“Giving Voice to Nonspeakers: Communication, Advocacy, and Inclusion Across Life”
About This Issue
For too long, nonspeaking autistic individuals have been underestimated, misunderstood, and denied the tools and opportunities they need to communicate. This issue is dedicated to changing that — centering their voices, their rights, and the growing movement to ensure every person has access to their preferred means of communication.
Featuring perspectives from nonspeaking self-advocates, parents, clinicians, researchers, educators, and legal experts, this issue covers spelling and typing to communicate, augmentative and alternative communication, presuming competence, emotional regulation, mental health access, educational rights, and the policy and legal battles shaping the future of communication access — offering insight, inspiration, and practical guidance for families, professionals, and advocates alike.
Articles in This Issue
* Indicates an article written by an Autistic Adult
“All Done Talkin’ ‘Bout It:” One Mom’s Journey to Communicating With Her Autistic Daughter
* “The Best Medicine Is Respect!” Creating a Supportive Healthcare Environment for Nonspeakers
A Stronger, Unified Voice for Autism Professionals
* Advancing the Rights-Based Inclusion of People Who Need and Use AAC: A Guide to Allyship
* Autistic Lived Experience: Re-Thinking the Reasons for Past Behaviors
Beyond the Device: Teaching Meaningful, Spontaneous Communication with Speech-Generating Devices
* Building Community and Advocacy: From Voiceless to SEEN and Heard
Building Functional Communication: Empowering Families Through Evidence-Based Caregiver Intervention
Communication, Regulation, and Trust: Supporting Non-speaking Autistic Individuals in Everyday Life
* Connecting With Nonspeakers: A Practical Guide
Core Learning Characteristics of Autism and Their Implications in Typing to Communicate
* Freeing the Mind: A Nonspeaking Autistic’s Case for Presuming Competence
* Giving Voice to Non-Speakers: Language, Respect and the Power of Naming
* Mental Health Care for People Who Use AAC: Rationale and Practice
More Than Spoken Words: How DSPs Help People Find Their Voice
* My Journey to Independent Typing: One Autistic Nonspeaker’s Story
Opening the Door: Psychotherapy With Nonspeaking or Unreliably Speaking Autistic Young Adults
Presuming Competence: What It Really Means and Why It Is Life Changing
* Re-Envisioning Our Unnecessarily Disabled Futures
Rethinking Evidence-Based Practice for Supporting Nonspeaking Individuals
* Studying Understanding Without Speech: Neuroimaging Minimally Speaking Autistic Individuals
Supporting Emotional Regulation in Non-Speaking Children
Supporting Social Communication in Autism: A Review of Evidence-Based Speech Therapy Approaches
The Evolution of Training for Facilitated Communication
The Miracle Project’s Express Yourself Program Gives Nonspeaking/Multi-Modal Artists the Stage
* The Power of Presuming Competence: A Nonspeaker’s Call to Action
The Quietest People in the Room Often Have the Most to Say
* The Right to Learn: One Nonspeaking Autistic Student’s Case for Educational Access and Dignity
The Visual Aspect of Increasing Communication Across Disciplines
Training Communication Partners for Nonspeaking Spellers: A Replicable, Evidence-Informed Framework
Very Great Sound: The Case for Teaching Poetry to Nonspeaking Autistic Students
* We Shall Overcome: Why I Am Certain Nonspeakers Will Win Our Rights to Communicate
What Parents Should Know About ASHA’s Position Statement on Spelling Methodologies
Why Message-Passing Tests Are Unethical
* Indicates an article written by an Autistic Adult
