Our Focus is Growth, Empowerment, and Unlocking Communication.
The Role of Your Practitioner
Choosing an S2C practitioner is not just about finding a service. The relationship built between practitioner and speller is the foundation to communication, growth, and confidence.
As regulation partners, our role is to support both body and mind, ensuring spellers feel calm, safe, and ready to learn. When regulation and trust come first, purposeful motor coaching can succeed, and new communication skills have the space to flourish.
Many non-speakers, minimally speaking and unreliable speakers have faced years of misunderstanding, failed approaches, or even trauma in educational and therapeutic settings. That’s why it’s so important to work with someone who not only understands these challenges but honors them with compassion and respect.
At Spelling Forward Co., we are committed to creating a space where spellers and caregivers feel respected, and supported. Our goal is not just to teach a method, but to walk alongside each speller presuming competence, always seeking to empower, never to diminish.
Every session is an opportunity to move communication, confidence, and connection forward.
Where Respect & Focus Come First
What you see on the outside doesn’t always reflect the rich inner world of a speller. At Spelling Forward Co., every session is dedicated solely to the speller. We follow their pace, respect their regulation needs, and adapt lessons so they remain accessible and empowering.
To ensure the session remains fully centered on them, any questions or information from parents or caregivers can be shared before the session by phone or email. This way, we create a safe, respectful space where the speller feels supported, empowered, and free from distractions.
Getting Started With S2C
Step 1: Consultation Call
We’ll discuss goals, answer questions, and review how S2C works.
Step 2: Sessions
At Spelling Forward Co., every session is tailored to the speller’s needs, interests, and pace. Frequency varies — many begin with twice weekly sessions. A typical session runs 45 minutes and includes the following:
-
Warm-Up & Regulation
We begin by checking in with the speller’s body and mind. This may include breathing strategies, movement, or simple body “engagers” to support regulation and help the speller feel calm and ready to learn.
-
Purposeful Lesson Work
S2C lessons are designed to be intellectually stimulating, age-appropriate, and meaningful. The lessons provide structure, while also creating a shared context where spellers can build motor skills, strengthen regulation, and grow in confidence on the letterboards. Lessons are interactive, engaging, and always presume competence. Our structured S2C lessons provide a wide range of thoughtfully prepared, non-leading questions.
Step 3: Session Review
After each session, caregivers receive a video recording and transcript (via Google Drive) so you can review progress, revisit lessons, and celebrate successes together.
Who Can Learn and Benefit from S2C?
S2C is for anyone who has difficulty sharing their thoughts, ideas, or emotions through reliable speech. Many children, teens, and adults have found new pathways to communication through this method.
S2C has supported individuals who:
-
are autistic
-
have down syndrome
-
have Angelman’s syndrome
-
have Rett syndrome
-
have cerebral palsy
-
experience other sensory-motor differences that impact speech
The S2C Process
1. Regulation Comes First
Every session is integrated with co-regulation. As communication regulation partners, we help the speller’s body and mind find a calm, ready state. This might involve breath work, movement breaks, or simply creating a supportive atmosphere. When a speller feels safe and settled, they are best prepared to take on new motor challenges.
2. Lessons with Purpose and Presumed Competence
Each session includes engaging lesson content designed to spark curiosity and keep the mind actively learning. Topics may range from history to science to current events and are chosen to challenge, inspire, and honor the speller’s intellect. Lessons provide meaningful context, so spelling is never just about the letters, but about expressing ideas and exploring knowledge.
3. Tools for Success
S2C uses tools such as alphabet stencils and spelling boards to support motor learning. These tools are integrated gradually, beginning with three stencil boards. Each tool is a step in developing accuracy, confidence, and fluency. Independence is always the goal.
4. Prompting with Respect
S2C uses carefully calibrated prompting to guide the speller’s motor skills. Prompts are designed to help the body find success in purposeful movement. Prompts are reduced as the speller and S2C Practitioner progress.
5. Scaffolding Toward Independence
We use a scaffolding approach to keep the speller's cognitive and motor balance in mind. Each layer of support is adjusted until the speller develops the tools to spell fluently and express themselves with independence and autonomy.
6. Growth Beyond Spelling
As spellers progress, sessions not only strengthen motor skills but also build self-reliance and confidence. Every step forward is a step toward authentic voice, independence, and empowerment.