Lakshmi Rao Sankar lives in Brooklyn, NYC. At her NYC based practice – TheWholePoint! – she teaches spelling as communication, while also supporting regulation and motor skill acquisition in nonspeaking, neurodiverse individuals. Her 21 year old autistic son, Tejas, brought her to this field of work, inspiring her with his own journey as a speller. Tejas provides oversight and mentorship to her so that the service and practice represents and meets the needs of the community that he is so proud to advocate for. Lakshmi is guest faculty at the Bridge to Communication program, at On Your Mark. She teaches curriculum based semester studies, incorporating spelling, regulation and motor goals. With Monica Van Schaick, she runs a social group for fellow practitioner nerds, exploring research, literature and practice in spelling to communicate.

Lakshmi has worked in human resources management in the software industry, specializing in organization development, recruitment and training. Lakshmi has worked with a range of nonprofit organizations working to advance neurodiversity, gender justice, and environmental causes. She has served in leadership capacities on the board of nonprofit organizations. She is a partner in a nonprofit consulting firm, called Partners in Change. Her areas of specialization include succession planning and recruitment for executive management and board positions, development of quality management systems, data-based strategies for improving outcomes, designing and implementing best practices in board governance, development and culture, and developing systems and structures for fundraising and development.