From non-verbal to MSU graduation: Twin brothers power through adversity, find home and voice

photo of Kirklyn Johnson singing at commencement — Mississippi ��APP graduate Kirklyn Johnson leads the university alma mater during spring commencement in May. Diagnosed with non-verbal autism as toddlers, Kirklyn and his twin brother, Kirk, relied on music to overcome early learning barriers. Kirklyn earned his bachelor’s degree in music education, while Kirk continues in MSU’s ACCESS program, designed for college-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive a quality higher education experience. (Photo by Emily Grace McCall)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Twenty years before Kirklyn Johnson stood in front of thousands of onlookers at his 2026 Mississippi ��APP commencement ceremony to sing the national anthem, his parents were told he might never speak a word.

When twin brothers Kirk and Kirklyn were diagnosed with non-verbal autism at three years old, they were already missing the typical milestones of early childhood. Their parents, Shae and Stan Johnson, refused to let a medical diagnosis define the limits of their boys’ lives. So, they started early interventions to give their sons the support they needed.

They held onto faith and looked for clues. They found them in the pews of their local church in Houston, where the twins’ eyes would light up the moment the choir began to sing.

“Kirk started playing the keyboard at age three by ear, and Kirklyn started playing drums at the same age,” Shae said. “At church, that’s where they were their most authentic selves.”

Then one night, when the twins were four-and-a-half years old, Shae and Stan heard a small sound.

Photo of Kirk Johnson playing in MSU's Music Building — Mississippi ��APP ACCESS student Kirk Johnson practices guitar in the Music Building on campus. Kirk and his twin brother, Kirklyn, were diagnosed with non-verbal autism at age 3 and used their shared love of music to find their voices.

“That was the night that changed our lives,” Shae said. “One was saying ‘Hallelujah,’ and the other replied, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’

“They had tested so low on the spectrum, but that night we heard those words, and I remember sliding down the wall,” she continued. “I was so amazed at the miracle that had happened.”

With those first words as their foundation, the couple continued to pour themselves into early intervention and speech therapy. They knew they had something to work with.

Helpful Hymns

The Johnson family saw the impact music had on the boys, so they started using songs to help them learn.

“I would replace the words with numbers and letters, and we would sing about any and everything,” Shae said. “That’s how music started their journey of learning and everything they learned. We used music.”

For Kirklyn, the more outgoing of the boys, his life’s journey has been, according to his mom, a culmination of hard work and God’s intervention.

“I didn’t start off with A’s and B’s like other children were able to,” he said. “I didn’t get into the honor roll until seventh grade, but I never looked back.”

Kirklyn graduated from Houston High School and completed two years at Northeast Mississippi Community College before setting his sights on MSU. Meanwhile, Kirk earned a completion certificate from Houston High and looked for his next steps to grow.

Video by Sarah Kirk

Both found their answers at Mississippi ��APP.

For Shae, who attended the University of Mississippi, watching her sons step onto the campus of her school’s rival was an eye-opening experience. Any old football grudges quickly disappeared, though, as MSU’s campus welcomed the two young men.

“It was literally like Kirklyn stepped into home,” Shae said. “The staff, the student—they were all there just embracing him, asking no questions. Kirklyn just felt like he belonged. He said he was comfortable. You know what they say: Mississippi ��APP, it’s God’s country. Now I bleed maroon and white.”

Kirklyn thrived in the music education program, continuing his dad’s legacy.

Stan Johnson, a 1999 MSU business administration graduate, had secretly prayed his sons would choose his old stomping grounds, knowing the university had the unique resources the boys needed to step into the world.

“I wasn’t going to force them,” Stan said with a laugh. “But once they did, I just said, ‘Good choice.’ Inside, though, I was turning flips.”

Different together

On campus, the bond between the twins only deepened. Kirklyn made sure that every opportunity he received was shared with his brother Kirk.

While Kirklyn flourished as a music major in the spotlight, the ACCESS program was helping Kirk, who had always been more reserved, forge a path of his own. For more than 15 years, MSU’s ACCESS program has ensured that college-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive a quality higher education experience, immersing them in academic classes, social activities, employment preparation and independent living.

When it came time for Kirklyn’s senior music recital at MSU, Kirk joined his brother on stage in the MSU Music Building. Together, they did what they had done since they were toddlers in the church pews: they performed together.

