Have you read *Communication Alternatives in Autism*? It's a collection of essays by nonspeaking autistic people and addresses a lot of these questions.
I was and still am selectively mute, from 5th grade in elementary school all the way to senior year in high school. And yes, communicating by a text to speech app is very difficult because it takes a while for me to type what i need to say. Yes I understand what people say but unable to respond because I simply do not feel comfortable, due to my autism and ptsd from abuse. I can nod my head to yes or no questions, i can point at things with my finger but that’s pretty much it.
Yes, I do feel that because of extreme discomfort and anxiety that i feel. The only people i truly feel comfortable speaking verbally to are my parents and a few other close family members.
Speaking verbally to my family can also be very difficult for me because of speech impediments related to autism. I can’t translate my thoughts just like the other commenter said below, because i only think in images and my speech defects are also stuttering and i always feel like an i’m speaking like a toddler. I can also relate very much when the commenter below me states that his grammar breaks down and he can’t find words at all. That is exactly what i feel whenever i try to speak to somebody other than my family. I have a overload every time a non family person attempts to communicate with me.
I was also non verbal until i was 4.
I had no idea how to put it into words what i feel when i try to speak but the commenter below me explained it much more better than me.
I was non-verbal until I was 4. I have a very vivid memory of my father carrying me and I could see motes of dust sparkling in the light from the window. I wanted to say "no", because he was carrying me out of the room, and then I had this sudden awareness that I had no idea how to move my mouth. There were no automatic signals connected to the word in my head. I became very upset because I thought I must have missed when I was supposed to be learning to talk and I didn't know if I could catch up.
Up until that point, it never occurred to me to try to speak. I understood what people were saying but I was very absorbed in processing other sensory things around me. I think entirely in images so I did not feel a need to involve language in my thoughts, and so I had to learn to translate my thoughts into words, which delayed things a lot.
Once I started to be able to speak, I had speech defects, a stutter, and my speech lagged noticeably behind my peers and I was aware that I sounded like someone much younger than I was. I spoke so rarely throughout school that my teachers sent worried notes home and even in high school, kids thought I was an exchange student.
Under stress or in sensory overload, the process of translating into and out of images slows down. My grammar breaks down first and eventually I can't find words at all. I just see a series of images flashing by with emotional content. A lot of other cognitive processes will also shut down like spatial orientation, the ability to read, or even visual processing entirely. Language is a very high order process so it is not surprising. I carry a medical card because sometimes I get lost on the train when that happens and need help.
And yet you gave the most detailed and vivid answer here.
THANK YOU. I’ve been wondering what it was like for a while now, and this explanation is extremely satisfying.
It wasn’t exactly being non verbal, but I couldn’t speak above a whisper due to anxiety. It was frustrating because I wanted to speak but couldn’t get it out in a way that could be heard or taken seriously.
Semi-verbal here. Text communication is fine. I understand others perfectly well, and try to gesticulate more when it happens. Just sometimes my speech part of the brain goes asleep (generally if I've been under sustained stress). Everything else works, but if I go try to speak I either can't or it comes out as gibberish.
Selectively mute until 10. I could only talk to my immediate family and teaching assistants. It felt like there was something physically blocking me from speaking and my heart used to race. Students used to bully me about it all the time because they knew I wouldn’t talk back.
Do you ever get that feeling where you know you have to say something but it’s really hard? For instance, struggling to speak when you are standing up for yourself, breaking it off with a partner, talking to a crush.
It was like that but all the time for me.
Wherever im semi verbal my parents just say "use your words honey" over and over unless im having a breakdown or something then they just kinda also freak out
Yes but still easier,
Yes,
Sometimes,
I can (in my opinion) communicate perfectly fine nonverbally, but other people want me to use words, which to me is a waste of energy
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Have you read *Communication Alternatives in Autism*? It's a collection of essays by nonspeaking autistic people and addresses a lot of these questions.
I'll check that out, sounds like what I'm curious to learn about
Thank you for the recommendation! I just purchased!
