Language Note: While everyone has their own preferences, studies of the autistic community consistently reveal that autistic persons favor identity-first language over person-first language (i.e., “autistic individuals” rather than “individuals with autism”). This article serves as an example of such a local choice.
How To Communicate With A Non-speaking Autistic Person
Furthermore, according to the autistic people Self-Advocacy Network1, it is preferred by the community to use the term “non-speaking” rather than “nonverbal” individuals because many autistic individuals who do not use speech to communicate do so in other ways.
We are trained to use speech as the main method of communication with other people from an early age. Some autistic persons, however, may not use spoken language as a way of communication, while others may cease speaking when under stress or when they are feeling worn out. They could also have trouble speaking clearly or using little words.
Some people mistakenly think that non-lingual autistic persons can’t make decisions about their lives or their care, or that they’re less clever than autistic people who speak.
However, if others around them are prepared to listen, non-speaking autistic persons can communicate successfully in other ways.
How autistic individuals converse
According to the National Institutes of Health, between 25% and 35% of autistic individuals are either non-speaking or minimally speaking3, which means they can articulate some words but do not rely on speech as their primary form of communication. Some therapies and interventions place a strong emphasis on the autistic person using spoken language, although this is usually detrimental to them.
Autism and camouflage
Neurotipical professionals that work with autistic individuals usually rely on therapies and interventions that motivate autistic individuals to “mask” or behave in a more neurotypical manner. Masking can help an autistic person behave in a way that is more in line with neurotypical expectations; however, research indicates that forcing autistic people to conform to neurotypical expectations rather than addressing their needs is stressful and increases the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in autistic people ten times higher than in non-autistic people.
Some people confuse selective mutation—or “selected” as a situational mutation meaning alternative—with non-speaking autism. Selective mutation, on the other hand, occurs from worry, but when an autistic person stops speaking due to burnout, it is connected to exhaustion.
It is also unrelated to anxiety when a non-lingual autistic individual never speaks, but rather reveals a distinct communication style.
A nonspeaking autistic person can communicate in a variety of ways, and their support system can use the following communication methods to decipher what the autistic person is trying to convey.
Sign language or cipher
Both hearing persons who cannot speak sign language and members of the Deaf community usually use it to communicate. There are hundreds of other sign languages in use across the world, but American Sign Language (ASL) is most often used here.
ASL has a distinctive grammatical structure, and sign language communicates via hand gestures and facial emotions rather than vocal words. An auditory person may usually comprehend what is spoken to them and reply with a signal if they apply ASL to communicate. People who use sign language shouldn’t be expected to read lips or speak lips, and it shouldn’t be assumed that verbal communication is the norm.
An autistic person can use ASL to communicate if you are aware that they sometimes or always are nonverbal. To help them comprehend, you need, at the very least, to master the ASL alphabet. Learning ASL can help you communicate without using spoken language if you are autistic and are nonspeaking part or all of the time.
Written or typed correspondence
Many autistic persons who are non-verbal may communicate by using their phones, tablets, computers, or even paper and pencils. Because it employs the same language in writing rather than in spoken form, text-based communication is a simple substitute for spoken language.
If the individual applying written communication can hear, they can react to spoken language in writing by using sign language. Caregivers can read what an autistic person just wrote as a result.
Picture exchange
Autistic persons may either be able to use written or typed language to express their requirements or may not wish to do so. These people can still express their demands, nevertheless.
For instance, they can extract pictures from a tablet or other electronic device that need to be exhibited to caretakers. The non-speaking individual can communicate by pointing to the relevant image in charts or visuals that caregivers can supply.
Let the nonverbal person choose the visuals they want to use to represent various requirements. There are some requirements that are universal, like hunger and thirst. Additionally, there should be photos of things that intrigue, soothe, and are significant.
Communication technology
There are specialized communication gadgets available to support non-speaking autistic persons in communicating in addition to phones, tablets, and other technological devices. The term “Augmentative and Alternative Communication” refers to these technologies (AAC).
Because they may keep the gadget close by, ACCs are much employed when someone is constantly silent. A non-speaking autistic person should, if at all possible, experiment with many possibilities before settling on one.
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There are several variants of AAC devices, including:
BIGmack Communicator: With this tool, a person can record words and phrases to play back later. Since echolalia, which involves repeating words or phrases, is a communication technique used by certain autistic persons, they could feel at ease and at home employing this approach.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): This type of gadget uses images and pictures to communicate, making it particularly useful for those who only speak orally and do not use written words.
With a touch-based communication device like Touch Chat, the user may push buttons to indicate what they wish to say, and the system will then speak out loud what they have typed.
Dynavox: Comparable to TouchChat, this gadget allows for input through both button pushing and head motions.
Neurodivergents know how to raise kids.
Additional language
Not all autistic persons who cannot talk speak inaudibly. Ask them which sounds correspond to various words if they apply specific sounds. Use the language they speak to communicate by learning it.
By learning their alternative language, you’ll be able to comprehend their requirements and let them communicate with you in a way that suits them. This lowers the autistic person’s risk of stress, exhaustion, and trauma.
Some caregivers can feel pressured to encourage autistic individuals to communicate as neurotypically as possible.
Over time, language changes.
However, keep in mind that language is created and constantly changing. It’s acceptable to find alternative forms of communication if it doesn’t harm.
Resources for Autism
Visit the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective, autistic people Women and Nonbinary Network, and autistic people Self-Advocacy Network for more information about autism..
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