As a carer for someone with a learning disability or autism, part of your role will involve supporting them to communicate as effectively as possible in the ways that work best for them. Being able to communicate clearly means the person you care for will feel more able to express their needs and wants and build positive connections and relationships with those around them. Here we explore some general ways you might explore as you support the person you care for to make themselves heard, whatever their challenges may be.
Understanding the impact of a learning disability or autism on communication
If the person you care for has autism or a learning disability, they may experience unique challenges with communicating with others. A learning disability or autism may affect the development of someone’s speech and language; some people may also be mute or non-verbal throughout their life, and so there may be a natural preference for non-verbal communication.
Communication between people is all about exchanging information and involves much more than words. Over 90% of communication is believed to take place non-verbally through facial gestures, body language, eye contact and an awareness of personal space. However, many people with a learning disability or autism may also have great difficulty understanding these aspects of non-verbal communication and other unspoken social cues. This can make social interactions much more challenging.
They may struggle to start conversations, understand appropriate behaviours and find it hard to adapt to social situations. This, combined with the other barriers to communication that many people with a learning disability or autism face, can cause misunderstandings, rejection and feelings of isolation, sometimes resulting in relationship difficulties and an inability to thrive in education or at work.
However, as a carer of someone with a learning disability or autism, you will know more than most that just because someone is unable to communicate in conventional ways, this doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot to express.
Part of your role will be in supporting the person you care for to feel comfortable with the ways they do communicate, educating others about their particular preferred forms of expression, and facilitating connection at a level that feels as positive as possible for everyone involved.
This can sound like a daunting task for anyone, so we will go on to break this down into practical strategies you might explore when supporting someone with a learning disability or autism to communicate.
Ways carers can support someone with a learning disability or autism with communication
Creating an encouraging and inclusive space where the person you care for feels able to express themselves in the ways that work for them is the best way you can support them to grow in confidence and communicate with more ease. Allowing the person you care for to take their time to express themselves, using active listening and repeating back what you have heard to ensure you have understood correctly, will mean they feel heard and valued. As their carer, you know the person you care for best, and are in a great position to encourage and facilitate conversations between them and others around them.
Family, friends and professionals in their support network might need education and support to communicate with the person you care for, and there are ways you can empower them to feel more confident to relate to each other and encourage those relationships to develop and strengthen. You might invite friends and family to visit at home or to a social gathering where the person you care for feels comfortable and relaxed, and friends and family will see how you communicate with each other. They will learn naturally how the person you care for communicates their likes and dislikes, begin to see how they express themselves, and feel more confident that they can connect and communicate with them too.
Empowering individuals with a learning disability or autism to communicate their choices
When we are able to express our preferences, wants, and decisions effectively, we feel more confident and have more control over what affects us. Empowering the person you care for to communicate their choices is vital for promoting their independence, self-esteem and overall wellbeing. Creating opportunities for the person you care for to make choices in their daily life is key. Whether it's choosing what to wear, what activities to enjoy, or what food to eat, offering a range of options will enable them to practise their decision-making skills and assert their preferences.
You might provide visual supports, such as choice boards or menus, to empower the person you care for to communicate their choices more confidently. In situations where the person you care for is being asked for their opinion or is required to make a decision, they will need to be as fully informed as possible. You can support them in this by ensuring that any information is provided in a clear and easy-to-understand way, perhaps in bullet points rather than paragraphs, or using visual or audio aids. Allowing them the time they need to understand the information and respond in the way that feels most appropriate for them will ensure the situation feels positive and empowering.
Learning how to make choices, express their needs, and advocate for themselves will equip the person you care for with essential life skills, and you can support them to build their confidence in these areas by using social stories or role-playing, or using scripts to rehearse useful scenarios at home.
Supporting someone with written communication
Some people with a learning disability or autism prefer written to verbal communication, and the use of technology like text-to-speech software and even simple text messaging offers many opportunities here. Depending on the needs of the individual person, someone with a learning disability or autism might be supported by being provided with text that uses simple, direct language and easy-to-read formats, with information shared in bullet points or broken down into small sections. Some people like having pictures to accompany the text, or enjoy a multi-sensory approach, with audio to accompany text for example, whilst others might find this too distracting.
As always, it will be important for you and the person you care for to understand the forms of communication that work best for them. Sharing this information with others where necessary will ensure the person you care for feels informed, connected to the world around them and more confident to express themselves fully.
Communicating on their behalf
Being able to advocate for yourself means being able to clearly communicate your needs and requirements. Our self-advocacy toolkit goes into greater depth on this.
Some people are unable to advocate for themselves for a variety of reasons, and if you are caring for someone with a learning disability or autism, sometimes your role may include advocating for them, speaking up on their behalf to ensure their views are represented and their best interests are taken into consideration.
Ensuring that the person you care for is involved in any decision-making relating to their life to the greatest extent possible is an important part of promoting their dignity, autonomy and independence. This will include making sure the person you care for has access to the relevant information they need to make informed choices and has the opportunity to express their preferences and opinions in any decisions relating to them.
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows someone with additional needs to appoint someone they trust, like you as their carer, to make important decisions on their behalf if they feel unable to make those decisions themselves. Having an LPA in place can provide peace of mind for the person you care for and for you as their carer, knowing their wishes will be respected. Our article on understanding capacity goes into more detail on this and other related topics.