Speech is not the only language

Some autistic people speak fluently. Some speak some of the time. Some do not speak and understand everything you say. Non-speaking is not non-thinking.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — an app, a board, a keyboard — is speech. Do not treat it as a last resort or a thing to grow out of. Talk to the person, not to the device, and wait longer than feels comfortable.

Echolalia (repeating phrases) can be processing, bonding, or answering in a borrowed sentence. Scripts are not fake. They are a bridge.

Direct language helps. “We are leaving in ten minutes” is kinder than “we should probably think about heading off soon.” Implied meaning is a dialect not everyone was taught.