Being the parent to a child who is on the autism spectrum is challenging in numerous ways. For these parents, it can be a very emotional experience when their child hits milestones that may seem normal for other children.

Briana Blankenship knows this all too well, as she is the mother to a 5 year-old autistic girl named Taylor.

Taylor has a form of autism called “nonverbal,” meaning that while she can understand English, she can’t speak herself. One day, while they were sitting in a McDonald’s drive-thru, Taylor did something that Briana never saw coming.

“I am ugly crying in the McDonald’s parking lot and the employees probably think I’m crazy. In the drive-thru, I suddenly heard Taylor say ‘MAMA,'” Briana recounted. “For those of you that don’t know, Taylor is five and is nonverbal autistic. She has NEVER said a word. EVER.”

“As soon as she said it I grabbed my phone and started recording. I’m pretty sure I held up the drive-thru line but there was no way I wasn’t getting proof of this,” she continued. “I can’t explain how unbelievably grateful and ecstatic I am right now.”

This was a moment that Briana was not sure would ever come. It was overwhelming for her to hear her little girl speak for the first time!

We hope that this is just the beginning of Taylor using her words to express herself! Check out the powerful moment for yourself in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!