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__biro
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Aug 06, 2008
Age: 18
Posts: 66
Location: UK
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 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:13 pm Post subject: Non-verbal autistics... |
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I would like to know more about non-verbal autistics, I have tried googling this but all I can find are articles like "curing severe autism" and this is not what I am looking for at all. I am aware that there are many non-verbal or partially non-verbal autistics on WrongPlanet and it is impossible to tell who they are by their writing skills unless they specifically say that they are non-verbal.
What I would like to know is, can you speak and choose not to? If so, why do you choose not to? Or do you have limited or no ability to speak at all?
I apologise if I offend anyone because of my ignorance, I am just curious to know as most people on here seems to have an average or above vocabulary. |
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Danielismyname
Troglodyte descended
Joined: Apr 03, 2007
Posts: 5926
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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I don't think there's many nonverbal members here (I think the member anbuend may be the only one), and others who're effectively nonverbal in effect (the member KingdomOfRats). There's many members, including me, who lose speech when we become overwhelmed [due to various reasons].
It's a genuine impairment in processing language; getting it from the mind to the mouth. They once thought that Autistic people chose not to talk as children, but later, with the introduction of speech therapy, they found that there is a definite mechanical "problem" in the mind, and it can be helped in many cases with such speech therapy. Sign language is used nowadays in addition to speech therapy, with good effect (or so they say)
The nonverbal rate is around 18% in adults with Autism (it used to be 50%); most gain adequate speech after several years of early delay. |
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earthmonkey
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 06, 2005
Age: 18
Posts: 509
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Danielismyname wrote: |
It's a genuine impairment in processing language; getting it from the mind to the mouth. They once thought that Autistic people chose not to talk as children, but later, with the introduction of speech therapy, they found that there is a definite mechanical "problem" in the mind, and it can be helped in many cases with such speech therapy. Sign language is used nowadays in addition to speech therapy, with good effect (or so they say)
The nonverbal rate is around 18% in adults with Autism (it used to be 50%); most gain adequate speech after several years of early delay. |
Yeah, I'm mostly verbal, but I have definite language oddities, and some times I just don't have the kind of energy or mental/physical co-ordination to use speech. Though, at times I will choose not to speak when I technically can, if I perceive that I'm on the brink of overload or exhaustion, and sometimes forcing speech at these times can cause me to melt down. Since I've been noticing this and doing this, I've melt down a lot less than before.
_________________
"Public transportation is for jerks and lesbians." --Homer Simpson
"why is it bad for me to discuss why I need the lights off above my desk but it is ok for you to tell me you had a camera shoved up your a#$?" --an aspie coming out |
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corroonb
Sane Anarchist and Pacifist
Joined: Oct 29, 2007
Age: 24
Posts: 1127
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I stammered/stuttered from the age of 6 until a few years ago. During that time the severity of my problem varied and I suspect it can be linked to my autism. Before the age of six my speech was perfectly normal. I have no problems speaking now to my great relief. When I'm tired, overloaded or anxious I tend to have more trouble speaking. |
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SabbraCadabra
Sea Gull
Joined: Apr 22, 2008
Posts: 1552
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:28 pm Post subject: Re: Non-verbal autistics... |
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| __biro wrote: | | What I would like to know is, can you speak and choose not to? |
I don't go nonverbal very often, but when I do, it's not a choice. It's just this huge...block. Like I try to speak, but I can't force it to come out. I can say it over and over in my head, and open my mouth, but I can't get the sounds to form. If I sit and concentrate all my energy, sometimes I can force a little bit of it out, but it takes a whole lot of energy.
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How wonderful to be so profound. |
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__biro
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Aug 06, 2008
Age: 18
Posts: 66
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for your replies they were very helpful 
Thinking about it now, when I shutdown I find it difficult to get any words out and if I try to speak none of what I say makes sense. |
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donkey
we have met the enemy, he is us.
Joined: May 22, 2006
Age: 37
Posts: 1478
Location: ireland
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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| __biro wrote: | Thank you for your replies they were very helpful
Thinking about it now, when I shutdown I find it difficult to get any words out and if I try to speak none of what I say makes sense. |
this is not unusual for all AS even mildly affected ones.
we all get non verbal when we get overwhelmed, meltdown etc.
problem is we just dont know it in the middle of a meltdown. it is difficult to find the correct sequence of words to use in the moment, we do better with written communication where we can read digest and take our time to respond. in this case, nearly all of us are non verbal to some degree and we spend a lot fo time regurgitating stock phrases and responses.
