Spelling to Communicate

(S2C) for Nonspeakers/Unreliable Speakers

A message to not underestimate intelligence based on unspoken words alone. Give the tools of speech through Spelling.

Bringing non-Speakers and minimal or unreliable speakers into independent communication using their own strengths and knowledge of language and the alphabet has been nothing short of exhilarating.

Along with a new understanding of Apraxia and self-regulation, my traditional training in autism and behavior is

turned on its head!

- Gale Quackenbush, M Ed, S2C Trained Practitioner

Always Presume Competence and Understand that:

Nonspeaking does not mean intellectual disability.

What I don’t know floating there, is that in two short weeks everything is going to change. And I mean everything.

- J.B. Handley, Underestimated: An Autism Miracle

Spelling to Communicate and other spelling methods for accessing communication are for those with autism, down syndrome, or other neurodiverse learners whose ability to produce spoken language is compromised or the intention of their vocalizations are unclear due to sensory-motor differences.

Spelling to Communicate, or S2C, was built on a history of spelling methods and developing brain science about Apraxia, a motor-speech difference affecting intentional or planned movements in speech production and the whole body. S2C was more precisely developed and standardized by Elizabeth Vosseler of I-ASC whose work has been used to train practitioners and give a voice to hundreds of individuals for the first time.

Here is how I-ASC has clearly defined it:

"Spelling to Communicate (S2C) teaches individuals with motor challenges the purposeful motor skills necessary to point to letters to spell as an alternative means of communication (AAC). The goal is to achieve synchrony between the brain and body."

In this YouTube video, Learn the latest from researchers and Spellers

An "open" speller can graduate to a

digital keyboard when ready.

What does Spelling Communication look like?

Spelling communication is low-tech and only requires letterboards, a pencil, and a trained practitioner.
Goals are present, but each Speller is given the time they need.
We will sit side-by-side flexibly and move when it’s necessary. Even take movement breaks.
In the first phase, three letterboards are used that break up the alphabet into sections.
Spellers are coached on coordinating posture, pencil, and poke as well as ocular control in scanning and choosing letters.
Lessons of high cognitive content are used as a point of interest, building the student/coach relationship, developing coregulation, and honoring their true cognitive level of engagement.
As the need for direct prompting decreases, the Speller transitions to using one full board of 26 letters.
Parents and others eventually join the training to Spell with their students as Communication Regulation Partners (CRP).
Spelling Sessions provide a path from answering lesson questions to using their voice for independent expression.
From stencil letters to a flat laminate board to a computer keyboard, the journey to independence and expression becomes realized.