Complex Communication & Non-Verbal
They have a voice. Let's learn how to hear it.
📖 A story told without words
A gesture. A look. A sound. A hand reaching for something. A face turning away. A body that tenses or relaxes. Every single one is communication. If your child doesn't use words, they are NOT 'non-communicating.' They are communicating through every channel they have. Your job — as a parent, as a professional — is to learn their language. The system's job is to record it as evidence and treat it as voice.
What "voice" means here
AAC device output
Their communication device speaks for them. Record the output. Screenshot it. Video it. It IS their Section A.
Makaton / signing
Record them signing. A video of their hands saying what they want is evidence. It goes in the voice portal.
Gestures and eye movements
How do they show 'yes'? 'No'? 'I want that'? 'I don't like this'? Record the pattern. The people who know them already understand it.
Parent / keyworker interpretation
You are the translator. Your observation — 'when he turns his head away, he means no' — is valid evidence. Record it as interpretation, not as fact.
Drawing / photo
What did they make? What did they look at longest? What did they reach for? A photo with a note. A drawing they did. All evidence.
Behaviour as communication
What looks like 'challenging behaviour' is often communication. 'I'm in pain.' 'I'm overwhelmed.' 'I don't understand.' Record the context — what happened before and after.
Communication passport — who your child is
A communication passport is a one-page document that goes everywhere with your child. It tells every new person: 'This is how I communicate. This is what I like. This is what I don't like. This is how you know I'm happy. This is how you know I'm in pain.' Write it once. Update it as they grow. Every professional who meets your child reads it first.
How I communicateI use an AAC device. I point with my eyes. I make sounds when I'm excited. I push things away when I don't want them.
What I loveMusic with a strong beat. Being outside. Water play. People who give me time to respond. Familiar routines.
What I find hardLoud unexpected noises. Being rushed. New places without warning. People who talk about me as if I'm not there.
How you know I'm in painI go very quiet. I hold the part that hurts. I cry in a different way. My sleep pattern changes.
AAC — getting and using a device
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) assessment is a specialist SLT assessment. It can take months. While you wait: use low-tech AAC — picture cards, communication boards, objects of reference. An AAC recommendation in the plan without a device is a provision gap. The LA/CCG must fund the device if it's in the plan.
PMLD — progress looks different here
For children with profound and multiple learning disabilities, progress is measured in moments. A smile of recognition. A hand reaching out. A longer period of calm. The Engagement Model replaces old P-scales — it measures how your child engages with the world, not how many targets they've ticked. Small changes are big wins. The system must record them — they are the evidence that provision is working.