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a great civilisation cannot be conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within- W. Durant |
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Simmian7
Deinonychus
Joined: Apr 23, 2008
Age: 28
Posts: 301
Location: Motown
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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depends on my mood. and sometimes, it feels way to difficult to process and utter a single word. it ticks me mum off when i insist on pointing to an object, "refusing" to talk. then there are times where i seem to talk A LOT.
i remember in class once, I finally spoke up and someone commented..."Woah, I didn't even know you were here you were so quiet." In response...I just smiled.
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*Christina*
It's like someone's calling out to me. Writing it all down...it's like I'm calling back to them.
(quote from August Rush; but used as a reference to my writing) |
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LostInSpace
Queen of the Gargoyles
Joined: Apr 17, 2007
Age: 24
Posts: 2127
Location: New York
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not nonverbal, but I work with a bunch of nonverbal autistic kids, and some of them definitely have difficulty actually physically producing speech. Some of the kids try very hard to imitate speech, but can only manage some rough approximations- they have difficulty producing most sounds individually, and have even more difficulty combining them into syllables and words. Even the kids who are able to speak consistently often have significant articulation problems which interfere with intelligibility (so not just difficulty with /s/ or /r/ for example).
Then there are some other kids who don't imitate speech at all, but have their own idiosyncratic vocalizations which can be extremely varied and include a bunch of different sounds. I know kids who will run through a bunch of different English language sounds, and also include trills, whistles, clicks, etc. So while they don't speak, they at least don't seem to have the physical difficulty producing speech sounds that some kids appear to have.
Then there are some other kids who will sometimes produce grammatically complete, lengthy sentences out of the blue, but the rest of the time use only one word or two word phrases, so it's not clear what the issue is. There are also other kids who exhibit more run of the mill language problems like you might see in an NT kid with specific language impairment. So basically, there are a bunch of different areas of speech and language which might cause problems for a kid with autism.
I do work with one kid who probably has AS who has really advanced language abilities, but often ignores questions until they are repeated. I guess she might possibly be an example of a kid who can speak and chooses not to. But then again, she's not nonverbal. I would really be surprised if there are any nonverbal kids who actually have the ability to produce speech easily and consistently (at least any kids without psych issues obviously).
Okay, that was really long and rambling, but I hope the point was clear. The point was basically that autistic kids who exhibit limited or no language likely do so because they have difficulty either processing or producing language- not because they choose not to speak. |
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Age1600
Bonita-Azul
Joined: Apr 23, 2007
Age: 23
Posts: 1936
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:07 am Post subject: |
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i'm 50% verbal, use pecs and sign to communicate. theres times im completely nonverbal just noises come out, then times i use echolalia or one worders. i soooo badly wish they found a cure for speech, i hate it, i never get what i want to say across, i never can speak my mind easily its always a hard task. the worst part is when nobody uses sign around you, or your pecs are no where near you, ugh! most of the time with me its the guessing game, when you hang around me often you automatically know what i want but saying certian babbles, and if not you have to guess and hope that its the right guess before it sends me into full meltdown mode. there are times i can speak well, oh i love those times and cherish them. theres times you can meet me and im talking up a storm, but those times are limited and usually afterwards my speech is nothing but babbling or noises.
i cant explain why, i wish i knew, for me it almost feels like im choking and can't get my words out, there in my head floating sometimes or theres nothing going on and that bothers me even more. i know when im completely nonverbal it feels like i have to take an extra hard breath just to get a one worder out, like my brain lost the connection completely to the vocal cords and my vocal cords are straining to work. i would do anything in this world to cure my speech problems, do anything to speak and pronouce perfectly, to tell you how i feel or what i want or what i need without a problem it would be like heaven. anyways all i can do now is use my pecs, sign and pray for the best!
_________________
Dxed Classic Autism(moderate to severe as a child, now moderate to high functioning as an adult) & Dxed Tourette Syndrome... 
I'm one ticcing, stimming chica from the Jersey Shore 
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated  |
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SabbraCadabra
Sea Gull
Joined: Apr 22, 2008
Posts: 1552
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Age1600 wrote: | | ...it almost feels like im choking and can't get my words out, there in my head floating sometimes or theres nothing going on and that bothers me even more. i know when im completely nonverbal it feels like i have to take an extra hard breath just to get a one worder out, like my brain lost the connection completely to the vocal cords and my vocal cords are straining to work. |
Yes, that's exactly what it's like for me. Even something as simple as "could you turn the volume up, please?" becomes a struggle =/
I can only imagine how horrible that would be to go through that every single day.
