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Training Communication Partners for Nonspeaking Spellers: A Replicable, Evidence-Informed Framework
I have watched my adult nonspeaking, autistic son be offered a letterboard by someone untrained in his primary form of communication: spelling. His thoughts were clear, but the board wasn't properly placed, no relationship had been established, no motor coaching was provided — and nothing came...
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Building Community and Advocacy: From Voiceless to SEEN and Heard
I got used to being silent. It was the loneliness and being invisible that was soul crushing. Being able to finally say anything I wanted as a nonspeaking autistic with apraxia was liberating. I have never been able to communicate by using my mouth. When I was a child, I did speak a few...
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Lessons From Listening to a Typer: Stony Brook Medicine School of Social Welfare Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship Program
Director's Perspective It was July 2022, and I had just finished my first year as the Director of the Stony Brook University Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (SBU LEND) Program. Invited to present on the Research Panel for the I-ASC Motormorphosis...
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Presuming Competence: What It Really Means and Why It Is Life Changing
Presuming competence is such a core foundational principle for people working with non-speakers to understand. It is the very first thing we talk about in our training programs and a topic we revisit in every coaching session. Parents, staff, therapists, teachers, and anyone else interacting with...
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Beyond Accommodations: Building Belonging for Autistic College Students
For many autistic students, receiving a college acceptance letter is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning of a new set of opportunities and challenges. While conversations surrounding autism often focus on early intervention and K–12 education, far less attention is given to what...
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Designing Databases That Drive Continuous Improvement for Clients and Organizations
Today’s classrooms are often filled with technology, some not even imagined just a decade ago. Tablet computers loaded with educational or communication software, PC stations, iPods, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, and Wi-Fi internet service are...
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One School’s Experience Engaging Students with Autism Through Technology
Educators, clinicians, therapists and other professionals continue to look for new ways of using technology to benefit students with autism. Video modeling to teach social or self-regulation skills, individualized computer-assisted instruction, and augmentative communication devices are widely...
