Reid 1

Allee Reid

RC 2001

Professor Rowe

11 February, 2019

Seeking to be Heard; Nonverbal Stereotypes

Imagine being in a world where an individual could not say what was on his or her mind,

without having to try and explain it to someone else first. A world in which first impressions are

the top priority and an overall appearance of an individual seems to determine whether or not one

should socialize with the other, or where one would be considered “not socially fit” to attempt to

have a conversation with. In a world where a diagnosis of a condition or disorder identifies with

a label known as “handicapped,” or “disabled.” Many might associate these terms with an

individual who might have the diagnosis and are labeled as “non-verbal.” Non-verbal personnel

are people who cannot verbalize the common language that is being spoken around them, or

cannot express clear desires or needs when in an conversation with that of another. In today’s

generation and society, non verbal individuals tend to be compared to those that are not

competent. This is far from reality , and research as well as articles from from New York Times

have written and expressed informative thoughts about stereotypes in dealing with

nonverbal personnel. Non-verbal stereotypes are continuing to progress in today’s society, and

advocates are in the works on ending the label of non-verbals in correlation with intelligence.

Within the article, “Helping My Nonverbal Son Find His Voice,” author Jamie Sumner

expresses her thoughts on her son’s communication skills, in relation to his diagnosis of cerebral
 Reid 2

palsy. Sumner begins to describe and places the informative article in the setting of a local park

that she, and her son Charlie took a trip to. In the park, Charlie and Sumner came across this little

girl who was curious of Charlie and his communication device, and was known to Sumner and

Charlie as Joshua. As the little girl asks, “who is he” Sumner pauses. “This should be an easy

question.” Sumner thinks to herself. “Except when I look down at her and her little brother, I see

they are not looking at my son. They are looking at the screen mounted to his wheelchair.” Her

thoughts continue, “I look at it too, waiting for my son to tap a “hello.”(Sumner) Sumner then

explains to the little girl that her son’s name is Charlie, and the machine’s name is Joshua. By

using rhetorical strategies in her conversation with the little girl, as well as in the article, Sumner

uses factual evidence from a mother’s point of view to inform the receiver of the message via a

face to face interaction, or the reader of her article. Strategies such as elevated language, and

persuasive techniques makes the information factual and based on the evidence that she is

Charlie’s mother and she knows his strengths and weaknesses. Sumner’s argument entails that

yes, Charlie is labeled as non verbal, but he can communicate. With the use of Joshua, the device

located on the side of his chair, Sumner personally feels that Charlie is not using his resources

properly. “I glance at Charlie who is eyeing me with his mouth slightly open. He’s waiting for

what he knows comes next and I understand that this conversation is necessary. It is one I have

already had and will have again in more parks and grocery stores and school meetings. Until he

uses his speaking device more consistently, instead of what he’s doing now, which is playing

with it like it’s a video game, I am going to have to speak for him” (Sumner). Reading between

the lines, one can agree that Sumner is a little disappointed here. She knows her son is capable,

and she is tired of explain that fact to others. Using context clues, one might note that Sumner

wants her son to know that he is capable in terms of multiple areas, but in this case especially in
 Reid 3

communication. By using her knowledge of her son’s nonverbal, and cerebral palsy diagnosis

she is then able to expand on her reasoning based by personal experiences and constant

interactions with Charlie on a daily basis. After answering all the little girls questions about

Charlie and Joshua, her brother now is curious as is full of questions.

In consideration that Joshua looks just like and Ipad, the little boy is intrigued and begins

to ask Sumner questions. The statement that makes Charlie laugh every time, “Wait? So who’s

Joshua?” the little boy asked. Sumner continues the conversation, “Joshua is Charlie’s voice for

now,” I say, and now everybody nods and our visitors, curiosity sated, wander off to the swings.

We commence walking and Charlie points ahead like a small charioteer” (Sumner). In this quote,

Sumner identifies the result of her telling others who Joshua is, and what the overall purpose of

the machine is in her, and her son Charlie’s life. Sumner continues, “I always make these

conversations more complicated than they need to be, but if Charlie is still learning to

communicate clearly and effectively, so am I” (Sumner). Throughout the article, Sumner uses

her perspective to tell Charlie’s, along with Joshua’s story. Through her eyes, Charlie’s diagnosis

of cerebral palsy does not define him as a person or his character. She explains in her article that

it is a part of who he is, but it is not all that he is. Nonverbal individuals tend to have a stereotype

of not being as capable of accomplishing tasks; Whereas, personnel who are considered to be

verbal tend to not have this stereotype centered around them. Sumner’s rhetorical strategies such

as comparing and contrasting, and defining helps the reader identify and understand what

Charlie’s diagnoses to the visual eye is, as well as who Joshua is and what purpose he serves in

Sumner’s and Charlie’s life. Author C. Woodruff Starkweather from Temple University, goes

into further explanation of what “non-verbal” is, and why it is diagnosed in “Disorders of

Nonverbal Communication.”
 Reid 4

Starkweather starts his argument by creating a visual, as well as establishing a hook to get

the reader’s attention. “Two people having a conversation do more than talk. Their hands and

faces move, their eyes meet and look away, their heads nod and tilt, and their bodies move in a

number of ways” (Starkweather). With this statement, the author is expressing that one can

communicate with others through more ways, other than verbal communication. By keeping the

broad topic of the stereotype of nonverbal individuals in perspective, allows the reader to

identify the main point of the argument. Stating and identifying sets the tone for the rest of the

journal or article. Rhetorical strategies such as compare and contrasting verbal communication

versus nonverbal communication draws in the attention of the reader, and creates an opportunity

to expand their knowledge of the topics that are being presented. Starkweather is an activist for

nonverbal individuals, and in correlation to speech and language pathology. “It seems fair to

conclude that nonverbal communication is an important process to the speech-language

pathologist because (1) it is an important aspect of the way people interact with one another, (2)

it has an obvious role in the therapeutic process, and (3) it may play a role in language

acquisition” (Starkweather). In this statement, Starkweather makes their own personal argument

apparent and clear. The reader can now put together the overall idea of non-verbal

communication, and how it relates to speech pathology as a whole. The author persuades the

reader by stating factual evidence and providing examples as to how it is used in the speech and

language pathology field.

In conclusion, both pieces of writing resemble an a productive argument in raising

awareness of nonverbal individuals and the stereotypes that might follow the “nonverbal” label.

In today’s society, individuals on the autistic spectrum or who might be diagnosed with cerebral

palsy, might also be nonverbal. Due to this stereotypic label, often times people think nonverbal
 Reid 5

also relates to unintelligence. It is true, some people cannot speak; however, they can

communicate in several other productive ways. Both Sumner and Starkweather presented

material that agrees with the argument that nonverbal stereotypes are still present today, and

speech and language pathologists are becoming more aware of this issue. Non-verbal stereotypes

are continuing to progress in today’s society, and advocates are in the works on ending the label

of non-verbals in correlation with unintelligence.

Works Cited

1. Starkweather, C. Woodruff. “Disorders of Nonverbal Communication.” ASHAWire, 23

May 1977, pubs.asha.org/doi/pdf/10.1044/jshd.4204.535.

2. Sumner, Jamie. “Helping My Nonverbal Son Find His Voice.” The New York Times, The
 Reid 6

New York Times, 6 July 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/well/helping-my-

nonverbal-son-find-his-voice.html.