How many non verbal children did you know growing up? How many do you know now?

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

Not a goady thread and I wont be engaging with posters who want to speculate on the causes by starting debates about parenting and screen time.

But in the absence of any proper data, I’m interested to know whether others think there has been a rise in non verbal children (age 3 and over). I didn’t know any growing up, and now I know 3. So it seems to me there has been a rise but it may just be the area I live in.

None and none.

Non verbal is not the same as situational mutism or late speech development.

In fact the parent of the child I know who is deaf, autistic and does not speak prefer the term 'non speaking' because their son uses BSL to a high level and an electronic 'talker' (AAC) and is highly communicative whereas 'non verbal' means no words. He is also teaching himself lots of different languages and can read and type in them, including ones with different alphabets.

Just seen I've cross posted with @theDudesmummy

None and none.

Just a thought, my now 4 year old ds, born during the first lockdown, was very delayed with his speech until about 3 years old (but never mute) and by his 2nd birthday, when we were getting concerned, his nursery teachers and the speech therapist we saw all told us that a huge number of kids of a similar age to my ds were delayed with their speech.

The lack of socialisation, faces covered in masks etc for much of their first year or so of life was a possible factor in preventing/delaying the development of communication skills, including verbal communication.

2 growing up, 1 now...all different children. 1 growing up was next door child. With knowledge now definitely autistic. I occasionally watched him whilst his mum did something. Often wonder how his mum and he are. She was amazing with him and the estate looked after him like a village. Moved away 20 years ago. The other one was at school but left after a year.

One, my mum's friend child who came to visit once and watched the washing machine the whole time, said nothing. They were about 12. Otherwise none. I think that's because they were at special schools and institutions though, not that there's nessersarly more now.

Well I have no idea what was wrong with the children growing up but they spent years and years not speaking. People who are diagnosed as non verbal can begin to speak at a later date. It doesn't mean they weren't non verbal at one stage.
Tbh this is just another goudy autism thread and it's getting tiring. Non verbal children 30 years ago weren't in main stream school and didn't mix with other children. Today thankfully we don't isolate disabled children.

I knew one growing up. My brother

I now know 3 I can immediately think of however they all have one thing in common, they have parents of mixed nationalities and are spoken to in more than one language. In very basic terms I think they just have more to learn and need a bit more time. I’ve seen notable developments in each child as they are getting older.

None and one

Didn't know any growing up and I don't know any now.

One (my cousin) and none now. I still know the cousin but he’s nearly 50 now so no longer a child and still can’t speak.

Oh but he’s not autistic so if we’re limiting it to non verbal and having autism none and none.

My brother went to a hospital school in the sixties, so I knew two non verbal children who were severely disabled when he was there. Now I know four little non verbal children. Two of which were born at 28 weeks and one who was brain damaged through birth.

One child growing up, two now (not including the one I knew in childhood who is still non-verbal but whom I have not seen for about 20 years).

Far too much of a blunt tool @MaryMaryVeryContrary

As adults now (many with children) we are much more likely to notice a non verbal child than we were as children. Certainly none of us would have remembered non verbal kids aged 3yrs!

For many posters growing up “non verbal” children weren’t in the main classroom or even in the main school whereas now this is more likely.

Any replies from sen teachers SALT etc will skew your “results”.

Non verbal at 3 is a variation in development (at the edge of the normal range) which no one would be concerned about. A better age would be 4.

None, and 2, children of friends.

Growing up, how would you know this level of detail about a disabled child? They didn't attend mainstream, you wouldn't be mixing with non verbal children day to day.

It's a bit like when people say 'there were no autistic kids in my class/school' - how would you know? 40 years ago I could have been in your class. Kids back then hadn't even heard of autism, the adults barely understood it, so I don't really consider childhood memories as a good way to assess whether anyone was autistic or non verbal

None and none.

A pair of twins at primary in the 80's who were selective mute (they had their own way of communicating with each other] - I understand that it was eventually resolved.

I know none now

Yes, there's a massive difference.

Our DS has situational mutism (ASD) but in the right situation will talk the hind legs off a donkey without drawing breath!

None growing up and many now. My ds has severe autism so I've met many families with children who are non verbal. Also, he now attends a special school for children with severe autism, about half the children are non verbal.

There are children who are non verbal that can communicate using aac. Fit some it maybe very basic but for others they just use a different means of communication.

None and none

Zero and 2

I knew a non verbal child who was in the same mainstream school as myself

Now, I know 2 non verbal children and a non verbal adult

3 growing up, 2 children and one young adult who was the son of one of parents friends.

Now, hundreds as I work in Learning Disability services, but socially and unrelated to work- 2, the man from before and the daughter of a friend.