Language and Communication Differences in Non-Speaking Autistics

Many know that Autistic people communicate differently from people who are not Autistic. One commonly known social communication difference is that Autistic people don’t usually use their body, face and eyes to convey the meaning of what they are saying  in the same way, or as fluidly, as non-Autistic people do.

Much less known – even among Autistics people – is how the estimated 25 percent of Autistic people who do not have verbal speech ability, learn, acquire, interpret, understand and use language.

In this article:

• What is non-speaking; what does being non speaking mean?
• How language can develop differently and be used differently in non-speaking Autistics.
• The difference between non-speaking and non-communicative.
• “Typical” speech development in Autistic children.
• How to support communication in non-speaking Autistics

In this article “verbal speech” means words that come out of someone’s mouth. “Speaking people’s language” refers to the way language is learnt, acquired and used by most who develop verbal speech. “Non-speaking” means someone who has not developed, and does not have typical ability to acquire verbal speech ability. “Language” means how someone understands and uses words to communicate and express themselves.

What Does Non-speaking mean?

In this article non-speaking refers to a person who has not developed verbal speech ability. That is they do not communicate with words expressed verbally.

It does not refer to:

• people who have verbal speech ability but experience temporary loss of verbal speech skills when overwhelmed,
• people who have verbal speech ability but are consistently unable to speak in specific environments consequent of Selective / Situational Mutism.
• children with delayed speech development or unclear speech.

Around 25 – 30% of Autistic people do not develop verbal speech. Researchers have done studies using electroencephalograms and MRI’s and measuring eye gaze to better understand the differences that exist in non-speaking Autistic people. At the moment though, no-one really knows what those neurological differences are. What they have identified is that non-speaking Autistics often understand much more than they are able to communicate.

Some non-speaking Autistics have developed a small amount of verbal speech but are not able to use that verbal speech to communicate in a way other people understand. I will give an example. An Autistic person with limited verbal speech might say “car” to mean “I want to go for a drive” but would not be able to answer (using verbal speech) “where do you want to drive”. They are not able to form a sentence with verbal speech and are not able to express themselves with verbal speech.

Echolalia is a type of communication that is commonly associated with speaking Autistics, but is also used by non-speaking Autistics (in alternative communication formats, eg sign, writing, voice activated systems). Echolalia is repeating phrases borrowed from books, movies, television, songs or other people. As someone who communicates non-verbally, I use written echolalia to communicate or say what I want when I am overwhelmed or when I am having trouble translating my language to a speaking persons language. Speaking people use verbal echolalia to communicate or say a thing when they are young (still developing their verbal speech) or when overwhelmed, or sometimes for enjoyment.

Some non-speaking Autistic people have a co-occurring physical disability – like muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, other motor planning challenge or co-occurring neurological disability, like apraxia of speech, that makes it hard to for them to form spoken words.

Many non-speaking Autistics though, do not have a known co-occurring physical or neurological disability that effects verbal speech development.

Many Autistic people who have spoken language are not able to communicate verbally very well (and sometimes not at all) when very anxious or when overwhelmed by there sensory environment. This is a very different difficulty though from the language acquisition and communication challenges of being a non-speaking Autistic, and needs a different type of support.

How Is Language Processing Different in Non-Speaking Autistics?

Many people think the only difference between an Autistic person having verbal speech ability and another not having verbal speech ability is sound (verbal words).

Often though, a challenging communication difference between a speaking Autistic and a non-speaking Autistic, is how language is  learnt and understood. Language development in non-speaking Autistics can be very different from language development in speaking people. This means developing vocabulary and language expression can be very different, and is a separate challenge from communication methods.

Many not speaking Autistics have learnt language though their eyes and communicate through their eyes too – through writing, through sign language, through picture exchange. Speaking people learnt language through their ears, and communicate sounds through their mouth, even if they are “visual thinkers”. This difference in how language is acquired and used means the vocabulary is different, the nuances are different, the structure of the language and how words are formed is different, and our relationship with language is very different.

