But access to technologies that would allow them to talk is patchy, prompting a call this week from charity Scope for ringfenced funding, reports Cathy Wallace.
When 11-year-old Connor is hungry, he can't tell his mum Corinne Boyle that he'd like a sandwich. Instead, Connor, who has severe cerebral palsy, must communicate using body language and gestures.
Connor's only means of verbal communication is a voice-simulation device called a Big Mac, which stores a 20-second message activated when the device is pressed.
"When Connor hits the button, the message I have recorded is 'mum I need you now'," Boyle explains. "But it's not really communication - he might want to say 'I want my brother'. By recording that message I have already narrowed his choices."
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