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Beyond the Card: When Visual Supports Stop Supporting
Everyone was arriving at once to begin the day. I was putting my things away when I heard someone across the classroom say, "No thank you, friend. We don't throw cards on the floor." I looked over and saw Zachary sitting at a table, dropping cards onto the floor one by one. I walked over and...
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Making Room: What Practical Classroom Support Looks Like
Imagine a ten-year-old being asked to put away a tablet and join the reading circle. They do not move. A teacher's aide repeats the instruction, a little louder and a little slower, as though volume were the missing ingredient. The student still does not move. In another classroom, a teacher...
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Communication Over Compliance: Promoting Assent, Autonomy and Self-Advocacy
Consider an individual participating in a learning activity who suddenly turns away, throws their markers on the floor, and places their head in their hands on the table. A compliance-focused approach might interpret these behaviors as task refusal and encourage the individual to continue the...
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Supporting Emotional Regulation in Non-Speaking Children
Every parent of a non-speaking child knows the moment. The grocery store gets too loud, a routine shifts without warning, a sibling grabs the wrong toy, and a child who seemed fine a minute ago is on the floor, or running, or frozen. Adults nearby may see "bad behavior." What is actually happening...
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Supporting Social Communication in Autism: A Review of Evidence-Based Speech Therapy Approaches
When people think about autism and communication challenges, they often focus on speech itself. However, many autistic children develop age-appropriate vocabulary and grammar while continuing to experience significant difficulties with social communication. These challenges may include...
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Building Community and Advocacy: From Voiceless to SEEN and Heard
I got used to being silent. It was the loneliness and being invisible that was soul crushing. Being able to finally say anything I wanted as a nonspeaking autistic with apraxia was liberating. I have never been able to communicate by using my mouth. When I was a child, I did speak a few...
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Connecting With Nonspeakers: A Practical Guide
April traditionally brings showers, but in my world, it brings Autism Awareness Month – or is it Autism Acceptance Month, or is it Autism Action Month? It seems the verbiage changes from year to year. Awareness is good, acceptance is great, but action is the key to inclusion. For me, April means...
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Beyond the Device: Teaching Meaningful, Spontaneous Communication with Speech-Generating Devices
A key component of a high quality of life is the ability to clearly communicate one's needs and desires with others. Effective communication allows individuals to advocate for themselves, make choices within their environment, and express their thoughts and feelings. For autistic individuals,...
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Why Message-Passing Tests Are Unethical
Note: The generic term “Spelling” is used here for all methodologies of assisted communication access with spelled or typed output. The term “Spellers” is a generic label accepted by non-speakers who communicate via these methods. “Non-speaker” (preferred over “non-verbal”) includes...
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More Than Spoken Words: How DSPs Help People Find Their Voice
Everyone has a voice, even if they don't communicate through speech. Expression can take many different forms — from gestures and facial expressions to communication devices, pictures, and written words. When people with developmental disabilities are given the tools, support, and opportunities...
