Jan 12 / Erin Parkes, PhD

Communication with Students Across the Autism Spectrum: Non-Verbal Communication

Students on the autism spectrum can have a wide variety of communication differences. One of those differences is non-verbal communication. This can be both receptive communication (what the student perceives) and expressive communication (what the student communicates). Non-verbal communication is incredibly important in all our teaching, but especially with autistic students who may have challenges with verbal communication. Non-verbal cues can communicate on their independent of verbal communication, but can also support understanding of verbal communication. For students who struggle with either or both, using the two together can help the student to construct an understanding of the world around them.

 
It’s important here to define non-verbal communication as it may include more than people think. All of the following contribute to non-verbal communication:

  • Facial expression: Our face is extremely expressive and can communicate much more clearly than words in some cases. Soft eyes can communicate warmth, a smile communicates joy, furrowed brow communicates frustration, etc. 

  • Body language and posture: The way that you position yourself in relation to your student goes a long way in setting the stage for how you want to communicate with them.

  • Tone of voice: This requires careful coordination with our words—when a student is trying to decipher the meaning of what you’re saying, they’ll pay attention to how you’re saying it.

  • Gestures: This is often an easier means of communication for autistic students. They may gesture to communicate more readily than they’ll speak, and it can be easier to understand pointing or modeling. 

  • Touch: While as teachers we may feel reluctant to use touch, we do often use touch when demonstrating with our students or using hand-over-hand. Be conscious of the affect of that touch.

  • Eye contact: This goes hand in hand with facial expression. 
 

We always want to ensure that our non-verbal communication is reinforcing rather than contradicting our verbal communication. Whenever a student struggles with a learning pathway, we want to bolster that learning in as many ways that we can. If we’re giving mixed messages, it will be very difficult for our student to understand what we’re trying to communicate. This can lead to frustration for the student, and ultimately for us as well.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Some autistic people are uncomfortable with eye contact. We should initiate and maintain eye contact when possible, but it should never be forced. It’s only one means of communication—there are many others!

  • Never ask an autistic student to “use your words.” Allow them to communicate in any way they like. As long as you can understand what they’re trying to communicate, then you should respond to that communication.

  • Try to develop an understanding of your student’s preferred means of receptive communication and communicate with them in a way that they can comprehend. If they require gestures or modeling in order to understand what you’re asking of them, then use them.

  • No matter what’s happening in the lesson, we want to communicate acceptance. Be present with the student. Use your body language and posture to demonstrate that presence at all times. 
 

Key is to remember that all these forms of non-verbal communication work in tandem with verbal communication. Be aware of how you’re communicating to your student, and tune into how they’re communicating with you. This is instrumental (pun intended) in creating a positive relationship with your student.

 

Happy teaching!
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