When silence speaks: Uncovering the literacy of nonspeaking autistic people

The absence of functional speech in some autistic individuals often leads to a general underestimation of their cognitive and linguistic abilities. This perception is rooted in a confusion between language and spoken output, as if not speaking aloud equated to lacking inner language or comprehension. However, several recent studies challenge this reductive view. Reading and spelling skills can indeed emerge independently from fluent verbal expression. This raises a critical question: how can literacy be assessed when traditional forms of communication are inaccessible, and what are the implications for education and social inclusion?

In 2024, a team led by Vikram K. Jaswal at the University of Virginia published a groundbreaking study in the journal Autism. The researchers focused on 31 autistic adolescents and adults, aged 15 to 52, none of whom had functional speech despite years of speech therapy. Many of them use letterboards with the assistance of a communication partner, a method both widespread and controversial.

To bypass the biases tied to spoken or written output, the researchers designed a simple iPad-based test. Participants were asked to quickly tap letters or symbols that lit up in sequence. Some sequences formed real phrases that had just been read aloud before the task, while others were random and meaningless. The goal was to determine whether participants responded more quickly to meaningful sequences, an indicator of orthographic recognition.

The data supported this hypothesis. Participants responded faster to meaningful phrases than to nonsensical letter strings. They also tapped more quickly on common letter combinations in written English, demonstrating sensitivity to orthographic regularities. Finally, a slight delay at the start of each word suggested their brains spontaneously marked the boundaries between lexical units. Together, these three findings suggest that many nonspeaking autistic individuals possess foundational literacy skills, even if they cannot express them through traditional means.

How the brain reads without speaking

These findings indicate that brain circuits involved in reading can develop independently of the motor networks used for speech. The fusiform gyrus, a region of the temporal lobe specialized in word recognition, appears to function normally, even in the absence of verbal communication. In other words, the challenge lies not in understanding written language, but in expressing it vocally.

Another striking observation is their sensitivity to frequent letter patterns. The brain naturally detects statistical regularities in letter sequences, an essential mechanism in learning to read. The presence of this ability in nonspeaking autistic individuals reveals that they, too, internalize these regularities like any emerging reader.

This evidence has direct implications for how we approach education. All too often, the absence of speech leads to severely limited access to advanced academic content. Students are funneled into oversimplified activities, when in fact, they could benefit from more enriched learning environments if their abilities were properly recognized. Jaswal’s work underscores the urgent need to adopt alternative evaluation methods that do not rely on verbal output.

Expanding the range of educational tools is essential. Touchscreen tablets, silent reading software, or gradual typing programs offer valuable alternatives. The goal is not to restrict these tools to isolated therapeutic settings, but to integrate them into mainstream educational pathways, making knowledge truly accessible.

Recognizing hidden literacy is not just an academic revelation. It challenges decades of clinical and educational assumptions. It also calls for a rethinking of the role of nonspeaking autistic individuals in society. The ability to read and write, even partially, can open doors to new forms of autonomy and social participation.

Future research will need to examine how these skills emerge, which conditions nurture them, and how technology can support the development of independent communication. But the core message is already clear: silence does not mean the absence of language. Acknowledging and nurturing this invisible literacy is not only a scientific breakthrough, it’s an educational and social imperative.