Autism Boy Learns to Speak Using YouVersion Bible App for Kids

Milton Quintanilla

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By Milton Quintanilla, Crosswalk.com

A young boy diagnosed with autism and nonverbal, learned to communicate through the YouVersion Bible App for Kids, transforming his life and inspiring millions.

Lauren Jones, an ordained minister and widow, shared with CBN News regarding how her firstborn child, Kent, struggled early on in childhood as he was diagnosed with autism and was nonverbal.

"I didn't know if he would ever speak. I didn't know if he would be potty trained or be able to live on his own as he grew older," she explained.

Jones suffered further hardship when her husband, Gabriel, died from a fatal seizure when she was pregnant with their second child.

"I was very afraid when they were babies and toddlers," she said. "I didn't know what their lives would look like as they grew up."

Jones later found encouragement after she received emails on YouVersion’s Bible App for Kids, which she would utilize as a tool for her children.

“I just loved it," she recalled. "I thought that it would be a great way for me to introduce my faith to my children."

She noted that Kent learned to speak by mimicking Bible stories from the YouVersion Bible App for Kids.

"I was so excited to hear his voice," she explained. "I would send the videos of him reciting the story [of Daniel in the lion's den] to my mom [and] to my siblings. It just made me so excited."

Kent, now a teenager, earns good grades and plays trumpet in his school band while also playing drums on the side.

"I'm very glad I'm able to talk," he told CBN News. "It's a super, super duper necessary skill."

His story was featured at YouVersion's one billion downloads celebration last November at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, with 13,000 people in attendance.

"Thank you for letting the Bible app make a huge difference in my life and in the lives of countless people around the world," he said.

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.