PLEASE HOLD FOR MARTHA IRVINE STORY: In this Wednesday, March 2, 2016 photo, Ben Alexander is greeted by family friend Terry Weaver and her 3-year-old retriever named Bogey in New Orleans. To Ben's left is his mother, Ellen Schneider and father, Sam Alexander. Alexander, 22, has nonverbal autism, a condition that became apparent when he was 2 years old. He has found his voice through writing using what is known as “facilitated communication,” a method in which another person steadies the hand of the autistic person, so he or she can communicate through typing. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)