This is the moment a non-speaking autistic toddler used a communication app to tell his mum he loved her for the first time.<br /><br />Jace Mills, three, used the app Proloquo2Go to say “I love you” to his mum Mara Givenrod, 25. <br /><br />The moment marked a huge milestone for Jace who has spent the past year learning to communicate using the app.<br /><br />Mara said the breakthrough came completely out of the blue and was something she feared might never happen.<br /><br />Mara, a social media creator from Ontario, Canada, said: “I couldn’t believe it.<br /><br />"It was quite shocking and overwhelming.<br /><br />"It was the first time he had ever done it and I can’t believe I was able to capture the moment forever."<br /><br />Jace was diagnosed with autism at just 12 months old. <br /><br />Mara had suspected that he was autistic from an early age, as he exhibited the same signs as her older daughter Autumn Mills, five, who is also autistic.<br /><br />Mara said: “Signs of autism in Jace included stimming frequently, being nonspeaking and having sleeping and feeding difficulties as well as sensory challenges.”<br /><br />Mara immediately began researching tools to help Jace and quickly turned to therapies and services that could support his development.<br /><br />She first learned about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ACC) apps from other families and decided to give Proloquo2Go a try. <br /><br />Over the last year, Jace has learnt to use the app, which is customizable to each user’s needs, and he now uses it to request food, toys or affection.
