​Boy Has To Communicate Using Only His Eyes

A young boy with severe cerebral palsy was told by doctors that he would never speak, but that's not stopped him from communicating - amazingly managing to do so using only his eyes.

Johnathan Bryan, a 12-year-old from Wiltshire, appeared on This Morning with his mum Chantal, leaving host Holly Willoughby fighting back tears.

Johnathan was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby - having been born with several health problems after Chantal suffered placental abruption following a car accident when she was 36 weeks pregnant.

However, over the years Johnathan's incredibly defied doctors' predictions that he'd never speak by learning to communicate with his eyes. Using a spelling board where he looks at colours and letters to spell out what he wants to say, Johnathan has even managed to write an entire book, Eye Can Write.

ITV

Holly and co-host Philip Schofield asked the youngster what he would like for other kids in the same boat.

Using his spelling board, Johnathan replied: "I want all children to taught to read and write."

Holly, moved by what she saw, said: "That's incredible, that's amazing, it's blown my mind, it's so nice to meet you all."

Chantal told Holly and Phil that Johnathan had actually far surpassed doctors' expectations in many ways, telling them: "We were told like he may never be able to recognise you as his parents, I thought instinctively 'actually he already recognises us' so there was always that glimmer of hope.

"A lot of the predictions they said are right - Johnathan can't walk, he can't talk in the way that we're doing. But he talks with a spelling board and Johnathan has just proved some of the most amazing things and his writing is just incredible and it's blown us all away."

ITV

Chantal explained that she removed Johnathan from his specialist school at the age of seven, before soon realising his incredible aptitude.

She explained: "I didn't know what he'd be able to do and within a year he'd done basic reception up to year one work and then half way through the second year I started introducing a spelling board.

"It was amazing, we never knew what was going on in his head - as a mother you might instinctively know what your child might need but that's not the same as knowing what they think."

What an inspirational little LAD.

Topics: UK News, Inspirational, Community, UK

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman