‘Old Town Road’ by Lil Nas X, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus inspired a child with non verbal autism to sing.
I tell you what @LilNasX and @billyraycyrus y’all keep singing #OldTownRoad until ya can’t no more. My 4 YO son Daniel has #autism and doesn’t talk but every time he hears your song he hums a little. Today he started singing some of the words. It’s truly a #miracle. pic.twitter.com/6wUChUbq7L
— Sheletta Brundidge (@TwoHauteMamas1) June 3, 2019
What We Know:
- Daniel Brundidge, 4, is the youngest son of Sheletta and Shawn Brundidge. The two have four children, Andrew, 12, Brandon, 6, Cameron, 5, and Daniel. The youngest three all have autism, but Daniel hasn’t responded as well to therapy as the others. According to his mother, he mostly says three word phrases, “I want bottle,” or “Go outside mommy” has been the most he can manage.
- The song ‘Old Town Road’ has become a hit amongst children and teens everywhere. The song had its troubles when it was first debuted because country fans deemed it wasn’t country enough. Many people felt this was an excuse to kick Lil Nas X off the country charts because he’s a black artist. After the pushback he was receiving, Billy Ray Cyrus asked the rapper if he could be featured on the remix and it instantly blew up.
- According to Sheletta, the other three children have constantly been “jamming out” to the song. She also said how Daniel was familiar with the song and saw his siblings singing to it but he never participated. On one quiet day in the Brundidge home, Sheletta and Shawn heard Daniel humming. When they went to check on him he began singing the words to Old Town Road and they lost it.
- On June 4th, she posted the video of him singing on Twitter. The caption read, “We had an #oldtownroad miracle at my house. My son Daniel has #autism and doesn’t talk. We caught him humming the @LilNasX and @billyraycyrus tune the other day, Then Bless God, my baby started singing the song on his own. His therapists have started to use it in his sessions!”
- Sheletta expressed how the moment was a breakthrough for herself and her husband to better understand Daniel. “We’ve been speaking the wrong language,” she said. The couple plans to incorporate songs other than nursery rhymes to help Daniel enhance his speaking.
This story is not only a tear jerker, but it’s the perfect example of how music can touch us all.
