When Jaime Martinez Alonso was five years old, he used to ride his tricycle for hours,

up and down a long hallway at his parents' house in Madrid.

His mother, Soledad, noticed that Jaime would stop to draw on a piece of cardboard

that was resting on the handlebars.

Mientras dibujaba, Jaime cantaba la canción del rey león.

El rey león is the Lion King.

After he was done with that particular drawing, Jaime would start riding his tricycle

up and down the corridor again. Until the next time he decided to stop and draw.

Jaime dibujaba cebras, trenes, girafas, dinosaurios.

Él pasaba horas en el tricycle y también dibujando.

And Jaime didn't just draw all over his piece of cardboard.

He would draw all over the walls of the long hallway, too.

That's because Jaime has autism and talking doesn't come easily to him.

When his parents realized that drawing on the wall could be a way for him to communicate,

they didn't just accept it, they encouraged it.

Nosotros decidimos transformar la pared en una pizarra para Jaime.

Él podía dibujar ahí y así comunicarse con nosotros y con el mundo.

Soledad and her husband Javier were happy to give Jaime a life-sized canvas.

It was a small price to pay for what they were afraid he'd have to endure as a grown-up.

What they didn't know then is that Jaime's art would one day become the key to his self-sufficiency.

Bienveneos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast.

I'm Martina Castro. Every episode we bring you fascinating, true stories to help you improve

...