630: What My Nonverbal Autistic Son Taught Me About Truly Listening with J. Brad Britton

630: What My Nonverbal Autistic Son Taught Me About Truly Listening with J. Brad Britton

From Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod by Hal Elrod

March 25, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 630

About this episode

J. Brad Britton shares how his nonverbal autistic son taught him the importance of truly listening and understanding others.

Today's guest, J. Brad Britton , is one of my earliest mentors and the co-author of the new book, Real Words with Sam . J. Brad's son Sam was diagnosed with autism at age two, and he remained largely non-speaking for most of his life. But after attending a symposium and seeing the success other families had with a unique spelling method, J. Brad discovered that Sam had been thinking, listening, understanding, and was capable of communicating, often poetically, in ways that changed everything. In our conversation, Brad shares the emotional story of how his relationship with Sam has evolved and how it has completely changed the way he understands his son, himself, and others. You'll also understand why this conversation is about so much more than autism, what it means to move beyond assumptions and truly see someone, and why becoming a more patient, present, empathetic human being may be one of the most powerful transformations any of us can experience. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Inspiration For Writing "Real Words with Sam" How Brad's Entire View of People Changed The Symposium That Created A Huge Breakthrough Spelling to Communicate Changed Everything The Relationship Between Apraxia and…

People in this episode

Host: Hal Elrod

Guest: J. Brad Britton

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Real Words with Sam

More episodes of Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod podcast page.