Psychology Today | 28.05.2026 06:28
There are many valid ways to communicate, but our society tends to emphasize "mouth words," or words spoken out loud using our mouths. When someone does not communicate this way, they often face stigma, denied autonomy, and infantilization as a result. Unfortunately, even trained providers commit these harmful behaviors, such as talking about a client like they aren't there or like they can't understand, just because the client does not speak out loud the way we expect.