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Individuals who have no or almost no communication ability cannot share their inner thoughts and feelings and must rely on caregivers to make choices for them. Sometimes those choices involve a high degree of insecurity regarding what the patient really wants and needs. A method of increasing the understanding of distress is measuring the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Well-known methods of accessing the ANS are heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA). By investigating HR, HRV and EDA simultaneously, the aim is to increase insight into the interplay between ANS on the one side and distress and wellbeing on the other. Physical touch may affect ANS, possibly with a therapeutic potential. Especially may C-tactile afferent stimulating touch, such as soft brushing or stroking on hairy skin, be associated with reduced distress (McGlone et al., 2014). The non-verbal population may in general receive far less physical contact than a healthy population. Most studies on CT-optimal touch are conducted on children, and we lack a clear understanding on how CT-optimal touch affect a non-verbal population. This research project aims to investigate biomarkers of physical touch and its effect on distress and calmness in a non-verbal population.