Verbal Communication

Day 14 of a 30-day series originally published for Facebook April 2021

Roughly 25% of persons with autism are considered non-verbal. This means they use little to no words to communicate. This does NOT mean they do not communicate, or that they do not want to communicate. They may use sounds, gestures, pictures, electronic aids, or pulling a person or object towards a desired space or thing.

Other individuals may be verbal, but as we’ve learned, autism at the core is a communication disorder, so that language may ebb and flow based on the situation and stimulus. Generally speaking, for us M will tend to lose language when he is tired and resort to pointing or just make noises with his throat. When he’s overstimulated he will also stop talking and tends to communicate more with his body. Sometimes, when he’s trying to self-regulate, it’s almost as if his strengths are all going towards controlling one specific thing and there simply isn’t enough room left to think about speaking.