Createabilities Therapy Services, Inc.

25/01/2026

22/01/2026

21/01/2026

20/01/2026

19/01/2026

❤️

19/01/2026

“Use your words.”

It sounds reasonable if a young person is verbal. Helpful, even, but for a lot of autistic young people, it’s really not that simple.

Sometimes words disappear because a nervous system is overwhelmed.

And sometimes…
They don’t use their words because they’re afraid.

Afraid of:
• Getting it wrong
• Being told off
• Being judged
• Being misunderstood
• Making things worse
• Or opening up something that feels too big to cope with

Many of our young people have learned, through experience, that:

When they do try to explain, they can’t find the words or it doesn’t come out right 🫢

Adults jump to solutions or consequences 😏

They’re told they’re overreacting, dramatic, or making excuses 😥

Or they end up in trouble anyway 🤷🏻

So their brain quite sensibly decides:

“It’s safer not to say anything.”

And on top of that, when stress or emotion is high, access to words often drops away anyway.

So you get a double barrier:

😢 Fear and self-protection
Plus a nervous system that’s already overloaded

It’s not rudeness or defiance- it’s survival 🙏🏼

In those moments, you might see:
😑 Shutdown or withdrawal
😪Tears
😤Anger
🫣Avoidance

And the more we push-
“Just tell me. Use your words,”
the less safe it feels, and the further away those words go.

For many autistic young people, communication depends on safety, not just ability.

They often communicate better, with someone they trust or once the pressure has gone 💬👍

Feeling safe comes before communication. Always.

So let’s stop assuming that if a young person can speak, they can always speak.

And let’s start accepting this truth:

Our young people can’t always use their words.
Not because they won’t, because sometimes it doesn’t feel safe, and sometimes it doesn’t feel possible.

And both deserve understanding 🙏🏼

Patsy x💜💙