Photos by Harold L Doherty
One of the more irrational features in some autism discussions is the claim that being non verbal is not a significant indicator of autism severity. Anyone who thinks that verbal communication is not a significant factor in daily functioning is fooling themselves. Communication is important for humans as it is for birds. Crows are often reputed to be the smartest bird species and YouTube abounds with clever activities of crows. Anyone who has walked in areas populated by these very smart birds has heard the loud oral communication that goes on between these marvelous, high functioning creatures.
As with crows, so too with people, oral communication is important in daily functioning and the absence of oral communication abilities is a serious deficit in daily functioning. My son has severe autistic disorder and limited communication. His lack of communication ability seriously limits his everyday life.
