Jaya Hinton
characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal
likely to either over or underestimate how much their child actually understands unless the child is given
the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS), the
Preschool Language Scale, or the Clinical Evaluations of Language Fundamentals (CELF) tests, all of
which help to determine a childs receptive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary is made up of words that
people are able to understand and respond to even if they are unable to produce them, while expressive
vocabulary refers to the words that people are able to produce either verbally or nonverbally.
It is important to recognize that autistic language is delayed, not deviant, and that these delays are
commonplace in autistic people. However, these children are able to acquire language both verbally and
nonverbally using American Sign Language. According to the study Sign Language and Autism, Data
on over 100 children indicate that nearly all autistic children learn receptive and expressive signs, and
many learn to combine signs....Speech skills are acquired by fewer children and may be developed
through simultaneous speech and sign training. Sign Language helps nonverbal children with autism
reach the language benchmarks expected of children between the ages of birth to six years old, which are
as follows:
Between the ages of six to 12 months the child is able to use one or more words and respond to
instruction...Between the ages of 18 to 24 months the child should be able to use at least two
prepositions and name a number of objects in his surroundings, and approximately of what the
child says should be intelligible...Between the ages of three to four years the child should be able
to recognize contrast in objects, use at least four prepositions, and have established the
consonants p, b, m, w, and n. Between the ages of four to five years the child should be able to
join sentences, use possessives and double negatives, tell simple jokes, understand more words
that he or she is able to use, and express ideas and feelings. Between the ages of five to six years
the childs speech should be completely intelligible and the the consonants f, v, l, and sounds of
There is a resemblance also in the content of the early vocabularies: autistic children's early
vocabularies, like normal children's, consist predominantly of concrete nouns and action verbs.
One difference is that although autistic children's vocabularies typically continue to grow with
increased training and exposure, they do not grow nearly as quickly as those of young normal
Unlike with non-autistic children, there is no typical rate of language development for a nonverbal child
with autism. Additionally, signing and speaking simultaneously helps nonverbal children increase both
their nonverbal and verbal vocabularies, as they act in a redundant manner to help the child remember
specific words.
Another benefit of using Sign Language in addition to speech is that autistic individuals tend to
express difficulties with understanding and judging pitch, tone, and other input modes that allow full
comprehension of a verbal conversation; this is called multisensory integration disorder. Sign Language
allows the individual to focus on hand movement and body language and eliminates the need for
consistently maintaining eye contact as the eyes are following the signs. This helps to eliminate social
anxiety in the child and allows them to interact more effectively with their community, because Sign
Language is a visual-motor communication system, it may bypass many of the difficulties that autistic
children have with auditory-vocal processing. The motor, kinesthetic, and visual systems in autistic
children appear to be relatively more intact than their auditory-vocal systems (O'Connor, 1971).
The teaching of Sign Language to individuals with autism is extremely easy and very beneficial,
especially when it is started at a young age. Exposure to fluent signers in a classroom and in a social
environment, as well as to signing at home by the parents allows for an optimal learning environment that
acts as a catalyst for the development of language in these children. When the use of Sign Language is
coupled with verbal communication, children are more likely to develop verbal communication skills.
The childs word sign vocabulary helps him or her to remember words in his or her verbal vocabulary and
vice versa. Additionally, the visual and kinetic nature of Sign Language allows parents and teachers to
shape the childs hand in order to form correct signs, which makes them easier to comprehend and
remember.
Another effective way to increase communication ability and comfortability in nonverbal children
is through the use of technology. Technology is able to capture and maintain the attention of autistic
children through the use of graphics and apps called visual scene displays. For example, the app
SceneSpeak creates visual speech to text displays and contains interactive stories that help to enhance
the receptive vocabulary of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Another app called
Speech with Milo helps children to develop storytelling skills, which ultimately translates into the
ability to maintain a conversation with another person. Moreover, many of these students already possess
naturally advanced technological skills that can be fostered through science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) and project-based learning which grow these students confidence both in the
classroom and out. This confidence helps them engage more comfortably and effectively with family and
friends. In Australia, Aspect Hunter School, a pre-K to grade six school exclusively for children on the
autism spectrum, has implemented a learning system using Sphero robots. These robots have been said
to help reduce fear of the social classroom environment, as well as encourage the students to step out of
Overall, nonverbal children with autism have the ability to communicate successfully with those
around them. Through American Sign Language they are able to communicate effectively through body
language and facial expressions as well as word signs, and overcome the communication barriers caused
by ASD. Technology helps in this process as STEM skills help improve social skills, verbal skills are
increased through various apps, and digital tools help to promote the individuals confidence. Though a
lengthy process, the integration of Sign Language into the education of a nonverbal child with autism is
an extremely beneficial endeavor that eases the strain of communication on the child in the future.
Works Cited
June 2017.
Baum, Sarah H. "How Does Sensory Processing Affect Communication in Kids with Autism?" Autism
Speaks,www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2016/06/21/how-does-sensory-processing-affect-communi
Cortez, Meghan Bogardus. "3 Ways Technology Can Help Students with Autism." EdTech Magazine,
30 Aug. 2016,
edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/08/3-ways-technology-can-help-students-autism.
Morson, Emily. "Does Language Develop Differently in Autism?" Mosaic of Minds, 19 Sept. 2015,
mosaicofminds.blogspot.com/2015/09/does-language-develop-differently-in.html. Accessed 24
May 2017.
Tincani, Matt. "Comparing the Picture Exchange Communication System and Sign Language Training
for Children with Autism." Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, vol. 19, no.