I’ve decided the way I’m going to approach this month is to alternate between negative and positive posts.

Today’s post is about Ido Kedar. He’s a young adult, I believe (20ish?) who spent the first half of his life classed as non-verbal. Because he couldn’t speak with his mouth and had motor difficulties which made it hard for him to type, use sign language, etc, “professionals” assumed Ido was much less capable than he actually is.

The post below is from his blog, and features a link to a podcast about the ways researchers are now trying to explore the experiences of so-called “low-functioning” or “non-verbal” autistic people. Ido participates by using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

This is just one of the many reasons we should always presume competence/understanding/the ability to make choices, even in young children or people who struggle to communicate in more typical ways.

http://idoinautismland.com/?p=808