Non-Verbal and What It Means

"Non-verbal" when it comes to neurological disorders can manifest in many ways.  In Henry's case, it means that words don't come out of his mouth.  He makes sounds, and they're often a blend between intentional and unintentional.  He can still communicate, and he definitely understands words.  There's just some wire crossed in his brain to where the ability to use and form those words is interrupted somewhere.

The way I think about it is in terms of a foreign language.  Growing up, I only spoke Japanese until I got to school, and then I learned English.  During junior high and high school, I studied Spanish and Russian.  After school, I picked up a teeny bit of French.

Because I lack fluency in Russian, French, and even Spanish, speaking words in those languages either requires a lot of internal translation before I say something or I simply don't know what the word is that I'm looking for.  But if I hear a word or phrase, I'll know what it means, either because it triggered the dormant vocabulary, or I hear it in a particular context (noting, for example, that many words in Spanish and French have similar root constructs with English).

To put myself in Henry's shoes, I imagine what it would be like if I lived in a French-speaking household, but take away my personal innate drive to study and learn that language (for illustration's sake; Henry likely has the desire, but his FXS makes it much more difficult for him than for me).  Over time, I'll learn what certain sounds mean, but I won't necessarily be able to recall them myself to initiate conversation.

If my French-speaking parents ask me to get une assiette, I'll associate the sound of the word as well as the context to go get a plate.  But if I want a plate, I may not necessarily remember the word.  So I'll point, grunt, use my own terms, etc. to indicate a plate and hope that my parents figure it out while continuing to jabber at me in French.

I know he understands words, because at night, when I call out "Henry, bath time," he'll get up (most nights) and head toward the stairs to go up to his room so we can get ready for bath.  When I say "Henry, it's bedtime," he'll get up (most nights), and go to his room to go to bed.  I no longer have to carry him or drag him, because he knows what those phrases mean.

He just doesn't say them.

He may be non-verbal, but he's not non-communicative :)