"but [speech loss/verbal shutdown/etc] doesn't sound as serious as 'going nonverbal/partially nonverbal/etc'-"
it doesn't, because it shouldn't.
"people aren't going to take me seriously if i use a community term like [speech loss/verbal shutdown/etc]"
they won't take you seriously if you never speak again either*
i dont know how to sugarcoat this but i do mean this as genuinely as possible and with good will and grace. i am not trying to be harsh or shame people. i know you are struggling.
but taking the nonverbal community's language to describe temporary experiences isolates an already vulnerable part of the autism community and makes it harder for us to talk about our experiences without being talked over.
* nor does having a more severe disability mean that you will automatically get the support that you need.
