New research finds that five times more nonverbal adolescents and adults with autism have knowledge of written language than expected. (Annie Spratt/Unsplash)
It is often assumed that nonverbal people with autism cannot read or write, but new research suggests that for many people that may not be the case.
TO study A study recently published in the journal Autism reveals that five times more nonverbal adolescents and adults with autism have knowledge of written language than expected.
“Society has traditionally assumed that people who cannot speak cannot understand language or learn to read or write,” said Vikram Jaswal, a University of Virginia psychology professor who led the study. “But our findings suggest that many nonverbal autistic people have critical literacy skills.”
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For the study, researchers looked at 31 adolescents and adults with autism. Friends or family members completed three different standardized measures assessing social communication, adaptive behavior, and social responsiveness.
Participants ranged from those who could not pronounce words to individuals with a few words or phrases, but all were considered by their families to be nonverbal and unable to communicate effectively through speech. Evaluations showed they were “significantly disabled,” the study found.
Each of the individuals with autism was asked to touch an iPad while various letters appeared on the screen. In some cases, the letters appeared in a random sequence, but sometimes they spelled sentences that participants had previously heard aloud but not seen visually. The researchers then assessed the participants’ response times.
More than half of the participants responded the same way as a literate person, according to the study. This was the case even though the majority of participants involved in the research had not received formal instruction in reading or writing.
“Our study shows that the language, learning and literacy abilities of nonverbal autistic people have been seriously underestimated,” Jaswal said. “With appropriate instruction and support, it may be possible to leverage these skills to provide access to written forms of communication as an alternative to speech. Learning to express oneself through writing would open up educational, employment, and social opportunities that nonverbal autistic people have not historically been given access to.”
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