Mastering Violin While Autistic and (Mostly) Nonspeaking: Sid Ramaswamy
I would like to say—believe in us! Please don’t assess our potential based entirely on our outward behavior or what we may not be able to say verbally.
AAC
Yes, Multimodal Communication Is Imperative
Many autistic people rely on multimodal communication for accessibility. Kaishawna Fleming discusses why showcasing different forms of communication is so important for disability representation.
April and Accommodations: I Need My Technology to Communicate!
If we say we need a piece of technology, enable that. If a meeting knows I need to use a chat facility for video, enable support for that so that I join in equally.
April and Accommodations: Tell me what to expect in advance!
A small switch in behavior other people can make, to ease the author’s life as an autistic person, is to “Tell me what to expect in advance! Especially for unfamiliar events… and in more detail than you expect I’ll need.”
Jordyn Zimmerman on This Is Not About Me, a Remarkable New Film
Jordyn Zimmerman’s story, as told in the new documentary This Is Not About Me, is an example of how non-speaking autistic people can blossom when communication becomes possible.
The First Tendrils of Communication
I am saying when you plan in advance HOW someone else will communicate, you PLAN what they will communicate—and then it CEASES to be communication.
Finding the Right Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) For Your Autistic Child
After your loved one receives a diagnosis of Autism, people may bombard you with (possibly unsolicited) advice for next steps. One such step you may actually want to consider is to seek the services of a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).
Why Doesn’t Respect for Communication Diversity Include Nonspeaking Autistic People?
When we are far more willing to believe in the capacity for communication of animals and aliens than we are in that of nonspeaking and intellectually disabled autistic people, and extend our research and creativity towards mutual understanding, no, I have to reject the assertion that “Some autistic people just can’t communicate.”
ASL for Autistics
Photo © MrTinDC | Flickr / Creative Commons [image: Bronze sculpture of hands demonstrating American Sign Language, in the visitor center at Gallaudet University.] endever* corbin anotherqueerautistic.wordpress.com To preface: I am a hearing semiverbal autistic person who is studying American Sign Language (ASL) and using it as AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). I want to talk about
How I Want People To Talk With (And About) My Autistic Son
Photo © Shannon Des Roches Rosa [image: Photo of a teen wearing a jacket and baseball cap, seen from behind, far ahead on an oaken hillside trail.] Shannon Des Roches Rosa @shannonrosa When I was in physical therapy to rehabilitate a busted knee, the kind, competent therapists tended to make small talk—which invariably meant fielding