Every term below comes from the official vocabulary of the Silence to Signals™ Communication Framework and its six-stage SIGNAL Path, developed by Dr. Catherine C. Acotto, PhD, CCC-SLP. Each one has a single, fixed meaning, used the same way throughout the Silence to Signals™ course, the SIGNAL book and this site.

The framework and the goal

The Silence to Signals™ Communication Framework

The Silence to Signals™ Communication Framework is a structured communication interpretation system for parents of non-speaking and minimally speaking autistic children, built around the six-stage SIGNAL Path.

SIGNAL Path

SIGNAL Path is the six-stage sequence at the center of the Silence to Signals™ Communication Framework: S: See the Child, I: Interpret the Behavior, G: Get in Sync, N: Normalize Symbols, A: Anticipate Breakdowns, and L: Layer Communication.

Signal Literacy™

Signal Literacy™ is a caregiver's developed ability to accurately identify, interpret, and respond to a child's full signal system — including pre-symbolic, non-verbal, and behavioral signals — with consistency and confidence.

Signal Fluency™

Signal Fluency™ is how fluently a parent is already reading their child's communication, measured by the 24-question Signal Fluency Assessment™ and scored from 24 to 96 in four types: Signal Overwhelm (24–42), Signal Awareness (43–60), Signal Emerging (61–78) and Signal Fluency (79–96).

Signal Chaos™

Signal Chaos™ is the experience of a caregiver who has not yet developed Signal Literacy™ — characterized by confusion, reactivity, exhaustion, and the feeling that their child's communication is random or intentionally defiant.

Signal Shift™

Signal Shift™ is the internal transformation a caregiver experiences when they move from seeing behavior as a problem to seeing every behavior as a signal — a message waiting to be decoded.

Signal Clarity™

Signal Clarity™ is the moment a caregiver moves from confusion and overwhelm to a clear, confident understanding of what their child is communicating — and why.

Reading the signals

Signal Functions™ (the Eight Signal Functions™)

Signal Functions™ are the specific purposes a child's signals serve — including requesting, protesting, commenting, greeting, seeking information, sharing attention, and regulating interaction — understood through the lens of the signal translation model. The eight are: Signal to Request ("I want or need something"), Signal to Protest ("I do not want this / stop"), Signal to Comment ("I notice this / look at this"), Signal to Greet ("I see you / I acknowledge you"), Signal to Seek ("I have a question / I need information"), Signal to Share ("I want you to experience this with me"), Signal to Regulate ("I need help managing this moment") and Signal to Refuse ("This is not available for me right now").

Signal Classification Table

Signal Classification Table sorts every signal a child produces into one of three types: communicative, regulatory or mixed. Communicative signals are intentional, directed toward a person or an outcome. The type tells the parent what kind of response is needed.

Signal Detective™

Signal Detective™ is the process of actively and intentionally observing a child's behaviors, patterns, and responses to identify the signals beneath the surface.

Signal Inventory™

Signal Inventory™ is a structured, parent-completed mapping tool that catalogs every signal a child is currently using — including sounds, movements, expressions, behaviors, and patterns — to establish a full picture of their existing communication system.

Signal Map™

Signal Map™ is a visual representation of a child's full communication landscape — where they are strong, where signals are emerging, and where support is needed.

Signal Baseline™

Signal Baseline™ is the documented starting point of a child's communication system at the time of enrollment — used to measure growth, track signal expansion, and celebrate progress.

Signal Layers™

Signal Layers™ are the stacked, interconnected levels of a child's communication system — from foundational regulation signals at the base to complex, flexible language signals at the top — each layer dependent on the stability of the one beneath it.

Connection and regulation

Signal Foundations™

Signal Foundations™ are the regulatory, sensory, and attentional capacities a child needs in place before intentional communication can expand. The 'soil' before the signal can grow.

Signal Safety™

Signal Safety™ is the relational and environmental condition in which a child feels safe enough to attempt communication — even imperfect, emerging, or unconventional signals — without fear of correction, misinterpretation, or demand.

Signal Attunement™

Signal Attunement™ is the process by which a caregiver learns to read, mirror, and respond to a child's signals in real time — creating a relational environment where communication becomes safe and rewarding.

Synchrony Protocol Loop

Synchrony Protocol Loop is the Get in Sync sequence a parent repeats with their child: Observe their rhythm, Join (mirror their pace), Narrate, Expand (add a symbol), then hold a Signal Pause™ and wait.

Signal Window™

Signal Window™ is a naturally occurring moment of regulated, interested, and available attention in which a child is most receptive to communication interaction and signal expansion.

Signal Noise™

Signal Noise™ is any sensory, environmental, emotional, or relational factor that interferes with a child's ability to send clear signals or a caregiver's ability to receive them accurately.

Regulation Decision Algorithm

Regulation Decision Algorithm is the decision sequence that gives the specific response for each nervous system state, in the order it should be applied. It starts with one question before every interaction: what state is my child's nervous system in right now? The states are regulated, hyper-aroused, hypo-aroused and re-engaging.

Breakdowns and repair

Signal Amplification™

Signal Amplification™ is the natural increase in signal intensity that occurs when a child's communication attempts go unrecognized or unmet. Signal Amplification™ is not a behavior problem — it is a volume increase on an unheard message.

Signal Mismatch™

Signal Mismatch™ is the moment when a child's signal is sent but misread, ignored, or met with an incompatible response — resulting in Signal Amplification™ and increased communication breakdown.

Signal Suppression™

Signal Suppression™ is the reduction or elimination of a child's signal attempts — often as a result of consistent Signal Mismatch™, demand-heavy environments, or correction-based responses that have taught the child that their signals do not work.

Signal Repair™

Signal Repair™ is the intentional process of recovering a communication exchange after a Signal Mismatch™ — acknowledging the breakdown, re-attuning, and creating a new opportunity for the child's signal to be received.

SIGNAL Repair Protocol™

SIGNAL Repair Protocol™ is the clinical procedure for any breakdown: five sequential steps grounded in Functional Communication Training research. Step 1, stop the demand. Step 2, regulate. Step 3, interpret the signal. Step 4, model the replacement. Step 5, re-engage.

Growth

Signal Scaffolding™

Signal Scaffolding™ is the intentional, layered process of introducing communication tools, language models, and environmental supports that expand a child's signal system without demanding or correcting.

Signal Navigation™

Signal Navigation™ is the skill of embedding communication opportunities within everyday routines so that signal use becomes functional, frequent, and child-initiated — not therapy-room dependent.

Signal Expansion™

Signal Expansion™ is the natural, supported growth of a child's signal system — adding new forms, new functions, and new contexts to an already existing communication foundation.

Signal Generalization™

Signal Generalization™ is the expansion of a child's signal use across people, places, and contexts — moving communication from therapist-dependent or home-only to flexible, spontaneous, and environment-independent.

Parents and community

Signal Fatigue™

Signal Fatigue™ is the deep physical and emotional exhaustion experienced by caregivers who have been living in Signal Chaos™ without the tools to decode, respond to, or regulate their child's communication signals.

Signal Translator™

Signal Translator™ is a trained professional who helps caregivers decode and respond to a child's full communication system — including pre-symbolic, non-verbal, behavioral, and emerging signals.

Signal Community™

Signal Community™ is the ongoing ecosystem of caregivers, educators, and practitioners who have committed to Signal Literacy™ — supporting each other in the daily practice of signal translation.

To see where you are right now, take the Signal Fluency Assessment™. It takes four minutes.

New to this work? Start with the Silence to Signals™ Communication Framework and its six-stage SIGNAL Path, explained stage by stage.