It means too that the language learning needs of a non speaking Autistic can be very, very different from the language learning  needs of an Autistic person who has verbal speech ability.

When not able to decode spoken language and not able to put own thoughts into language, an Autistic person might become non communicative. This doesn’t mean they do not have thoughts wanting to be communicated, it means they have no way, no capacity and no ability to interact or communicate at that moment.

When overwhelmed, Autistics who have spoken language often temporarily loose the ability to communicate too. Non-communicative is when the Autistic person has no ability to communicate, verbally or non verbally. This happens when an Autistic person is overwhelmed.

Will My Non-Speaking Child Learn to Talk?

The majority – around 70% (according to NIH, the National Institute of Health) of Autistic children  do develop verbal speech. The majority of this 70% become fluent enough to communicate needs and wants, verbally, by six years of age. Some who are not yet fluent by age six, have usually developed at least some words and verbal echolia style of communicating. A very small group, around 1 – 3% develop verbal speech in their teens or beyond.

Very often parents will label their two or three or four year old “non-verbal”. They will do this even though it is not unusual for children under five years old (even if they are not Autistic) to have delayed speech development.

Delays in speech development are common in Autistic children. Delayed speech development is very different from not having the ability to develop and use verbal speech. I don’t think it is very helpful to label young children non-verbal when they are simply developing language and speech in line with their own individual development timing.

Many Autistic adults and many therapists will often refer to children with delayed speech ability as “preverbal” rather than “nonverbal” to describe delayed developmental trajectory.

Supporting Non-verbal Communication

Many options are available to support communication development in non-speaking Autistic children. Many of these communication methods are also helpful to pre-verbal Autistic children, children with delayed speech development and children who do have verbal speech ability but are overwhelmed.

• Picture Exchange.  This is where a person shows or hands over a picture to request or express something. Picture exchange can be particularly helpful for younger children and Autistic people with co-occurring Intellectual disability.
• Sign Language. Sign language uses signs, symbols and expressions to communicate. Many countries have their own sign language and recognize that language as an official language of the Deaf community. “Makaton” is key word sign that is used in many different countries.
• Spelling Boards.  Spelling boards provide the user who has difficulty with fine and gross motor skills a valid way to communicate, by spelling out words and sentences.
• Voice Output Systems. Voice output systems provides a user the ability to generate digital speech by typing words into the system, and then generating those words as digital speech when the person presses a button or symbol. Text to speech apps are an example of voice output systems.
• Communication cards. Communication cards provide limited means of communicating key needs and wants. They tend to be most useful as a “back up” communication option or as an alternative way for speaking Autistics to communicate when overwhelmed.

When communicating with a non-speaking Autistic person, it can be help to:

• Say less
• Say it at a slower pace.
• Pause between words and phrases.
• Visibly respond to communication , eg nodding in agreement
• Use visual supports, eg drawings of complex concepts
• Seek to learn the non-speaking persons language and how they express themselves through conscious observation of their gestures, role playing, music, eye gaze, movement, etc.
• Be aware of the environment and that competing noise, busyness and / or an environment the Autistic person is not comfortable in, will make decoding your speaking language more difficult for the non-speaking Autistic person.
• To read more on communicating non-verbally / augmentative & alternative communication (AAC) click here.

For a deeper look into language development differences and practical ways to support language development differences, along with supporting non-speaking children in developing friendships, schooling and alternative communication, the “Bouncing Words” documentary (Reframing Autism) is a wonderful starting point.

This article includes the collaborative thoughts and opinions of several non-speaking Autistics. It is not intended as a representation of all non-speaking Autistic people. This is because while all Autistic people share some similarities in processing and communication, and share similar challenges in navigating the world, no single – or even group of Autistic people – can know and speak for the different challenges, life experiences, education, living environments, supports and other privileges, that influence the lived experience of another.