows more than you think.Bless her little heart.

She’s so cute and learning quickly! The best mom I’ve ever seen

Mikko is amazing! You all are doing a wonderful job with her. She definitely has come a long way. You guys are awesome, I love how you work with her!

Mom, wonderful wonderful job! I believe that so many parents will benefit from your experience's social media is great., but hands on support will be a blessing. I speak Blessing over your life Mikko, and your family. Watch for windows of Opportunity! God make no mistakes.

Actually, reading is how my son began talking. Besides mama, dada, and no, his first word was book. He came to me with a book and said bbbbooook. That was the beginning of him saying many words to communicate.

You are such amazing mother, I don't what to say to you. Keep doing the good things ❤

Mikko, sweetie, you did it. 👏😝🙏 I’m so proud of you. I’ve been watching you for so long. Your family helped me get my toddler diagnose with autism. I’m rooting for you, Mikko. You inspire me.

Good Girl.... Her Memory and Recognition skills are heading up to the 100's.....Her progress is inspiring...This makes me happy.❤❤❤❤

My 3 year old can't talk yet. But she knows her alphabet and can spell a few words by using letter blocks and fridge magnets. Teaching alphabet and spelling can be a great way to reach non-verbal kids. Autistic kids seem to like the pattern of organizing the alphabet properly

I've never clicked on a video so fast. I'm so proud of Miko for all the progress she's making! I'm also proud of you mamas! You're raising a healthy little girl with a good head on her shoulders. You've also done a wonderful job with her hair. Edit: Invest in the book, *Chika Chika Boom Boom* it's very cute, goes through the letters, and it usually has thicker pages so it's a little more tactile. You could even make an activity out of construction paper, based on the book. She can help all the letters up the tree and say the names on the way up. Once she has a consistent vocabulary built. You can start reading low level chapter books like *Judie B. Jones* and *The Sideways School* and work up as you go. This will make her more interested in reading on her own time as well as organically introducing her to bigger words she may not have seen yet and can ask about if she'd like. Last thing: If you feel like you're not doing enough or you feel discouraged in your quiet moments. You are doing wonderfully. My little cousin is autistic and I wish his parents were even an ounce as good as you. They just sit him in front of the TV without really interacting with him, he's always filthy (like days worth of grease and dirt creating a film on him), there's bags upon bags of trash in the corners of the house, they don't read or talk with him, his clothes are always dirty, and just so much more. That situation breaks my heart constantly. None of my family has called CPS as we're afraid what would happen to him in the system and with how things are rn, none of us have the facilities/financials to care for him in our homes. The best we can do is help

She has grown so much god job Mom 👩🏾 you’re so strong and love Mikko the way she needs to be loved

I ❤ when she says, "I did it!" When she took your hands to do her breathing exercise with you....oh my heart!

You are an inspirational family. As someone who was involved with an autism center fior education years ago, you're doing an amazing job.

The W had me in 😢 🎉🎉🎉🎉. Good job, Mikko!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

Miko is doing a great job recognizing the colors. When it comes to doing the letters and colors at the same time it takes a lot of practice. I believe she will improve. She's so smart and she's doing so well on the breathing exercises. You are a great 👍 mom and she has a great dad as well. I love y'all parenting skills.

My Son would only talk to me. No one believed he could speak until they heard a recording of him. He is now one of the smartest people I ever met. His diagnoses of HighFunctioning Aspergers came late in life. Queen Mikko will be fine. Keep at it & "thanks Mom".

Mikko is doing so well, and as her mother, I am proud of you as well. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to take on the responsibilities that you have. I pray that GOD continues to give you strength and courage to continue on your journey with all of your children. You are a hero to me. 😊

This is great!!! I'm so happy to see her progression.

Mikko your doing great Yeah!!!💃🏽🙌🏽🥰 I'm so proud of you Mom. There is an Angel beside you with prayers and God strength 🙏🏽 you got it. Both you and Mikko working it out together ❤️

She’s so bright… i’m sure she will do very well as long as you both keep working hard

So proud of Mikko and mom. 🥰

OMG...I can watch this all day!!! GO MIKKO & MOMMY (family). I'm SO proud of her progress‼️ 🎉❤🎉 ❤🧡💛💚💙

This video was the best. Mikko initiating the breathing exercise was my favourite part, and her giggle as you started talking at the end. Great work both of you ❤

Good Mikko with matching your colors to the letters of the alphabet which you did a very awesome job and I see you progressing with your learning skills and I’m very proud of and kudos to you too beautiful and mama as well too for having the patience to teach her that and to get her here this far bcuz everything that you do with Mikko is a challenge but it’s also a process to success

You're an awesome mother.❤

Alrighty Little Miss Mikko! Proud of YOU!!!!

