When we talk about a non-verbal child we understand that it can be a child who makes sounds, even says a few minimal words, but in whom the functionality of his language does not exist , that is, he does not use speech to communicate .

We can even say that the "language" used , in terms of the use of words to demand, communicate, ask for attention, answer questions or have a conversation, is not spontaneous and much less social .

This can be due to a variety of reasons , including, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), specific language disorder, intellectual disabilities, hearing problems, apraxia of speech or any other condition that affects the ability to produce language. spoken.

However, the disorder itself is just the tip of a large iceberg. If we delve deeper we can find a much more complex reality that can include problems with sensory integration , communication and, finally, emotional health.

We know that sensory aspects affect communication, but also the behavior, attention and perception of the world that the non-verbal child has. Obviously, this situation affects the emotions of the child and his environment.

That said, I want to emphasize that the fact that there is a cause that affects speech and language , whether it is non-verbal autism or any other language disorder, does not mean that the child cannot communicate or has nothing to say. . These children may use other means of communication, such as gestures, signs, the use of assisted communication devices, or image-based communication systems, to express their needs, wants, and thoughts.

Early intervention and appropriate support are critical to helping non-verbal children develop their communication skills to their full potential .

(Alonso Puig, M.)

What characteristics does a non-verbal child have?

Generally, we find children who not only have verbal difficulties , but also eye contact , motivation to do things, restricted interests and lack of attention . We also know that it is very difficult for symbolic play to appear, that is, imagining or simulating a game situation, such as feeding a stuffed animal or putting a doll to sleep.

We can also observe the presence of stereotypies : repetitive or ritualized movements, postures or voices without a specific purpose. They range from the simplest movements to the most complex: body swaying, flapping, clapping, rubbing hands, jumping, walking on tiptoe, walking in a pattern, turning objects...

It may be that your children have one or more of these characteristics. These signs tell us that we have to act quickly because early attention is what will give us success in the future, helping our children as soon as possible.

The five dimensions of non-verbal learning disorder

Children with non-verbal learning disorder (NVLD) often face challenges in five key areas, however each child is unique, which means they will not necessarily have difficulties in all of them.

1. Visual and spatial skills

Children with NVLD may have difficulty understanding and interpreting visual images . A clear example is when they try to replicate three-dimensional shapes, such as a cube, and end up with very distorted representations.

This is due to their limited ability to perceive and understand shape, components, and the spatial relationship between them, which may also be reflected in apparent physical clumsiness due to their difficulty processing and evaluating spatial information from their environment .

2. Understanding complex concepts

Another common area of difficulty for nonverbal children with language disorders is difficulty identifying the main idea of a text or situation , identifying relevant details, and understanding the connections between them.

Children with NVLD may struggle with reading comprehension and coherent story telling. When taking notes, they may feel overwhelmed by not distinguishing crucial information from secondary information , resulting in incomplete or incorrect notes, or excessive collection of irrelevant data.

3. Social communication

Interpreting facial and body language cues also presents a challenge for most non-verbal children, complicating their participation in social interactions.

They don't automatically pick up on social norms like other children do, and this can lead to confusion about how to act appropriately in various situations . Their preference for technology is due to the absence of the need to interpret these non-verbal signals in digital environments.

4. Mathematical concepts

Although they may initially show ability to memorize mathematical facts, over time they face obstacles when approaching mathematical problems that require a level of abstract thinking to solve.

It is common for non-verbal children to have difficulty processing and manipulating abstract information , making it difficult to understand mathematical concepts.

5. Executive functions

Most nonverbal children lack the skills necessary to organize their own thinking, plan, solve problems, or carry out planned actions.

For example, they have difficulty breaking down and dividing a task into smaller, more manageable actions or planning the steps necessary to complete a task.

They typically need explicit support to develop a step-by-step approach to problem-solving and managing complex tasks.

Family and work in natural context in the non-verbal child

Family is not something important, it is everything

In non-verbal children, family formation is the first step, even before working with the child. By empowering the family with specific knowledge, we increase their level of confidence and, therefore, their anxiety is reduced, achieving a very positive and encouraging change in attitude.

In this sense, the focus on change is based on work in natural contexts with full involvement of the family, the therapy teams, the school environment and, in short, everything that surrounds the child's life.

Working in natural contexts and training the family allows us to extend the work with the child throughout the entire time and to work on situations where they occur. We can work on a situation in the laboratory a thousand times until we achieve it, but when we are going to carry it out in a natural context we are not able to replicate what worked so well in a controlled environment. Or simply, there were factors that we did not consider before.

The greatest challenge in intervention in non-verbal children is being able to evolve to adapt to each natural context. There are no magic formulas, there is passion, enthusiasm, creativity, affection, a lot of study and, above all, always believing in the ability of these children. And believing in something usually makes it possible.

This does not mean that the family is “The non-verbal child's therapist”, but rather that it has enough knowledge to be able to adequately deal with day-to-day situations and that the interaction with professionals will always be richer and more fluid.

This family formation is something that we encourage from our roots in the VICON Method . The beginning of any Intervention Program is based on the activities of daily living, focused on giving the child autonomy . Strengthening the child's independence and their ability to perform day-to-day activities are our first objective and should also be that of families. This independence must occur both in basic activities and in instrumental, educational, play, time management or social interaction activities. These are what increase the child's confidence and boost his overall development. To do this, a program is designed to increase the child's functional communication that consists of 3 points:

1. That the child effectively understands what is expected of him
2. Let them know that others understand their requests.
3. May your interaction with everything that happens around you be effective

Play, play, play … to develop speech and language

Playing is not a break from learning, it is endless, charming, deep, attractive and practical learning because it is the door to the child's heart (Gowmon, V.)

All the proposals to stimulate language in the non-verbal child that you will find in the successive blog posts, I want you to take them in the most playful way possible. I know that the path to language is complicated and, as parents, it causes us incredible stress to see the days go by and that we do not achieve what is so necessary that makes our children face the world and life in a very different way.

All my proposals are aimed at achieving this. But many times it is not the goal but the way we walk that makes the difference towards what we are going to achieve, and this way of walking has to be led by fun , there is no other way.

So you have to find a way to adapt all these ideas that you will find in the successive blog posts so that they are attractive to your children ; because if you don't manage to hook them, they may be of no use.

So I ask that you put aside all the anxious part that entails seriousness, demand and constant demands and that you do the exercise of putting yourself next to your child. Accompanying him with our eyes wide open and collecting everything he gives us.

Having these ideas in mind but without forgetting that the path and the form will be marked by him or her and that there is no other way but through play and enjoyment, fun and emotions. Not only will it help your children, but it will help you with a much more effective positioning.