What You Did Not Know About Autism
For centuries autistics have been a mystery. Trapped in their bodies, unable to communicate, they were largely labeled, dismissed, and institutionalized. When the numbers of individuals with autism were statistically insignificant, there were limited efforts to identify the cause or the cure. Due to the disproportionate growth of autism diagnosis’s since the early 1990’s who are non verbal or unreliably verbal, efforts to improve their well being have increased dramatically. However, much of the struggle is still in the perception and understanding of those who are non verbal. As my son spelled, “Most people only listen to our bodies.” Now that more and more non verbal autistics are finding ways to express how they experience life and what their challenges are, we have to face the misperceptions we have had about those who can’t speak and at the same time open ourselves up to the fact that non speaking is NOT non thinking.
Those with non verbal autism do not have an intellectual disability. Instead they have a combination of motor planning deficits, extreme anxiety, and impulse and sensory integration complications that result in a disregulated body they can not control.
Non speaking is NOT non thinking. Thought and comprehension are processed in the left hemisphere of the brain in the Wernicke’s area while speech and articulation are motor planning functions of the Broca’s area. The disconnect between these two regions of the brain results in apraxia of speech or no speech. New methods of communication have allowed non verbal autistics who have minimal control over their body to communicate their intentional thoughts and comprehension of complex material, as well as develop meaningful relationships and communicate their hopes and dreams.
All intellectual assessments require the ability to control your body either through speech, writing, or sign language. Without the ability to control their body for assessments, relationships, and to have impulse control, non verbal autistics are assessed and labeled according to their unruly bodies instead of their capable and competent minds. Their unruly bodies, that they can not control are labeled as behavior problems. Behavior implies intent, with no control there is not intent, just their own awareness of being mislabeled and misunderstood.
Being autistic is lonely. People assume non verbal autistics don’t want to have relationships or learn because their bodies won’t allow them to stay engaged in a meaningful, intentional way.
Improved body control, intentional intelligent communication and relationships are possible because of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself and compensate for neurological deficits. Specific therapies that target communication, the vestibular system, neurological timing, and improved reflexes and muscle tone have remarkable ability to improve the lives of non verbal autistics and their families.
