I am autistic and cannot speak. Here’s what I want you to know

myou travel with autism It started at the age of three years and three months, long before my diagnosis.

My family noticed autistic traits starting around age 15 months. I never looked at people and did not respond when called. Instead of playing with them, I lined up the toys. When I wanted something, I held people’s hands to get it. I often have meltdowns in busy environments or when routines change unexpectedly, but I can’t tell people why I’m upset.

I was later diagnosed with autism. My family was saddened to hear that I would never live an independent or fulfilling life.

But my mother wasted no time in gathering support. Soon, my days were filled with home-based intensive behavioral programs, speech therapy, and other supports. But unfortunately, I never learned to speak.

But I learned to communicate in another way

A turning point came when I was nine years old. I began learning how to communicate with a type of augmentative and alternative communication called assisted typing. I type with a keyboard on a machine called a Lightwriter, which speaks what I type. As I type, another person touches my shoulder. This touch helps me be aware of my body and helps me focus on communicating my message.

I used supported typing in school and now at university, where I’m a PhD candidate. I am researching neurodiversity in autistic people whose speech ability is minimal, unreliable or nonexistent, or who have complex communication and high support needs.

With supported typing, I’ve been able to live life to the fullest, give a TEDx talk, one of the first by a non-speaker, and write my autobiography. I used supported typing to write this article.

How normal is it for an autistic person not to speak?

Autism affects the way people communicate, interact, and understand the world. Autistic people show differences in social communication as well as narrow interests like Lego or trains.

In 2022, there were 290,900 autistic Australians. About one-third are non-speakers.

This dysfunctional autistic community is socially insecure and often experiences rejection and exclusion. As a member of this community, I’m inspired to bust some myths.

Myth 1: We don’t use language

Autistic nonspeakers cannot use speech to communicate. But many of us are verbal, meaning we understand and use language.

About the author

I am a visual thinker, and I perceive my world in pictures and images. Initially, speech was just meaningless sounds. At about six years old, I realized that words are used to represent and communicate things. By connecting people’s speech to their behavior, I began to understand the symbolic nature of language, which helped me communicate.

Due to sensory and motor differences, autistic people with complex communication needs need support to communicate, perform routine activities and participate socially.

For example, physical touch on our hand, arm or shoulder provides feedback on our position, balance and movement to help us pinpoint images, mantras or types. Support workers also help us focus and stay calm so we can communicate.

Myth 2: We don’t understand your mind

Autistic people, especially those with complex communication needs, require extra time to decode, understand, and extract abstract meaning from experiences.

But with effort and time, many autistic nonspeakers can empathize and understand the minds of other people.

This may involve using social stories to understand mental and emotional states. These teach us about social situations and how to participate. They can be used to tell what to expect ahead of time. They can give us time to practice, and we can use them during real life situations.

For example, we may feel overwhelmed when meeting someone for the first time. We use a social story to know what to expect, to sit at a comfortable distance and introduce ourselves, to ask and answer questions. Storytelling helps us process new information, and suggests how to tell people when we’re overworked and need space to relax.

Giving us time, space, and permission to process social situations helps us move forward in social life.

Myth 3: We dance, hum and sometimes scream or run away for no reason

Autistic people, especially those with complex communication needs, may feel unsafe in busy environments. For example, bright lights or sounds of people talking and walking around cause sensory overload and discomfort. This increases stress levels and reduces the ability to respond appropriately.

Autistic nonspeakers can use a variety of strategies to manage overload and reduce this sensory distress. This may include lying down, staring at flashing lights or rotating objects, humming to block out overwhelming sensations, as well as shaking, twisting or weaving our bodies to restore a sense of balance. These behaviors allow us to self-regulate.

However, when these strategies are inadequate, autistic nonspeakers may behave in unconventional ways such as screaming, running away, or becoming depressed.

Such behaviors do not arise because we do not understand how to act appropriately. They occur when we feel extremely vulnerable and anxious in difficult situations.

When a quiet space is available, we will be able to calm down and regain feelings of safety and control, without resorting to related behaviors.

next time

So the next time you meet an autistic person who doesn’t speak, please meet us halfway. Give us time and space to process and think about how to respond.