Family Parrot Teaches Autistic Boy To Speak

An autistic boy who couldn't speak has learned his first words with the help of his family's pet parrot.

Four-year-old Dylan Hargreaves in the UK has severe learning difficulties and had never uttered a single word. But after listening to his parrot Barney, he can now say "Night, night", "Dad", "Mum", "Ta", "Hello" and "Bye".

Mother Michelle says: "Barney has changed our lives. Before he arrived, Dylan would try to speak, but the sound came out as a noise."

"Then we got Barney and, a few months later, Dylan began to talk. It was only the odd word, but I could clearly understand what he said."

"Every time I gave the bird something to say, Dylan started trying to say the same thing. I think it's because the bird says things slower than me, which helps Dylan understand."

"Now when I put him to bed he says, 'Night, night, mum'. It means the world to me."

Michelle thinks her son's first two-syllable word will be Barney, because he loves his pet so much.

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