Sooner or later, they'll figure out how to decode our telepathic transmissions 
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How wonderful to be so profound. |
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Library_Ann
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Oct 11, 2007
Posts: 29
Location: Haunting the stacks
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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Try googling "tito mukhopadhyay".
He's an adolescent boy in India who, although low-functioning with repetitive behaviors and mutism, had been taught to communicate by pointing at letters on a board. His autobiography demonstrated that "he can communicate his thoughts and feelings through remarkable prose and poetry, written in fluent English." Pop neurobiologist Oliver Sacks wrote "it has usually been assumed that deeply autistic people are scarcely capable of introspection or deep thought, let alone of poetic or metaphoric leaps of the imagination -- or, if they are, that they are incapable of communicating these thoughts to us. Tito gives the lie to all these assumptions, and forces us to reconsider the condition of the deeply autistic."
Wanting to promote understanding and respect for autistic people, Tito endured months of testing with varying degrees of patience and results. But Tito's explanations for his test responses provided the researchers with profound insight and new avenues of investigation, particularly in the field of sensory integration which seemed to be the main obstacle to Tito's speech. |
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Callista
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 04, 2006
Age: 25
Posts: 1663
Location: Central USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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Age--are your fine-motor skills any good? you could write out what you wanted to say; you're very understandable typing.
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Female. Engineering student. Gamer. Christian. Asexual. Information Addict. Deal with it!
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Age1600
Bonita-Azul
Joined: Apr 23, 2007
Age: 23
Posts: 1936
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| SabbraCadabra wrote: | | Age1600 wrote: | | ...it almost feels like im choking and can't get my words out, there in my head floating sometimes or theres nothing going on and that bothers me even more. i know when im completely nonverbal it feels like i have to take an extra hard breath just to get a one worder out, like my brain lost the connection completely to the vocal cords and my vocal cords are straining to work. |
Yes, that's exactly what it's like for me. Even something as simple as "could you turn the volume up, please?" becomes a struggle =/
I can only imagine how horrible that would be to go through that every single day.
Sooner or later, they'll figure out how to decode our telepathic transmissions |
Yea haha i would love if they figured out to decode telepathic tranmissions hehehe...
| Callista wrote: | | Age--are your fine-motor skills any good? you could write out what you wanted to say; you're very understandable typing. |
Eh, my writing is like chicken scratch basically, took me very long to be able to write my name or do curserve. Thanks, my typing is really good can even type over 100 words per minute without even looking at the screen or keyboard, i sometimes headshake while im typing or stare at the fan or lights, its weird. Thanks for trying to help though!
_________________
Dxed Classic Autism(moderate to severe as a child, now moderate to high functioning as an adult) & Dxed Tourette Syndrome...
I'm one ticcing, stimming chica from the Jersey Shore
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated |
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earthmonkey
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 06, 2005
Age: 18
Posts: 509
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| Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Age1600 wrote: | | SabbraCadabra wrote: | | Age1600 wrote: | | ...it almost feels like im choking and can't get my words out, there in my head floating sometimes or theres nothing going on and that bothers me even more. i know when im completely nonverbal it feels like i have to take an extra hard breath just to get a one worder out, like my brain lost the connection completely to the vocal cords and my vocal cords are straining to work. |
Yes, that's exactly what it's like for me. Even something as simple as "could you turn the volume up, please?" becomes a struggle =/
I can only imagine how horrible that would be to go through that every single day.
Sooner or later, they'll figure out how to decode our telepathic transmissions |
Yea haha i would love if they figured out to decode telepathic tranmissions hehehe...
| Callista wrote: | | Age--are your fine-motor skills any good? you could write out what you wanted to say; you're very understandable typing. |
Eh, my writing is like chicken scratch basically, took me very long to be able to write my name or do curserve. Thanks, my typing is really good can even type over 100 words per minute without even looking at the screen or keyboard, i sometimes headshake while im typing or stare at the fan or lights, its weird. Thanks for trying to help though! |
Do you have a portable keyboard, like an alphasmart or something? Mine doesn't talk, considering that most of the time I am verbal and don't have the money to invest in a talking one, but there are machines that will say what you type, and since you are 50% nonverbal, then you could probably get assistance paying for one that talks.
_________________
"Public transportation is for jerks and lesbians." --Homer Simpson
"why is it bad for me to discuss why I need the lights off above my desk but it is ok for you to tell me you had a camera shoved up your a#$?" --an aspie coming out |
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