ABSTRACT
According to the standard diagnostic criteria for autism, communication difficulties and autism are inextricably interconnected. Even if verbal fluency is acknowledged as existent, autistic speech can still be posited as deficient in some way, and language must pass the ‘functionality’ test in any case. In this chapter, drawing from my own research study, I explore some of the ways in which autistic communication is defined and described, and discuss the consequences of these depictions for school settings. I provide examples of how, despite instances of positive support, well-intentioned interventions in school can lead to a denial of the value of autistic communication. This in turn leads to a diminishment of agency on the part of the children. Nevertheless, the children themselves shine a light on how best to engage with them, and show that through silent resistance and deep interests, they can not only reclaim their own agency, but demonstrate the circumstances in which they communicate more fully. The case for setting aside the unquestioned association between autism and communicative disorder – and by extension, cognitive irrationality – is therefore argued.
Keywords: autistic communication, communication interventions, agency, silence, intense interests, minimally verbal, functional language
