Getting Speech Back After Going Nonverbal

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For those of you who normally have no trouble speaking, but who occasionally go nonverbal due to stress, sensory overload, etc., what do you do to get your words back? I had a meltdown earlier this afternoon, and haven't been able to speak for close to four hours. It's really frustrating, because I'd like some company, but I keep having to avoid people because I know they'll expect me to talk, and not understand why I'm not. Is there anything beyond just waiting it out that helps you be able to talk again?

Does chatting online help? Or watching a movie with a friend (where you can both be in silence?)

Some things just take time and patience, sensory overload that leads to a non-verbal state is one of those things-- at least in my experience. When I was in my early twenties I went a 5 week span being non-verbal, nothing I could do would have changed that, the stress needed to work it's way out of my system at it's own rate.

Those are both good solutions for getting around the communication barrier, and it does feel better to talk online because I can express as much as I need to without talking, but neither option really helps get my speech back.

Aristophanes, that's kind of what I was afraid of, that they may be no way to expedite the process, and it's just about waiting until it's over.

Don't fear, it's a natural part of the autistic experience, find other things to focus on other than your current non-verbal state, if you really need to communicate with someone keep a notepad around. Being a Voyager fan just ask yourself: what would Tuvok do?

I'm glad things are getting better for you.

Are you still a cake-icer?

I can't answer as someone who normally has no trouble speaking because I do, and it's kind of embarrassing to admit it, but - I find self-comforting strategies help. Stimming obviously, but also doing other things I find comforting and that give me the space to feel comforted and relaxed so I can come out of it a bit (as I typically experience going nonverbal with shutdown). These things often have a very child-like bent. Recently I have been watching Cirque du Soleil, "Quidam."
I oddly also find doing comforting things that don't require speaking helps - like being outside somewhere where I am completely alone, I can do whatever I want and don't have to be self-conscious about being "weird" or others commenting, interfering, judging etc. It seems like if there is pressure on you to "get over it" and pressure to speak, it has the opposite effect and takes longer.
PS : Yay @ your avatar - I am watching Star Trek Voyager at the moment.

I hum and perform mantras or I sing.

How flattering that you should remember Kraftie No, these days I work at a non-profit organization that provides services for people with disabilities. My program helps people who wound up in nursing homes due to an increase in the severity of their disability. Usually they start to improve again to the point that the nursing home is no longer the best option for them, and they want to move out. I help them do that by helping them find a place to live, supplying furniture, setting up home health and housekeeping services, everything they need to remain successful in the community.

I'm very lucky to have this job, because the people I work with are very familiar with and comfortable around people with disabilities, so they're not scared or put off if I have a meltdown (it's happened three times now) or go nonverbal for a few hours.

Aristophanes, I like the "what would Tuvok do" Generally I ask myself, "What would Seven do?" and I usually come up with, "she'd build a complicated futuristic contraption that enabled her to allow people to hear her thoughts out loud as if she'd spoken them" which isn't a terribly effective solution to my problem

C2V, yay for another trekkie! Who's your favourite Voyager character? I think you can guess mine by my avatar!

Raleigh, the humming is a good idea, I've tried it before during less severe episodes, and it's usually worked pretty well to reboot my voice. For me, part of the problem is that when I go nonverbal, I can't stand the feeling of my own vocal cords vibrating, so humming is a good way to desensitize myself to the feeling without having to worry about making correct mouth sounds. One step at a time

^ another thing I've been getting into lately is overtone 'singing'. (Mainly singing vowel sounds)

It's wild.

It's weird: I have trouble remembering names---but I always remember what somebody does, or where somebody lives. I might say: "the person who is a hairstylist who lives in Hollis (a section of Queens); what's her name?"

Sounds like you have a nice job now, StarTrekker. Extremely useful, and well-suited to what you really want to do.

For me, listening to music helps. I follow the lyrics in my head first and then I sing a little. For some reason singing words is easier than just saying them.

Singing, stimming, this is all really helpful. I don't know what to do when I go nonverbal. It's only ever happened to that severity twice(Car accident, sensory overload) and both times I just had to wait it out.

If it should happen again, I think I will try one of those things.

Singing is well known for being a medium which serves to reduce verbal "errors."

People who stutter usually don't stutter while singing.

"Foreign" accents are less noticeable in singing than in speaking.

I've even read about a theory which states than Man's first language was rendered in song.

Maybe singing could aid in reducing dysfluency and alleviating mutism.

After my last breakdown ( possibly autistic burnout but I haven't been Dx so who knows ) I became nonverbal and it was very frustrating for me and caused a lot of distress ( it was like my mouth was glued shut ). The only thing that helped was rest and trying to limit stress in my life , that was over two years ago and I still feel I haven't got my full vocabulary back , I've forgotten words , some words have become impossible for me to say ( they are like tongue twisters for me ) and some words are just foreign to me. I have also found that I just want to speak a lot less in general.

It's usually hard for me. I try to start by texting someone to explain what is going on, but when it comes to getting actual speech back, it just takes time for me, unfortunately. I really get upset when I become nonverbal. I try my hardest to get words out, but nothing happens.

P.S.- I'm watching Voyager as well...I love it!