According to the charity Scope, up to 100,000 school-age children cannot speak. And the recent debate about whether a girl with cerebral palsy should have a hysterectomy at the behest of her mother has thrown up the question of to what extent communication difficulties can be overcome, says Anna Bawden.
These days there are communication aids that allow users to speak, send texts, download music and videos, use the internet and operate instant messenger systems. Devices can be used by moving a single finger, the head, or even a knee.
Simply saying that because someone cannot speak out loud or move their hands enough to use sign language does not mean they do not have an opinion.
Those who think parents should have this right to decide on behalf of their children argue that in cases of severe cerebral palsy, the young person concerned cannot express their wishes.
But getting access to communication aids is costly and patchy.
I have had lots of comments to my piece earlier in the week on speech and language therapy in schools, saying that communication aids have revolutionised users' and parents' lives. Some are able to attend mainstream schools, which would not be possible otherwise, and they are more likely to be able to live independently as adults.
Natalie Sides, 21, from Cumbria, got in touch to say she feels gagged when her communication aid is broken.
"I cannot walk or talk, so communication devices became part of me so I could talk to people or tell them I needed something - even if it was to itch my head.
"Without my communication device I would not have been able to go to proper school and learn so much. The device let me ask questions when I didn't understand, and because I cannot use my arms it let me dictate what needed to be done or be written. I also got two GCSEs.
People treat me as an equal because I know what I want and why I want it. I still see people that cannot communicate because no one has given them the equipment: I would like to see everyone given the same chances I had."
It may be that those with cerebral palsy cannot speak, but that does not mean they are incapable of communication altogether.
Parents and doctors may have their best interests at heart, but before they take any drastic decisions they need to look at alternative forms of communication.
What do you think?