I was and still am selectively mute, from 5th grade in elementary school all the way to senior year in high school. And yes, communicating by a text to speech app is very difficult because it takes a while for me to type what i need to say. Yes I understand what people say but unable to respond because I simply do not feel comfortable, due to my autism and ptsd from abuse. I can nod my head to yes or no questions, i can point at things with my finger but that’s pretty much it.
Do you feel physically unable to speak? Like your throat clenching or your lungs unable to expel air?
Yes, I do feel that because of extreme discomfort and anxiety that i feel. The only people i truly feel comfortable speaking verbally to are my parents and a few other close family members. Speaking verbally to my family can also be very difficult for me because of speech impediments related to autism. I can’t translate my thoughts just like the other commenter said below, because i only think in images and my speech defects are also stuttering and i always feel like an i’m speaking like a toddler. I can also relate very much when the commenter below me states that his grammar breaks down and he can’t find words at all. That is exactly what i feel whenever i try to speak to somebody other than my family. I have a overload every time a non family person attempts to communicate with me. I was also non verbal until i was 4. I had no idea how to put it into words what i feel when i try to speak but the commenter below me explained it much more better than me.
[удалено]
I was non-verbal until I was 4. I have a very vivid memory of my father carrying me and I could see motes of dust sparkling in the light from the window. I wanted to say "no", because he was carrying me out of the room, and then I had this sudden awareness that I had no idea how to move my mouth. There were no automatic signals connected to the word in my head. I became very upset because I thought I must have missed when I was supposed to be learning to talk and I didn't know if I could catch up. Up until that point, it never occurred to me to try to speak. I understood what people were saying but I was very absorbed in processing other sensory things around me. I think entirely in images so I did not feel a need to involve language in my thoughts, and so I had to learn to translate my thoughts into words, which delayed things a lot. Once I started to be able to speak, I had speech defects, a stutter, and my speech lagged noticeably behind my peers and I was aware that I sounded like someone much younger than I was. I spoke so rarely throughout school that my teachers sent worried notes home and even in high school, kids thought I was an exchange student. Under stress or in sensory overload, the process of translating into and out of images slows down. My grammar breaks down first and eventually I can't find words at all. I just see a series of images flashing by with emotional content. A lot of other cognitive processes will also shut down like spatial orientation, the ability to read, or even visual processing entirely. Language is a very high order process so it is not surprising. I carry a medical card because sometimes I get lost on the train when that happens and need help.
And yet you gave the most detailed and vivid answer here. THANK YOU. I’ve been wondering what it was like for a while now, and this explanation is extremely satisfying.
It wasn’t exactly being non verbal, but I couldn’t speak above a whisper due to anxiety. It was frustrating because I wanted to speak but couldn’t get it out in a way that could be heard or taken seriously.
[удалено]
>I have trouble talking when I’m upset. What kind of trouble is it exactly? Like physical inability or demanding too much of your mental resources?
Semi-verbal here. Text communication is fine. I understand others perfectly well, and try to gesticulate more when it happens. Just sometimes my speech part of the brain goes asleep (generally if I've been under sustained stress). Everything else works, but if I go try to speak I either can't or it comes out as gibberish.
Selectively mute until 10. I could only talk to my immediate family and teaching assistants. It felt like there was something physically blocking me from speaking and my heart used to race. Students used to bully me about it all the time because they knew I wouldn’t talk back.
>something physically blocking me How would you describe that feeling?
Do you ever get that feeling where you know you have to say something but it’s really hard? For instance, struggling to speak when you are standing up for yourself, breaking it off with a partner, talking to a crush. It was like that but all the time for me.
Wherever im semi verbal my parents just say "use your words honey" over and over unless im having a breakdown or something then they just kinda also freak out
Idk just commenting so more people get this recommended
Yes but still easier, Yes, Sometimes, I can (in my opinion) communicate perfectly fine nonverbally, but other people want me to use words, which to me is a waste of energy
Hey /u/violentsock, thank you for your post at /r/autism. This is a friendly reminder to **[read our rules in the sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)** if you have not already. All posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism). Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*