Episode 284: The Silent Symphony of Autistic Embodied Language

Today’s episode explores the concept of autistic embodied language, challenging the common misconception that non-vocal individuals are also non-verbal. The author of the source article, Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, explains that silence from an autistic person is often a form of “composition” or a “waiting-language,” where communication occurs through body movements, rhythms, and attunement rather than spoken words. Dr. Hoerricks highlights how neurotypical expectations of immediate verbal engagement can lead to “freeze states” for autistic gestalt language processors, where pre-formed verbal scripts become inaccessible. She argues that conventional research and societal views often misinterpret these non-vocal expressions as defiance or absence of communication, advocating for a deeper understanding and acceptance of diverse forms of autistic language and connection. She emphasises that true understanding requires an openness to different forms of communication, moving beyond the desire to “decode” or “correct” autistic individuals.

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/when-silence-isnt-absence-notes-on

Let me know what you think.