For many people with autism, speaking can be a challenge. It may be that we never find our words. It may be that we somehow lose them. It may be that our families start to wonder if they will ever hear our voices then, after a few years (and several-thousand dinosaur facts later), they wonder if they’ll ever stop hearing it.
But what causes speaking challenges across the spectrum and how do they differ from the more well-known communication difficulties autistic people face? Today, I plan to examine exactly this and, with the aim of better understanding how to support autists experiencing vocabulary delay, I want also to look at what speaking ability means for autistic development. Speaking of which…
What Causes Delayed Speech in Autism?
As anyone who has ever witnessed me engage in sport can attest to, challenges in co-ordination are extremely common in autistic people. Yet, what you may not know is that, within many people on the spectrum (an estimated 25%-40%), these same motor-function challenges may cause difficulty in speaking.
This may come as a surprise to those who believe that, like communication, issues with speaking are due to our mental rewiring. However, recent studies, such as those found in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, theorise that most non-verbal autists find it difficult to speak because either:
- Our mouths struggle to conjure the position needed to form words
- Our eyes/ears inaccurately process how others speak – so we miss opportunities to learn the movements needed to mirror the sounds
This isn’t the end of autistic communication though, as research has shown that, within test groups of autists who are unable to create two-word sentences by age 4, 70% can by age 8 – with some even going on to speak fluently. Furthermore, close to all autists will learn to understand the meaning of words, but it may be the case that they are diagnosed with apraxia; a condition in which someone isn’t capable of replicating movements/commands, even if they understand how and want to.
Nevertheless, regardless of whether a person (autistic or not) does or does not speak from a young age, vocal ability has been proven, multiple times, to have no reflection on IQ. As such, you may find that someone who never grasps speaking will go on to have remarkable knowledge and skill in other fields/areas, whilst a quick glance at some of the current world leaders proves that it’s possible to talk a big game and still be a total buffoon.
How Can Autism Impact Speech Patterns?
By definition, if an autistic person manages to build their vocabulary past 30 words, then that person is no longer considered ‘non-verbal’. Although, just because an autist may learn enough language to make themselves a solid competitor in Scrabble, that doesn’t necessarily mean things will be peachy from then on.
Instead, most autistic people will go on to face at least one or more challenges when it comes to speaking, such complications could include: tone, sentence construction, repeated language, or if you’re as unlucky like me, all three, a speech impediment, a lisp AND being born and raised in Manchester – it’s like I was made to be misunderstood!
So, what are these additional autism speaking challenges and why do they persist?
Pronouns: One area that I particularly struggled with when growing up was pronouns (and, by far, I was not alone). This meant that I referred to myself as ‘you’ and others as ‘me’ – a confusing slip-up which is easily explained in that, whilst learning to speak, I was mirroring those around me and so, when someone referred to me as ‘you’, I wrongly assumed that ‘you’ was me and vice versa. Thankfully, in most cases, this fades with practice and further exposure to conversations.
Monotone Voice: Sometimes autistic people may have perfect control over the state of their voice e.g. Susan Boyle or Owl City’s Adam Young. Other times, we may emphasise the wrong words, speak too loudly or talk in somewhat flat tones. This is often because the autistic mind struggles to register the unspoken rules when learning to speak and, as such, while we are great at registering the factual information of what words mean, we undervalue the importance of inflexion and so never use it ourselves (this is also why some autistic people are often perceived to not understand sarcasm).
Echolalia: Separated into two categories (delayed echolalia and immediate echolalia), this system of autistic speech is often naively described as an autistic person repeating something they have heard in place of an actual sentence. In truth, this is only scratching the surface of what echolalia means for communication and development within autistic people; a topic which I have discussed in full length here: Autism & Echolalia: The Secrets of Autistic Speech
How to Support Autistic People with Speech:
If communication is key, then speaking skills are the couch where autistic social opportunities get lost. Nevertheless, most autistic people will find a way to express themselves over time and, whether this be a long road which leads to words, or with the support of cutting-edge technology and techniques, there are plenty of options to ensure that no words means no problem.
Autism Speech Therapy:
Despite how it sounds, autism speech therapy is not so much about speaking as it is an opportunity for someone to improve communication and ensure the best quality of life. This can take the form of improving understanding of word meanings, word context or eye contact, and lesson plans will usually be tailored to an individual’s unique strengths and weaknesses.
In my case, this meant getting to a stage where words could be made out through my mumbles and excessive drooling, as I often became frustrated and aggressive when I thought someone misunderstood or wasn’t listening to me. After punching and kicking my way through half the therapists in North England, this was achieved – which we chalked up as a win, even though 20 years later I still can’t properly pronounce my ‘V’s, ‘R’s, ‘Th’s, or ‘S’s.
Sign Language:
For many autistic people whose motor functions seal them away from speaking, learning sign language can be a great way to find a non-verbal voice. This is for many reasons, such as how commonplace it has become (being the 4th most used language in the UK) as well as how, for people with a tactile nature, sign language can be easier to learn than regular speaking.
Additionally, sign language can be ideal for autistic people as it requires more expressive movements which are easier to read and, furthermore, it has the unique benefit of allowing for communication without ever having to remove noise-cancelling headphones – for when socialising is required in a sensory-disrupting environment.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC):
If sign language doesn’t float your boat (or perhaps limited motor-function makes it a challenge), then another approach to non-verbal communication could be through an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC); a soundboard/app comprised up of different images which can be pressed in sequence to form phrases.
Although far from robust, AACs are extremely user-friendly, making them quick to pick up/implement and now, thanks to modern technology, they won’t cost an arm and a leg either. With that said, many have also found success taking a less digital approach, instead, choosing to give an autistic person a book full of images which they can point to and reference. This works much the same way as an AAC, except that you won’t be lost for words when the battery dies.
Time:
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you support an autistic person with speech as, even if a child is given every tool mentioned above, it all means diddlysquat if they aren’t given the time to use it. In practice, this means not rushing an autist the moment we miss a milestone, but it can also mean doing nothing at all and giving us the time to find our own way.
Where it is the case that an autistic person simply isn’t built to speak, it may be better if those nearest and dearest to us instead use their time to learn how to properly understand the wordless expressions we do have. Of course, this too will take trial and error, however, it is much less stressful for the autist in question and, in the long-run, it can create a unique relation between autist and the person who went the extra mile to understand them.
Carry on the Conversation:
There was a lot touched upon in this week’s article which I would love to expand on in future posts. So, if there’s anything you think I skimmed over and would like to know more about, please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to include it next time. Additionally, if you have any experieence of helping autistic people with speech, I would also love to hear your tips for what you did and didn’t find helpful.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised, on Instagram @autisticandunapologetic and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next week for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