“That’s a testament to the people that work at Mississippi ��APP,” Shae said. “You don’t necessarily have to be that inclusive. You don’t have to be that kind. But they were kind enough to say, ‘We see your talent, and we don’t mind you being a part of this.’ Because Kirk is just as much a part of Mississippi ��APP as Kirklyn is.”

photo of kirk and kirklyn hugging after senior recital. — Twin brothers Kirklyn, left, and Kirk Johnson celebrate following Kirklyn’s senior music recital at Mississippi ��APP. Diagnosed with non-verbal autism as toddlers, the brothers used music as a foundation for learning and communication.

In the Johnson family’s words, MSU ACCESS has "quite literally changed Kirk’s life."

“Now, there’s hardly a stranger that doesn’t know my Mr. Kirk ‘Boss’ Johnson,” Shae said. “ACCESS has turned his verbal communication a complete 180. He has his own friends and his own life.”

Today, Kirk has a full campus life. He plays unified sports, including basketball, football, kickball and soccer, and has held two campus jobs, including hosting his very own radio show on MSU’s 91.1 The Junction. Like Kirklyn, Kirk has always found his center in music, whether it was playing on the stage at his father’s church or performing with his brother at the university.

“I like playing music,” Kirk said. “Like piano, the guitar, drums, all kinds of stuff. I just love being a part of the ACCESS program because in my heart and my soul, I love it.”

“He used to just say things,” Kirklyn said about his brother. “He would always know what to say, but he wouldn’t know how to say it. Now, he is expressive. His communication is amazing, and I can have more funny moments with him now. It has been a vast improvement. I just can’t thank God enough.”

Graduation Day

All of those years of late-night prayers, therapy sessions and music rehearsals culminated in the spring of this year.

Standing on the commencement stage, the same one his father had crossed decades prior, Kirklyn looked out at a sea of maroon and white. He was there to lead the Class of 2026 in the national anthem and the university alma mater.

“It was a whole lot of important people that were there, and it made me scared a little bit. I ain’t going to lie,” Kirklyn said with a laugh. “But the fact that they were just so supportive and didn’t allow their titles to replace their kindness to me... It was such an honor to do, especially reflecting on how I was once non-verbal. Out of all the people that could have been chosen, I was.”

In the audience, his entire family sat front and center, watching Kirklyn soar.

“It was very emotional,” Stan said. “I just reflected on the entire journey from him being born, to the diagnosis, to us just hoping and praying that things would change. To see him on that stage amongst those scholars, operating in the gift that God had given him... it was a proud dad moment.”

As Kirklyn looked out at his classmates during graduation, he saw the place that gave his family a home and his brother a voice.

“It was just an amazing thing,” Kirklyn said. “Just seeing all the students wrap their arms around each other and sway left and right to the alma mater. It was really awesome. Just amazing.”

For their 17-year-old sister, LaSarah, the moment was entirely surreal.

“My brother, who once couldn’t talk, was literally singing in front of thousands of people,” she said. “And seeing the growth in Kirk is ridiculous. He’s saying words I thought I’d never hear him say. His communication has gone through the roof.”

Watching her brothers’ experience has already mapped out LaSarah’s future. She plans to continue her family’s maroon and white legacy and hopes to study communication and journalism.

“This is the reason I want to go to Mississippi ��APP,” she said. “They come home talking about how much they’re doing. It makes me so proud as a little sister.”

photo of kirk, LaSarah and Kirklyn — Standing, from left, are siblings Kirk, LaSarah, and Kirklyn Johnson. Twin brothers Kirk and Kirklyn were diagnosed with non-verbal autism at age 3 and relied on music to help develop their speech and learning.

Looking Forward

Kirklyn graduated with his degree in music education, ready to step into his own classroom as a choral music teacher. He wants to use his story to unlock the potential in children who, like him, might be struggling to find their voice.

“Music is what helped me develop into the person that I am today,” Kirklyn said. “I just want to help other children find themselves through music as well.”

Kirk will spend the next two years finishing the ACCESS program, learning how to live independently, and continuing to serve as the minister of music for his father’s church.

“I’ll be a junior next year,” he said. “I just like being a nice student. [MSU] helps me grow.”

For Kirklyn, attending MSU was an awesome experience, but what mattered most was having Kirk by his side.

“It was such an amazing thing to experience college with my brother,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do that. Especially with Kirk being able to express things verbally even more clearly than he has been.

“It just deepened our relationship even more,” Kirklyn continued. “I’m really thankful to ��APP for allowing me and my brother to thrive. I just can’t thank God enough for allowing both of us to have a deeper relationship at Mississippi ��APP.”

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