Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about a relatively new method that can be used by non-speaking people in order to communicate. There is a general consensus that children with autism who are unable to speak do not have the ability to make higher level thoughts. In essence, they are believed to have cognitive deficits that make it difficult for them to learn new tasks and communicate with others using their own thoughts. The recently published book called Underestimated is a story about how a 17-year-old boy learned how to convey his own thoughts by spelling using a letterboard. Because there is much controversy over this technique, the article discussed in the video researched how these non-speaking people use their eyes quickly and show agency when spelling. The study concluded that these people are able to communicate their own thoughts with this method. Check out the video for more in depth information on Spelling to Communicate for people with autism!
Jaswal VK, Wayne A, Golino H. Eye-tracking reveals agency in assisted autistic communication. Sci Rep. 2020 May 12;10(1):7882.
