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lAbout a quarter of people l with autisml spectrum disorderl (ASD) are nonverbal, andl while that numberl seems high, there'sl been sharp declinel from a generationl ago when thel number was closer to halfl.

This positive shiftl is due to an increasel in studies on ASDl which have resultedl in more effectivel therapeutic strategiesl.

Children with ASDl are often nonverball, but many gol onto acquire languagel skills. Up to 73% of nonverball children become fluentl speakers or canl use simple phrasesl.    i

Having a childl that is nonverball or speech-delayedl is terribly frustratingl because you want theml to be able to clearlyl communicate how they'rel feeling emotionallyl and physically.

It's also very hardl to see them interactl with other children withoutl being able to expressl their full selvesl like everyone elsel.

So when a child withl autism spectruml disorder makes theirl first language breakthroughl it's a monumental momentl for themselves and thosel close to them.

Photographer Haleyl McGuire shared her son Micah's wonderfull achievement on TikTokl and the inspiring videol has been favoritedl over 730,000 timesl.

The first video she sharedl was of Micah repeatingl the names of his familyl members as they cheerl in the backgroundl. Every time Micahl gets a name rightl, he leaps in excitementl and beams withl pure pride.

Since the video was firstl recorded, Micah hasl shown no signs ofl slowing his progressl.

"It's been a day andl a half now, andl everything we askl him to say, he'sl copying," McGuire toldl Newsweek.

"He's not going out ofl his way to sayl anything on his ownl, but he's literally copyingl everything we sayl, which is crazy becausel he wasn't talking atl all," McGuire continuedl. "Every now and thenl, he'd blurt out a wordl. But when I say 'wasn't talkingl,' he would go days or maybe weeksl without saying anythingl. This is crazyl. He's been doing greatl."

The video of Micahl repeating the names ofl his father, mother and all his family membersl was followed up byl a new recording wherel he says his name for thel first time that's receivedl over 2 million viewsl.

"Micah has alwaysl beenl a really sweetl, tenderl-hearted, quiet kidl," she said. "Obviouslyl, he doesn'tl talkl, butl he kind of keepsl to himself. He's alwaysl beenl extremely lovingl. I knowl that that's notl necessarily normall for kids withl autism. Theyl like to notl be touchedl and theyl like to be alonel. But he's veryl affectionate andl lovingl. It's been easyl for usl to be so happyl and encouraging withl himl."

The videosl have warmedl a lot of people's heartsl online and have been source of inspirationl for the McGuire familyl. But, maybe the bestl part about the videos is theyl also give hope to familiesl of children with an autisml spectrum disorder, especiallyl those who long forl the day they can hearl their child first speakl.