Eli5 What is the difference between being “mute” and being “nonverbal”?
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Being “mute” means that a person is physically unable to speak or chooses not to speak, even though they have the ability to, while “nonverbal” means someone who doesn’t use spoken words to communicate, but may still use gestures, sign language, or other forms of communication to express themselves.
So, think of it like this: someone who is “mute” is like a TV with no sound – there’s no way for them to speak. Someone who is “nonverbal” is like a TV that’s on mute – they can still communicate, but not through spoken words.
Mute = can’t speak even if they want to
Non-verbal = may have the ability to talk but does not or will not
Selective Mutism = able to speak in some situations but not others
(I once had a student [preschool age] that could speak a few words at home, but was completely unable to speak to us at school at all)
After 1 1/2 of speech therapy we were finally able to get him to say a few things at school!
ooof ok a lot of these answers are wrong
verbal = having to do with words
non-verbal = no words
writing is verbality. texting is verbality
using an AAC device where you input words and the machine speaks – that’s being verbal
someone who is non-verbal means is someone who cannot create words, whether spoken or written
speaking = words in the form of mouth sounds
non-speaking = no words in the form of mouth sounds, cannot speak
mute = non-speaking
in terms of disability, “mute” is often considered inappropriate and demeaning language, or at the very least not-PC, or old-fashioned. that stigma doesn’t really seem to exist in the same way outside of a disability context so “she fell mute” doesn’t really have the same negative connotation as “she is mute”. so you might say “she fell mute” but “she is non-speaking”
in terms of disability, both non-speaking and non-verbal can be full time or part time things
other people in this thread have mentioned “selective”, but this is also language that shouldn’t be used, and is seen as similar to (or sometimes worse than “mute”). the larger issue here is that it’s not really correct. it implies choice and agency
“situational” is the preferred terminology. so “situationally non-verbal” or “situationally non-speaking” (depending on whether you’re talking about one or the other). *some* people will actually use “situationally mute” or “situational mutism” but it’s pretty rare
oh one other thing, “non” and “not” are very different here
“she is not speaking” says nothing about her ability or capacity to speak, it simply informs you that she is not doing the thing
“she is non-speaking” is talking about ability / capacity
ooof ok a lot of these answers are wrong
verbal = having to do with words
non-verbal = no words
writing is verbality. texting is verbality
using an AAC device where you input words and the machine speaks – that’s being verbal
someone who is non-verbal means is someone who cannot create words, whether spoken or written
speaking = words in the form of mouth sounds
non-speaking = no words in the form of mouth sounds, cannot speak
mute = non-speaking
in terms of disability, “mute” is often considered inappropriate and demeaning language, or at the very least not-PC, or old-fashioned. that stigma doesn’t really seem to exist in the same way outside of a disability context so “she fell mute” doesn’t really have the same negative connotation as “she is mute”. so you might say “she fell mute” but “she is non-speaking”
in terms of disability, both non-speaking and non-verbal can be full time or part time things
other people in this thread have mentioned “selective”, but this is also language that shouldn’t be used, and is seen as similar to (or sometimes worse than “mute”). the larger issue here is that it’s not really correct. it implies choice and agency
“situational” is the preferred terminology. so “situationally non-verbal” or “situationally non-speaking” (depending on whether you’re talking about one or the other). *some* people will actually use “situationally mute” or “situational mutism” but it’s pretty rare
oh one other thing, “non” and “not” are very different here
“she is not speaking” says nothing about her ability or capacity to speak, it simply informs you that she is not doing the thing
“she is non-speaking” is talking about ability / capacity
ooof ok a lot of these answers are wrong
verbal = having to do with words
non-verbal = no words
writing is verbality. texting is verbality
using an AAC device where you input words and the machine speaks – that’s being verbal
someone who is non-verbal means is someone who cannot create words, whether spoken or written
speaking = words in the form of mouth sounds
non-speaking = no words in the form of mouth sounds, cannot speak
mute = non-speaking
in terms of disability, “mute” is often considered inappropriate and demeaning language, or at the very least not-PC, or old-fashioned. that stigma doesn’t really seem to exist in the same way outside of a disability context so “she fell mute” doesn’t really have the same negative connotation as “she is mute”. so you might say “she fell mute” but “she is non-speaking”
in terms of disability, both non-speaking and non-verbal can be full time or part time things
other people in this thread have mentioned “selective”, but this is also language that shouldn’t be used, and is seen as similar to (or sometimes worse than “mute”). the larger issue here is that it’s not really correct. it implies choice and agency
“situational” is the preferred terminology. so “situationally non-verbal” or “situationally non-speaking” (depending on whether you’re talking about one or the other). *some* people will actually use “situationally mute” or “situational mutism” but it’s pretty rare
oh one other thing, “non” and “not” are very different here
“she is not speaking” says nothing about her ability or capacity to speak, it simply informs you that she is not doing the thing
“she is non-speaking” is talking about ability / capacity
I knew someone who was a professional carer for people with autism, and most of the people she cared for were nonverbal. If someone is simply “mute” with no other qualifiers then you’d normally expect that they understand language fairly well- they can understand it when they’re spoken to, and they can read and write. Communicating with someone who is mute really isn’t that hard.
Someone who is “nonverbal” on the other hand, even if they can hear, may not understand what you’re saying to them, and may not be able to read or write. Communicating with someone who is nonverbal can be a specialized skill set, and often requires getting to know the individual person in question fairly well.
I knew someone who was a professional carer for people with autism, and most of the people she cared for were nonverbal. If someone is simply “mute” with no other qualifiers then you’d normally expect that they understand language fairly well- they can understand it when they’re spoken to, and they can read and write. Communicating with someone who is mute really isn’t that hard.
Someone who is “nonverbal” on the other hand, even if they can hear, may not understand what you’re saying to them, and may not be able to read or write. Communicating with someone who is nonverbal can be a specialized skill set, and often requires getting to know the individual person in question fairly well.
I knew someone who was a professional carer for people with autism, and most of the people she cared for were nonverbal. If someone is simply “mute” with no other qualifiers then you’d normally expect that they understand language fairly well- they can understand it when they’re spoken to, and they can read and write. Communicating with someone who is mute really isn’t that hard.
Someone who is “nonverbal” on the other hand, even if they can hear, may not understand what you’re saying to them, and may not be able to read or write. Communicating with someone who is nonverbal can be a specialized skill set, and often requires getting to know the individual person in question fairly well.
In health care there is always terminology drift, as older diagnostic terms start to sound stale or rude or get used in non-clinical settings. My impression is that “non-verbal” is newer and sounds a bit more professional, so it has started to supplant mute.
In health care there is always terminology drift, as older diagnostic terms start to sound stale or rude or get used in non-clinical settings. My impression is that “non-verbal” is newer and sounds a bit more professional, so it has started to supplant mute.
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