How To Communicate With a Non-Verbal Child With Autism
A child, teen, or adult with autism who is unable to speak may be described as having nonverbal autism, or being pre-verbal. But what exactly does non-verbal mean, and how can you communicate with a non-speaking person with profound autism? In this post we’re going to take a look at some of the most common questions people ask about nonverbal autism.
What is nonverbal autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects a person’s communication skills, social skills, and self-regulation. The term non-verbal autism is used to describe autistic children and adults who are not yet speaking.
Approximately 40 percent of individuals with autism are considered nonverbal, according to research and advocacy organization Autism Speaks.
It’s important to remember that someone being nonverbal does not mean that they don’t have anything to say. For most non-verbal children with autism not being able to communicate through speech is frustrating.
Children or adults with autism who can say a few familiar words or short phrases, or use echolalia, are often described as being minimally verbal.
What causes nonverbal autism?
Some people with autism may have difficulty speaking due to apraxia of speech (also called verbal apraxia) — a speech sound disorder where the brain has difficulty planning and sequencing the movements needed to correctly produce sound.
Low muscle tone, difficulties with motor planning, and low proprioceptive awareness are other factors which can make the physical movements required for speech difficult for many children with autism.
Although speech delays and difficulties are often more common in children with severe autism, also called profound autism, these delays are not always caused by an intellectual disability.
Can nonverbal kids with autism learn to speak?
Yes! With speech and language therapy, and/or intensive language input and play therapy at home from parents and other therapists, many nonverbal kids with autism will begin to develop some speech.
When my son was diagnosed with classic autism at just two years old, the pediatrician and speech therapist told me that he’d never be able to speak. They even told me that there was no point in trying to teach him to speak. I disagreed. As I didn’t have access to any early intervention services, ABA therapists, or autism specialists when my son was growing up, I had to educate myself about how to teach him to speak. Although not super chatty, my son (now an adult) speaks in sentences and is rather bossy. He enjoys reminding me when I’ve forgotten to do something!
What therapies can treat nonverbal autism?
Services to help nonverbal children and adults with autism vary depending on where they live and what families can afford.
Building a child’s receptive vocabulary — their understanding of the meaning of words (for example, hearing the word 'apple' and knowing that it means an apple) — will help them to develop speech.
Many families opt to use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to teach their children to speak. Other families choose play based therapies.
Speech and language therapists can help kids and adults with learning vocabulary and with the mechanics of speech (how to produce speech sounds).
Occupational therapists can work on motor planning activities. This will help kids’ brains to plan the movements they need to sequence sounds to make words (for example c-a-t ⇒cat).
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can be used in addition to teaching speech so that nonverbal children and adults have an alternative means of communication. Sign language can also be helpful to use alongside speech activities.
How do you communicate with a nonverbal autistic child?
Never assume that a child with autism who is not yet speaking will not understand you! If a child with profound autism does not appear to have much understanding, it is important to make the effort to communicate with them by using speech, sign language, AAC, or symbols.
Make sure your language is clear and unambiguous, and don’t talk baby talk.
Leave a long pause after you speak to an autistic child to allow them time to process what you are saying, and to respond if they wish to. Be mindful of the fact that children with autism are slower at processing information than their peers are. Autism expert Dr. Temple Grandin (who has autism herself) uses the analogy of the autistic brain being like a computer with a slower internet speed.
If you need to repeat yourself, either use the same words, or slightly simplify what you say. Don’t change the meaning of what you said because the person will need to start processing it all over again.
How can we help nonverbal children?
One of the best ways to help nonverbal children is to provide them with a language-rich environment. Continuing to talk and communicate with an autistic child even when there is no response, will in the long term make it easier for them to develop speech and communication skills.
Nonverbal autism activities
Parents, families, teachers, and therapists can use a wide range of activities to help develop the speech and language skills of a nonverbal child with autism. Ideas include:
Singing songs
Playing simple games
Labelling items around the house or classroom with words
Using flashcards
Reading books
Physical play such as jumping on a trampoline, dancing to music, or throwing a ball
Playing with puppets
Dramatic play/playing pretend
Talking to your child regularly throughout the day (being careful not to ask them lots of questions).
Resources for Non-Verbal Autism
Have you found this information helpful? Check out all my resources!
Kirsten
Disclosure - Please note that I am not a speech therapist. I’m a former teacher. My son was diagnosed with classic autism at 2 years old (he’s now in his 20s).