Indiana mom never stopped asking autistic 6yo about his day. 3 years later, he leaves her speechless: ‘Had to pause and really process what had just happened’

For mothers raising children with autism, the experience is much like that of any other parent: a mixture of patience and acceptance. Indiana mom Brie Nichols, 32, has been raising her 6-year-old non-verbal son with the utmost patience. Every day when she picked him up from school, she would ask him how his day went.

Nichols told People, “I’ve spent years talking to my son and asking him questions, hoping that one day he might answer.” She continued, “I didn’t start recording because I expected a response. I’d been asking him how school was for about three years, ever since he started, and he had never answered before.”

She never expected it

Nichols explained that even hearing her son call her “mama” took almost his entire life. She added that even if she had to wait forever just to hear him say that, she would gladly do it. During a period when there has been a lot of misinformation about autism, Nichols has simply been showing her TikTok followers what day-to-day life looks like with a family member who has the condition.

For three years, she followed the same routine. She would ask, and her son would say nothing back. But on this particular day, he unexpectedly responded, “Okay.”

An excited Nichols explained, “I’d never gotten a response before, so I had to pause and really process what had just happened.” She continued, “He’s echoed words here and there over the years, but he had never functionally answered a question before. That’s what caught me so off guard.”

Nichols said the moment was game-changing for their family. She explained that for years she had relied on observations, teachers, and therapists. Nichols can’t always tell when her son is hurt, sick, scared, upset, or experiencing another emotion. Nichols said, “Hearing him tell me that school was ‘okay’ was huge. It was such a simple answer, but for our family, it meant everything. For the first time, I wasn’t guessing. I got to hear it directly from him.”

Nichols shared that she first became concerned about her son’s development when he was around 14 months old because he stopped talking. She sought medical attention from then on, and by the time he was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with Level 3 autism.

Nichols said, “Parents have to learn their child’s unique strengths, challenges, and needs and then build a support system around that. Advocacy becomes a huge part of your life. You’re constantly fighting for services, supports, accommodations, and opportunities.”

They are not celebrating alone

She said that at that point she knew very little about autism and had to adjust to a new normal relatively quickly. At the time, she only had a general understanding of autism, but since then their family has learned that every person with autism has their own unique strengths, challenges, and needs.

She said she is simply glad that people are using her family’s experiences and journey to help navigate their own. For their family, something that once seemed so simple ended up becoming a major marker of progress. Judging by the response to her video, they are not celebrating that milestone alone.