Good Morning America

Nonspeaking student with autism gives moving commencement speech

A college valedictorian who has not spoken since the age of 15 months due to autism delivered a moving commencement speech, urging her fellow graduates to use their own voices. Bonker was unanimously chosen by her four fellow valedictorians to deliver the speech to the college’s 529 graduating students. Bonker has used typing to communicate since losing her ability to speak at 15 months old due to autism, a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).