Quote:
Originally Posted by Callista
What's even scarier is that they aren't letting autistic kids learn sign, because they think that it will stop them learning to speak. My mom works for a bunch of auties as an occupational therapist, and their parents often don't want them to learn things like picture boards or Blissymbolics because they think it will stop them from learning to speak. As though speaking were so important!!
Effectively, they are denying all communication to the child... because atypical communication does not look "normal". I think there are a lot of autistic people who have things to say that nobody will ever hear, because of that kind of narrow-minded approach to communication.
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You have made a very good point, as the communication needs of the deaf and the communication needs of the autistic have many parallels. Both encounter numerous obstacles with oral only communication, but are able to communicate quite effectively with alternative methods. To deny those alternative methods is to create a handicap out of a disability.