Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ chart-topping hit song, “Old Town Road”, has apparently worked a miracle for one autistic Minnesota toddler and compelled him to speak after being non-verbal his entire life, Tennessean reported.
The 4-year-old just couldn’t resist singing along to the tune, much to the shock of his mother who had believed she would never hear her child speak.
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Daniel is the youngest of four children, and one of three who are on the autism spectrum.
Their mother, Sheletta Brundidge, hosts the podcast Two Haute Mamas where she describes life as a parent of three autistic children, one of whom (Daniel), was previously believed to be completely non-verbal.
All of her children with autism have undergone speech therapy, but Daniel struggled more than his siblings.
“He just hasn’t responded well to the therapy,” Brundidge said. “Nothing we’ve tried has given us the results that we saw with the other children.”
Although siblings Brandon and Cameron made “wonderful progress” in their sessions, Daniel continued to struggle.
“We were beating our head up against the wall.”
Her children all love the song “Old Town Road”, and so she said she is constantly playing the tune for them
“I hear ‘Old Town Road’ probably eight hours a day,” Brundidge said. “They wake up and listen to it, and they go to bed and listen to it. It’s literally playing right now.”
She added, “It’s pretty much a part of our family.”
This week, Daniel had a miraculous breakthrough while the hit song was playing in his house.
“It was just a hum at first,” Brundidge said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, he’s singing ‘Old Town Road.’ Then he started saying the words. This is a child who hasn’t said three or four words together in the time he’s been alive.”
Daniel’s mom began to cry when she heard him singing and quickly called for her husband to hear it while she recorded a video on her phone.
In the short clip, Daniel can be heard quietly but surely saying the words to the song along with the artists.
“It’s such a breakthrough,” Brundidge said. “It took us six months for us to teach him the letter A. Without any teaching, he was able to listen to [the song], absorb it, memorize it and then recall it.”
“All this money we spent on therapists and doctors and supplements … and ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ is the one who brought my son the breakthrough that he needed.”
Since the breakthrough, Brundidge has met with Daniel’s speech therapists and told them about his singing, insisting they incorporate “Old Town Road” into his therapy.
She also said the family will continue to incorporate music into Daniel’s day-to-day life, hoping to see the same success with more music therapy as they have with the hit song.
Since the video of Daniel singing has gone viral, Lil Nas X has tweeted a response to the family.
He retweeted Daniel’s video and added the caption “what a king”.
The viral video has garnered Daniel many fans who are eager to see more of his progress.
In an interview with Today , Brundidge said fans of Daniel’s can expect more videos going forward, particularly featuring her son’s new dance moves.
“Daniel is becoming more confident. His voice has gotten louder and he’s moving his body when he sings,” she said. “It’s absolutely incredible. We now know that music is how he communicates and how he learns. We’ve finally got a clear path.”
