Teaching Communication Skills to Nonverbal Children with Autism

Michael Mohan

August 15, 2025

Teaching communication skills to nonverbal children with autism through approaches that build connection and self-expression

Communication is the foundation of human connection, learning, and quality of life. For families raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), helping their child develop effective communication skills becomes a primary focus—especially when that child is nonverbal or minimally verbal. About 25% to 30% of children with ASD either fail to develop functional language or are minimally verbal, but this doesn’t mean these children cannot learn to communicate effectively.

This comprehensive guide explores the most current evidence-based strategies for teaching communication skills to nonverbal children with autism, drawing from the latest research and proven therapeutic approaches that can make a transformative difference in your child’s life.

Understanding Nonverbal Autism: More Than Meets the Eye

Defining Nonverbal Communication in Autism

Around 25% to 30% of children diagnosed with autism either do not develop functional language or are minimally verbal, meaning they use fewer than 30 functional words or cannot use speech alone for communication. However, it’s crucial to understand that nonverbal doesn’t mean non-communicative. It’s important to note that being nonverbal does not necessarily indicate an inability to understand language or express complex thoughts and emotions.

Children with ASD may have difficulty developing language skills and understanding what others say to them. They also often have difficulty communicating nonverbally, such as through hand gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions. Yet with the right support and interventions, these children can develop robust communication systems that allow them to express their needs, wants, thoughts, and feelings.

The Spectrum of Communication Challenges

Nonverbal autism can vary widely in presentation; some individuals may not speak at all, while others might use limited words inconsistently or only in specific contexts. Understanding this diversity is essential for developing personalized communication strategies.

Some children may:

Understand language but struggle with verbal expression
Use gestures, facial expressions, or body language to communicate
Rely on behavior to express needs and frustrations
Show strong skills in certain areas while struggling in others

The Critical Importance of Early Intervention

Research-Backed Benefits of Early Communication Support

Research shows that early diagnosis of and interventions for autism are more likely to have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills. The timing of intervention can significantly impact outcomes, with maximum benefits occurring at age 3.81 years according to meta-analysis research involving over 1,400 children.

Research teams have found that two years after completing early intervention, children maintained gains in overall intellectual ability and language and showed new areas of progress in reduced autism symptoms. Even more encouragingly, with early intervention, some children with autism make so much progress that they are no longer on the autism spectrum when they are older.

The Developmental Window of Opportunity

Early intervention for autism means providing therapeutic services to a child with ASD, typically starting as early as two or three years old. During these early years, the brain is still rapidly developing, which is why early intervention is key to a child’s development and functioning later in life.

Some studies have shown that early intervention can improve a child’s IQ by an average of 17 points, demonstrating the profound impact that timely support can have on a child’s overall development.

Foundation Skills: Building Blocks for Communication

Joint Attention: The Gateway to Communication

A lack of joint attention is known as a “core deficit” for children on the Autism Spectrum. In order for children with Autism to communicate their wants and needs (and socialize with others by saying “hi”, making comments, and responding to what someone says), establishing joint attention is crucial!

Joint attention involves sharing focus on an object or activity with another person. Research has proven that joint attention skills in young children are correlated with more advanced spoken language and higher social skills as children grow.

Strategies for Developing Joint Attention:

Follow Your Child’s Lead: Rather than interrupting your child’s focus, follow along with words. If they’re interested in trains, use trains to build joint attention skills.
Use Clear Gestures: Use both your body and your voice when communicating – for example, by extending your hand to point when you say “look” and nodding your head when you say “yes”.
Create Wait Time: Leave “space” for your child to talk. When you ask a question or see that your child wants something, pause for several seconds while looking at him expectantly.

Nonverbal Communication: The Silent Language

Focus on nonverbal communication. Gestures and eye contact can build a foundation for language. Many children with autism are visual learners who can benefit significantly from nonverbal communication strategies.

Many autistic children benefit from instruction in using nonverbal communication. This includes using and interpreting gestures. This is an important skill, because much of what we communicate doesn’t involve verbal language.

