Rosemary Crossley

1996, Dutton

In Speechless, Rosemary Crossley describes her personal experiences communicating with individuals without speech. These include persons with PKU, Retts Syndrome, athetoid cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, encephalitis, and severe head injuries. Each of these persons eventually learns to communicate - some with traditional forms of augmentative communication and others with physical support or facilitation.

Most of the individuals described in these accounts were presumed to have a severe cognitive disability. In some cases even Crossley doubted whether the person would actually communicate anything meaningful. Through their arduous and often inspiring efforts each of these individuals ultimately demonstrated that they were much more intelligent than others had presumed.

Suggestions that persons with severe speech impairments might really have something to say were often rejected, often in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Crossley’s most dramatic example of professional denial occurred with a psychologist who had examined "Carolyn." Carolyn was said to be in a "persistent vegetative state" (PVS) but began demonstrating her awareness by spelling with a head pointer. Later Carolyn regained the ability to speak. Incredibly, the psychologist rejected reports of Carolyn’s competence arguing, "the psychopathology" of PVS "precludes the sparing of cognitive abilities."

Crossley does a magnificent job in drawing historical parallels between difficulties faced by the deaf community and those faced by users of augmentative communication systems. If one cannot hear it will be difficult to learn to speak. Crossley shows how this obvious fact has often been ignored in favor of a presumption of incompetence.

Although it now seems almost incomprehensible, lack of speech among those with hearing impairments was once equated with a lack of intelligence. Sign language, in fact, was for years actively discouraged. Similarly, opponents of augmentative communication argued that speech should be a priority.

Other persons without speech are often viewed as cognitively impaired. Crossley argues that, in many cases, physical impairments or motor planning difficulties preclude normal speech. This does not mean that a person is incapable of complex thoughts, however. Just as a sensory impairment such as deafness is not an indication of cognitive impairment, physical problems affecting communication output cannot be presumed to be a sign of mental retardation.

Crossley’s chapter on Down syndrome is particularly compelling. It challenges widely held assumptions that mental retardation is universal among persons with this condition. Crossley shows how demonstrations of competence by persons with Down syndrome are often ignored or considered an anomaly. One of the individuals described in this chapter is Jan, a talented poet whose communication system was eventually taken away.

Although Crossley is most known for her pioneering work in facilitated communication she remains one of the harshest critics of its mispractice. Her chapter ‘On the Front Line" dispels many myths about facilitated communication and should be read by all those who are concerned about the technique being used correctly. Crossley also uses this book to place facilitated communication within a broader context of augmentative communication.

Speechless is an inspiring but ultimately tragic collection of stories. It is as much about those who will never be given the opportunity to communicate as it is about those who have succeeded and been accepted. It as much about those who have had their communication systems taken away as it is about those whose voices continue to be heard. Crossley’s sad final chapter, "Thoughts on Voices Never Heard," challenges all of us to do all that we can to defend everyone’s right to communicate