At first glance, the challenges autistic people face with speech and the misinformation crisis threatening American democracy may seem worlds apart. Yet, both stem from the same deep-rooted cultural bias: an insistence on speech as the only legitimate mode of communication. This bias excludes, silences, and harms those who communicate differently, but it also leaves society vulnerable to manipulation, polarization, and the breakdown of meaningful dialogue.
This article explores the urgent need to embrace communication diversity—not only to empower autistic voices through alternatives like writing and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) but also to build healthier political and social discourse that resists misinformation and fosters inclusive understanding.
Speech as a Cultural Fortress: Who Is Included, and Who Is Left Out?
Society’s obsession with spoken communication carries the assumption that speech equates to thought, legitimacy, and trustworthiness. From classrooms and workplaces to healthcare and governance, speaking aloud is considered the gold standard of expression.
For many autistic people, this norm is exclusionary and painful. Overwhelm, sensory differences, and neurodivergent wiring can make spoken language difficult or impossible at times. Many autistic adults report a heavy physical and emotional toll when forced to speak under distress, while alternative communication methods such as typing or AAC better serve their authentic voice and cognitive needs.[link]
Yet, these alternatives are too often seen as secondary—“last resorts” instead of equal partners in human connection. This bias invalidates a vast range of human thought and expression, erasing critical perspectives.
A Mirror to Democracy: How Speech Bias Enables Misinformation and Division
The privileging of speech is not just an autistic issue—it is a societal vulnerability. Our democracy suffers when speech dominates public discourse unchecked. Spoken communication, especially in rapid, emotionally charged political debates, town halls, or broadcast speeches, has immense power to sway opinion—but also to spread misinformation.
The recent rise in misinformation campaigns, political manipulation, and “big lie” tactics reveals how reliance on oral immediacy leaves citizens vulnerable. Speech communicates raw emotion and urgency but often bypasses critical reflection and fact-checking. The primacy of speech and undo emphasis on quick, reactive responses create an environment where manipulative narratives flood the public sphere, drowning out deliberate, evidence-based voices.[link]
The Intersection of Exclusion and Vulnerability
Both autistic communication exclusion and societal misinformation stem from the failure to value all human modes of expression equally. This is a failure of cultural imagination and infrastructure.
- For autistic individuals, the inability to use alternative communication freely means social isolation, misunderstanding, and lost opportunities to contribute their rich perspectives.
- For society, the lack of balanced communication ecosystems means misinformation spreads more freely, consensus fractures, and democratic processes erode.
The insistence on speech as the solitary legitimate form is a form of communication rigidity—a straitjacket limiting not only autistic people but the entire nation’s capacity for nuanced, inclusive exchange.
What Science and Advocacy Say: Embracing Communication Plurality
Research shows 30–35% of autistic people remain minimally verbal despite early intervention and that sensory and cognitive differences can make speech impracticable or harmful. Neuroimaging reveals atypical speech processing that challenges verbal interaction for many autistic individuals. Sensory overload further impairs speech perception, paralleling societal difficulties filtering overwhelming political rhetoric.[link]
Advocates for autistic communication rights call for full parity across all forms—spoken, typed, gestured, AAC, and artistic. This not only honors autistic autonomy but models communication practices rooted in reflection and accuracy rather than impulse and conformity.[link]
Parallel Lessons from the Fight Against Misinformation
In the social-political arena, the growing popularity of written statements, fact-checked online discourse, moderated forums, and slower, more considered communication modes echoes these principles. These platforms extend participation beyond the loudest voices, enabling those who process information differently to engage meaningfully.
Promoting multiple communication channels mitigates manipulative speech-driven emotional contagion and fosters resilience against misinformation. This pluralism moves societies beyond reactive crowds toward reasoned communities.
Practical Steps Toward Communication Justice and Democracy
- Normalize AAC and other communication alternatives in education, healthcare, workplaces, and public forums to honor autistic voices authentically.
- Expand access to multi-modal communication platforms that allow reflection, editing, and fact-checking, reducing the harmful impacts of impulsive speech and misinformation.
- Incorporate communication diversity principles into public discourse policy and democratic engagement strategies.
- Elevate marginalized communicators, including non-speaking autistic individuals, as experts in diverse, inclusive communication.
Closing Thoughts: Toward a More Inclusive and Resilient Future
Speech is a vital river in humanity’s delta, but it is not the only one—and our insistence that all ideas flow through it narrows us. This narrowing silences autistic individuals, restricts human expression, and imperils our democracy by empowering misinformation and manipulation.
True communication justice means celebrating all forms of expression as equal and necessary, building structures that accommodate this richness. In doing so, we not only reclaim autistic voices but also lay the foundation for a more deliberative and resilient democratic society.
Citations and Annotations
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2021). “Everyone Deserves AAC”: Preliminary Study of the Experiences of Speaking Autistic Adults Who Use AAC. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2021_PERSP-20-00220pubs.asha
Eigsti, I. M., & Schuh, J. M. (2013). Speech and Language Impairments in Autism: Insights from Behavior and Neuroimaging. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3862077/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
Stevenson, R. A., et al. (2024). The diversity of speech-perception difficulties among autistic people. Autism in Adulthood. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23969415241227074journals.sagepub
Edey, R., et al. (2023). Negative first impression judgements of autistic children by non-autistic peers. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1241584/fullfrontiersin
Reichow, B., et al. (2018). Communication interventions for autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research and Treatment. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6516977/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
Henninger, N., & Taylor, J. L. (2024). Identifying barriers to helping children with autism communicate. Penn State News. https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/identifying-barriers-helping-children-autism-communicatepsu
Recommended Reading List
- CommunicationFIRST. (n.d.). Communication Rights Toolkit. Retrieved from https://communicationfirst.org
- Sequenzia, A. (n.d.). Non-Speaking Not Silent [Blog]. Retrieved from https://non-speaking.com
- Bartmess, E. (n.d.). On Communication. Retrieved from https://elizabethbartmess.com
- National Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (n.d.). Resources. Retrieved from https://autisticadvocacy.org
- Bascom, J. (Ed.). (2012). Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking. Northwest Press.
- Sequenzia, A., & Grace, E. J. (Eds.). (2017). Typed Words, Loud Voices. Northwestern University Press.
- Sigafoos, J., et al. (n.d.). Augmentative and Alternative Communication Recommendations for Children with Autism.