It’s Never Too Late to Communicate: Increasing Communication Access for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism
Laura Nagy,
M.S., CCC-SLP
(they/them/theirs)
Speech-Language Pathologist
Melmark Pennsylvania
An estimated 5 million people in the United States are living with complex communication needs (CCN) (Beukelman & Light, 2020). This estimate includes people across all age groups and disability types who experience difficulties meeting their communication needs using only verbal speech. Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) methods offer a way to communicate for people who do not use verbal speech or who have significant limitations on their speech. AAC may be appropriate for people of any age when they have the opportunity and support needed to learn.
In typically developing individuals, language acquisition begins around 6 months and continues developing through early adolescence. If a child does not use functional speech by age 5, they are considered nonverbal or minimally verbal (Tager-Flusberg & Kasari, 2013). Historically, it was believed that if language skills did not develop prior to age 5, a person would be unable to gain this skill later in life. However, with the growing availability of alternative communication methods, learning to communicate does not have to be limited to young children and may be possible well into adulthood.
Many nonverbal and minimally verbal adults rely on non-symbolic communication, such as eye gaze, gestures, facial expressions, and body language, to meet their communication needs. While these methods are effective in some circumstances, non-symbolic communication significantly limits the type and variety of messages an individual can communicate. AAC increases access to symbolic communication, which consists of spoken and written language, signed languages, and picture symbols. With increased access to symbolic communication via AAC, non-verbal and minimally verbal individuals can expand their communication abilities to include more complex and abstract messages.