Evidence-Based Communication Interventions

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

AAC systems provide alternative ways to communicate beyond speech. AAC interventions for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex communication needs increase functional communication skills, increase language and social competence, and can increase natural speech in some individuals. The ability to effectively and efficiently communicate wants and needs and actively participate in social exchanges can improve quality of life and independence.

Types of AAC Systems:

Low-Tech Options:

Communication boards and books
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Sign language and gestures
Written notes or cards

High-Tech Solutions:

Speech-generating devices (SGDs)
Tablet applications designed for communication
Voice output communication aids (VOCAs)

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a unique alternative/augmentative communication system developed in the USA in 1985 by Andy Bondy, PhD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP. PECS was first implemented with pre-school students diagnosed with autism at the Delaware Autism Program. Since then, PECS has successfully been implemented worldwide with thousands of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges.

The body of research supporting the effectiveness of PECS as an evidence-based practice is substantial and continues to expand, with more than 240 research articles from all over the world.

The Six Phases of PECS:

How to Communicate: Learning to exchange single pictures for desired items
Picture Discrimination: Selecting from multiple pictures
Sentence Structure: Constructing simple sentences using “I want” + picture
Sentence Expansion: Adding descriptive words and concepts
Responsive Requesting: Answering “What do you want?”
Commenting: Making observations about the environment

Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP)

LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) is a therapeutic approach based on neurological and motor learning principles. Designed specifically with the autistic community in mind, LAMP works on the principle that there is one unique ‘rule’ (or motor plan) to express a specific word, like that of typical speech production.

Speech Therapy Strategies for Nonverbal Children

Age-Appropriate Intervention Approaches

For Children Birth to 2 Years:
Shared attention activities, like playing with toys, building together, or playing with clay, sand, or slime. Encouraging repetition of simple sounds, like “ma”, “ba”, “pa”, and “wa”. Encouraging imitation in games. This can include making animal sounds, modeling facial expressions, or saying simple words.

For Children 2 to 4 Years:
Promoting choice making between two items. For example: “Do you want juice or water?” This age group can benefit from more structured communication opportunities while still maintaining play-based approaches.

For Children 4 to 6 Years:
Playing age-appropriate games to target joint attention, turn-taking, and sharing. Sorting games can be highly engaging for kids with autism.

Communication Temptations and Environmental Setup

Using communication temptations like blowing bubbles and then stopping, to encourage verbalizations can be highly effective. These strategies create natural opportunities for children to communicate by controlling their environment in ways that encourage interaction.

Parent-Mediated Interventions: Empowering Families

The Role of Parents in Communication Development

Parents could be taught effective treatment strategies that target core difficulties in children with autism, such as joint attention. The authors also highlighted the importance of joint attention in early intervention and parent training programs involving new parents.

More and more studies have highlighted the need for parent involvement and parent training. Parents spend the most time with their children and are in the best position to provide consistent, ongoing communication support throughout daily activities.

Strategies for Parents:

Model Communication: A great way to encourage your child to use joint attention skills is by modeling them yourself! Talk to your child often and comment on things around you. Use gestures like pointing as you talk.
Simplify Language: Simplify your language. Doing so helps your child follow what you’re saying. If your child is nonverbal, try speaking mostly in single words. Keep following this “one-up” rule: Generally use phrases with one more word than your child is using.
Create Communication Opportunities: Encourage play and social interaction. Children learn through play, and that includes learning language. Interactive play provides enjoyable opportunities for you and your child to communicate.

Technology and Modern Communication Tools

iPad and Tablet-Based Communication

Tablets are high-technology devices that can play an important role in improving communication skills. Two studies suggested that iPad applications can be used to teach communication skills and improve language.

Modern technology offers unprecedented opportunities for nonverbal children with autism:

Voice output communication apps
Picture-based communication software
Video modeling applications
Social skills training programs

Considerations for Technology Use

High-tech AAC is not better than low-tech AAC, it is about finding the best communication method for your child. If using a high-tech AAC system, there must also be some access to a low-tech method. This is because technology can break or run out of battery and if this happens it will leave an individual without a voice.

