Nonspeakers Have a Lot to Say

One of the least understood, and most marginalized groups of autistic people are those who are non-speaking, or who have minimal or unreliable speech due to neurologically-based motor speech disorders. With advances in AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), involving both low and high tech approaches, nonspeakers voices are now being heard, and what they have to say is shattering erroneous stereotypes about those for whom speech is not their primary mode of communication. Harmful beliefs about how speech and behavior are accurate reflections of a person’s intelligence and social awareness are being dismantled. We are joined by Ian Nordling, a young autistic man who is a multi-modal communicator who shares his perspectives about how he has benefitted from Spelling to Communicate (S2C), and Elizabeth Vosseller, who developed (S2C), an approach being used increasingly by non- speakers.