Dick Van Dyke is a 93-year-old wonder.
He serenaded our 11-year old autistic grandson, Charlie, who lives in Malibu with his mom and dad. Charlie is nonverbal but does have some communication/signing skills.
Charlie was with his home aide, Kelly, at Cross Creek when Kelly heard a man shout out at her, “Your kid should be in pictures!” Kelly, who knows Mr. Van Dyke through her father, who worked in the motion picture business for the past 35 years, explained who Charlie is and mentioned he loves music.
So Mr. Van Dyke broke into song for Charlie, singing “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and “Me Ol’ Bam-Boo.” All the while, Charlie sat—totally enthralled—next to Mr. Van Dyke, even, at one point, leaning against him and asking for and receiving a head rub. (Head rubs are a significant sign of acceptance and affection for Charlie. He lets you know he wants one by grabbing your hand and placing it on his head and if it’s not exactly where he wants it, he moves your hand until you get it right.)
As they were getting ready to leave, Charlie asked for a hug and got that, too.
With the daily challenges our daughter faces raising an autistic child, I just want the Malibu community to know that Mr. Van Dyke’s loving kindness to Charlie brightened our life and warmed our hearts.
Mary Lee B. Simpson