Measuring Success and Setting Realistic Expectations

Understanding Individual Progress

It’s important to remember that each person with autism is unique. Even with tremendous effort, a strategy that works well with one child or teenager may not work with another. And even though every person with autism can learn to communicate, it’s not always through spoken language.

Some children initially classified as nonverbal may develop verbal communication skills later with the right support, though others may continue to rely on alternative communication methods.

Long-term Outcomes and Quality of Life

Nonverbal individuals with autism have much to contribute to society and can live fulfilling lives with the help of visual supports and assistive technologies. The goal isn’t necessarily to achieve verbal speech, but rather to establish effective, functional communication that supports independence and social connection.

Creating Supportive Environments

Educational Settings

For nonverbal or minimally verbal autistic children, IEPs may include goals related to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, which can help these children express their thoughts, needs, and desires effectively.

Effective educational support involves:

Consistent communication systems across all environments
Trained staff who understand AAC systems
Regular collaboration between home and school
Individualized goals based on the child’s specific needs

Community Integration

Support generalisation of communication by accessing a range of communication partners: Do this by practising communication with siblings, family members, peers, teachers and other professionals they may interact with.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Addressing Communication Breakdowns

Without meaningful gestures or other nonverbal skills to enhance their oral language skills, many children with ASD become frustrated in their attempts to make their feelings, thoughts, and needs known. They may act out their frustrations through vocal outbursts or other inappropriate behaviors.

Solutions include:

Teaching repair strategies for communication breakdowns
Providing multiple ways to express the same message
Recognizing and responding to all communication attempts
Creating calm, supportive environments for communication practice

Generalization Across Settings

Improvements gained through teaching PECS may fail to maintain or generalize to new communication partners and settings once highly skilled researchers, who implement many and complex teaching strategies, have completed their research.

To promote generalization:

Practice communication in multiple settings
Involve various communication partners in training
Use natural, meaningful contexts for practice
Maintain consistency in communication approaches across environments

The Importance of Professional Support

When to Seek Help

If a doctor suspects a child has ASD or another developmental disability, he or she usually will refer the child to a variety of specialists, including a speech-language pathologist. This is a health professional trained to treat individuals with voice, speech, and language disorders. The speech-language pathologist will perform a comprehensive evaluation of the child’s ability to communicate, and will design an appropriate treatment program.

Building Your Support Team

A comprehensive communication support team might include:

Speech-language pathologists
Occupational therapists
Behavioral specialists
Special education teachers
Developmental pediatricians

Looking Forward: Hope and Progress

Emerging Research and Future Directions

To better understand and treat nonverbal autism, the field must paradoxically move beyond focusing on speech production, say many researchers. Emerging research suggests that seemingly unrelated issues, such as motor skills and joint attention, may instead be key.

Current research is exploring:

The relationship between motor skills and communication development
Brain imaging techniques to better understand nonverbal children’s abilities
New assistive technologies and communication apps
Personalized intervention approaches based on individual profiles

Success Stories and Inspiration

“Nonverbal communication is a pretty amazing thing really. My son Cooper communicates mostly with sounds: Think grunts and squeals and gasps. He points a lot. And brings things to us and brings us to things. You might not understand him, but me, I know every word because we spent hours, days, weeks, months and years practicing. Every sound is a gift. Because I saw the mountains he had to climb to get them.”

Conclusion: Every Voice Matters

Teaching communication skills to nonverbal children with autism is not just about developing the ability to express needs—it’s about opening doors to connection, learning, and independence. Early social communication skills are important precursors to expressive language for children with ASD, especially in the case of joint attention behaviors. Children with more early joint attention behaviors show better long-term expressive language outcomes. This research suggests that interventions that increase a child’s social communication skills may result in improved language use, including better long-term language and communication outcomes.

The journey may be challenging, but with evidence-based interventions, family support, professional guidance, and patience, every child can develop their unique voice. Every autistic person, whether verbal or nonverbal, has a unique way of expressing themselves, building connections, and contributing to the world. Supporting communication in all its forms is a step toward creating a more inclusive and understanding society.

Remember: communication is not just about words—it’s about connection, understanding, and giving every child the tools they need to share their thoughts, feelings, and unique perspective with the world.

References

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