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Freeing the Mind: A Nonspeaking Autistic’s Case for Presuming Competence
Many nonspeakers are still locked in the prison of their own mind. Nonspeakers are underestimated because our bodies and brains are disconnected. Our minds work, but not with our body, so people conclude we are unintelligent. Apraxia is not well understood by parents, teachers, therapists, and the...
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Training Communication Partners for Nonspeaking Spellers: A Replicable, Evidence-Informed Framework
I have watched my adult nonspeaking, autistic son be offered a letterboard by someone untrained in his primary form of communication: spelling. His thoughts were clear, but the board wasn't properly placed, no relationship had been established, no motor coaching was provided — and nothing came...
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My Journey to Independent Typing: One Autistic Nonspeaker’s Story
Each autistic nonspeaker I know is trying to become independent with their communication. Of course. Why wouldn't we? If you have something to say, you want to be able to do it without help. Typing seems to be the holy grail for most. Why? Because the sad but true fact is that the...
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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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Communication, Regulation, and Trust: Supporting Non-speaking Autistic Individuals in Everyday Life
A Few Truths The world is often set up in ways that are highly unreliable and unpredictable for autistic people. This sets the stage for frequent dysregulation, disengagement, and disability, all of which can be even more extreme for non-speaking autistic individuals. The frequent bias towards...
