Do all children have the right to express views? Listening to ‘differently voiced’ communicators

It is now internationally accepted that children have the ‘right to express views’, but detailed discussion is needed of how this right can be realised in practice for children with complex communication needs. This chapter explores some of the issues that arise when attempting to discern the views of children who do not communicate primarily through verbal speech. It explores ontological, epistemological, and ethical issues which arise when working with ‘differently voiced’ views and considers practical strategies and technologies which may enable us to attend more effectively to children who communicate differently.