Confusion in your mind about the term nonspeaking?

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog with my communication partner Kelly about why we say nonspeaking instead of nonverbal. Unreliable speakers like myself have lots of speech, however, we don’t communicate our true thoughts using our speech. That must be confusing for many with the thought that only those with no speech are nonspeakers. There are some perhaps whose thought is that we make the term nonspeaker mean only those who never speak.

I am a nonspeaker. To call me any different would suggest that my speech has intent, which it rarely does unless I am reading my own words on a screen or script. This video shows me reading a script I typed out with Kelly holding a keyboard. The words were printed out onto paper and the papers are then held up when I am filming. With no script what you are seeing would be impossible for me to do.

I want everyone to understand that having purposeful speech is so difficult for me. I want to make that clear. I truly hope you will take the time to watch my video and really listen to the words of a nonspeaker.

Autastic Tom is all about spreading the message that autism can and should be celebrated.