We have a non verbal autistic grandson this gives us so much hope. Thank you so much for showing us how to be patient especially with the meltdowns

She is so smart! A mother's love!!!! Nothing like it!

As someone who has a autistic sister watching miko read brought back memories of when my sister was young and I used to help here read when she let me

So, so proud of you both!!!

You are such an inspiration and a blessing! I'm a grandma now, but I homeschooled for many years and now find that my grands need help too! Be encouraged, you and your little girl are in my prayers !

Thanks for the emotional ride here, smiles, chuckles, and watery eyes. Mikko shows that she is strong and has her own personality. She is the possible.

I Salut you! Well done, momma! My now 14 year old was diagnosed with Mixed Receptive Expressive Communication Disorder at 2yrs old. I got her in speech therapy and occupational therapy. They taught her as well as me how to help when they weren't around. I have so much gratitude for their help.

Mikko definitely has superpowers that non autistic children doesn’t have. Girls generally are smarter than boys so on top of having a GREAT MOM, she has many advantages that will take her far in life. Everytime she is frustrated and wants a certain reaction from you, she acts very atypical. Though it is apparent in some ways that she is autistic, she has GREAT eye contact and is therefore learning appropriate responses to situations. If she continues to improve, she should be able to integrate in an atypical school (if not an advanced placement program). 10:01 JOINT ATTENTION ALERT. THIS IS A HUGE THING. My heart is overjoyed for Mikko 🥰😍❤️❤️❤️❤️

Mom, let me say bravo 👏 👏👏 you are leading your family by teaching them to see her as they see each other, and not to dwell on her condition, or separate her. YOU ARE SO KIND! I could listen to your voice explain anything, and you are so kind and caring- to see you patiently continue to use so many various methods to communicate with, and teach your sweet baby girl how to survive in the world is absolutely admiral- you deserve some serious recognition!! I cannot imagine the strength that you must call on to endure it all, but I see your love and success- and I’m sure many others do too!! ❤❤❤ thank you for rising to the occasion!!!

1:44 Mikko looking like…lemme school you right quick Mama! I’m loving the confidence!!! Great job 👏🏾👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤️

I love your videos, you are such good parents.👍💕

Mikko has lots of Auntie's and Uncle in cyberland pulling for her, praying for her and celebrating her successes. Please don't leave us hanging. It's a blessing to watch the two of you and celebrate your successes as well as Mikko's! 💕💞💕💞💕💓💞 We love your family 💯%

Mikko is really progressing. You are a very patient and loving mother. “ I did it” , to hear her say it is priceless. 🙏🙏🙌🏾🥰

She is so stinking cute and so smart Mom needs to get more excited and praise more when she’s correct Her monotone voice is blah Have more excitement in teaching her She will learn more

I always felt that Mikko wasn't nonverbal. I just believed she needed a little more time. My little cousin was diagnosed with autism, she didn't have much interaction with other children because her parents were nervous to put her in school or daycare. The psychologist said she was nonverbal. Her parents accepted the autism diagnosis, but they had a hard time believing she was nonverbal. They finally decided to put her in school, within six months, she was a new kid, not only talking but identifying words as well. She is now 5 years old and the only time she isn't talking is when she is asleep 😂. Honestly, I feel like the nonverbal label is thrown on children way too soon sometimes. Everyone doesn't hit milestones at the same exact time but I also believe that it is important to realize if it is the timing or something deeper. I always tell people, be careful of what you are claiming and accepting. I know we only see a few moments of your lives but I have always seen so much potential in Mikko and I am so proud of her! ❤

Mikko is doing so well. She's amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. ❤❤❤❤❤

Mikko is going to be a great talker Precious!! She wants to learn and it shows in her responses to you. She is eager to please you and is inquisitive and is pleased with herself when she gets it right. She is soooooooooooo Sweet! Thanks for sharing both of your journeys with us. I see a book in your future.

Adorable brilliant angel. She’s so smart and her blossoming has begun ❤️ I wanted to kiss her face off when says “W” so sweet

Now this made me tear up!!! She did so good!! 🥹

I love that Mikko scooted her chair closer! This brings tears of joy to my eyes. Keep working hard and loving even harder 💙❤️

Mikko is doing AMAZINGLY well!!! Praise God! Mommy you should be so proud of yourself! You are doing a phenomenal job with her development! I know you never saw this coming for your life and probably never envisioned you could be this dynamic and patient teacher, but I declare God gifted you both with the absolute best....and thats each other! My heart feels with emotions of joy, a sense of pride or even hurt everytime I get to see Mikko and the moments she gets to experience. ❤❤❤