Lately, I have been having several conversations with Certified S2C practitioners about their emerging open and open spellers. There is nothing so exciting as watching someone find their voice through Spelling to Communicate (S2C), and when it happens during a session with you, it is like nothing else. There is a rush of satisfaction, of elation, when all of the hard work of your speller has paid off. You have worked so hard as a team to myelinate those pathways to reach that Holy Grail of robust, effective and reliable communication. How amazing to have a front-row seat at such an incredible and important time in your speller’s life. However, my question for you is, have you ensured your Communication and Regulation Partner (CRP) is along for the ride?
You might think that this is a silly question; after all, a large part of our S2C Practitioner training focuses on how to talk to and train a CRP for your speller. That is why we scaffold our knowledge videos and seminars in the way we do. We have given you the knowledge and skills to apply to your families. Yet, I often hear of S2C Practitioners whose CRPs are not open with their spellers. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are many reasons for this happening, as you all know. The relationship between a CRP (especially as a primary caregiver) and their speller can often come with a laundry list of challenges.
It is not always easy to work with your child using this method, or any method for that matter. I know this from personal experience; you see, although I do not have a nonspeaker in my home, I have 4 neurodiverse sons. They are all incredible in their own right, and my relationship with them varies with each, meaning I connect to each of them differently according to who they intrinsically are. In 2021, we became aware that our one son had vision difficulties and would need vision therapy. We quickly signed up for vision therapy that was supposed to help our son with the difficulties he was having. His therapy lasted for an hour each week, where I was to drop him off to complete his exercises. As there were still Covid-19 Protocols in place, I was not able to watch or partake in his therapy. At the end of therapy, the therapist would do their best to explain what we needed to do for homework and send us on our way. Although I love functional neurology, ocular motor at that time was not necessarily in my wheelhouse.
Week after week, I felt unprepared and unable to work with my child on his exercises despite the center’s saying that he was a rockstar. I failed to get him to participate as my son protested against the exercises (rightly so, they were hard work). I felt extremely frustrated and was dealing with a health crisis of my own, and so quickly, you can guess what happened…we simply stopped. I felt the weight of the Mom guilt and brought that into our time together. Soon I was playing the tape in my head that my son didn’t want to do this with me, that he just didn’t want this bad enough and why couldn’t he just do it! Sound familiar? Needless to say, the money was wasted, the therapy proved ineffective, and we were left with unfair judgments on each other as mother and son.
I often wonder, what if we were set up for success? Would my son’s vision be drastically different today? Would the intervention have worked? The fact is, weekly caregiver sessions of any kind are hard. Yet, if our spellers are to be successful in this method, we need to be investing time not just into our speller, but also into their CRP. So, how can we do this effectively to ensure we improve CRP outcomes?
Put systems in place
We all remember beginning our training as PITs, desperate to find families to work with. Feeling insecure and unsure if we are ready to embark on something so crucial. Many of us just jumped in, figuring it out on the fly. However, to run a successful business, any good coach will recommend that you put the necessary systems in place to ensure your practice thrives. This can include automating your practices such as standard emails, scheduling, invoicing, and marketing (social media). This gives the caregiver the comfort of knowing what they can expect and when they can expect it. Develop standardized welcome emails that remove the fear of attending a first session, and communicate your fees, your working hours, and any other necessary info. Develop a standardized intake form to accompany your consent forms. Standardize and systematize everything from your first intake call to your first assessment session. Anything that will save you time in the long run and help to provide consistency across your clients is beneficial.
The same concept applies to ensuring your caregiver or CRP understands the S2C method. Develop an arsenal of essential tools for your CRP’s success, such as an FAQ sheet, Infographics on key learning, community resources, a non-speakers book list, and more. The foundational knowledge is the same for each client, so do not reinvent the wheel every time—be prepared!
Set expectations upfront
When I am having my intake call I like to set the expectations up front. This is so parents understand what your relationship will look like and what this method entails. It will also help to promote the CRPs’ “buy-in”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean buy-in to sound like we are selling snake oil as some naysayers suggest. What I mean is that, as you know, the success of this methodology depends on a few factors, one being caregiver involvement and practice. Good old Shelley Carnes has it right: “Practice Makes Permanent!” for our students and the CRPs’ practice.
During the intake call, I will ask how they came to me, and what they know about S2C. These questions allow me to determine the support level I may provide this family. I discuss my fee schedule, being on time for appointments, and cancellations. Most importantly, I will explain to them that this is a partnership and that we will work as a team, practitioner, CRP and Speller. We want to co-create an environment for success.
Upon the first session, I provide the parent with the expectation that I will focus on their child and ask that they write down any questions they may have to be addressed at the end of the session. I will say to my parents, “No offence but I am going to ignore you for a while”, and I have never had one parent be offended by this. They take the clipboard with the pen and paper and happily write down their questions along the way.
In that session, I provide an information packet (remember to systemize your practice, people!) that may include I-ASCs’ explanation of S2C, infographics of the brain, and infographics of the 4 types of movement. I do not provide so much that it will overwhelm them, but I scaffold that folder and ask for them to bring it back next session to add more information, such as CRP tip sheets, an FAQ, and a Prompt sheet.
In the first session, I will reassure them that many have sat in their chair before them with the same worries and questions. I share with them how I struggled to learn to be a Practitioner and CRP at the beginning. I set the expectation that this is hard work and one that takes dedication (while also having grace for the days when practice can’t happen). I am upfront that progressing on the letterboards takes time and it looks different for everyone. I share with them the success stories of some of my dear friends like Jacob Gruen, Andrew Smith, Ian Nordling, and Izaiah Grewal.
However, the most important expectation I set is that as the caregiver, they are the one team member that is crucial to the success of their speller. You see, if a speller is only open with their practitioner that sets the stage for failure. I am not their mother; I am not taking them to the doctor’s, to a friend’s birthday party, or to school. I am not getting up with them in the night or fielding dysregulation in the grocery store. This expectation and practice of boundary setting may be the most important thing you set forth. And, you know what? Sometimes the caregiver who first brings their child to the session may not be able to be that person and there is someone else in the spellers’ life that makes the most sense to be the CRP (spouse, grandparent, sibling, PSW). If that is the case, we make that ok and proceed with the alternate who will be the CRP. There is no shame here, only solutions.
Cultivate a culture of Empowerment and Connection:
I am a firm believer that with the right knowledge and support anyone can learn a new task. Ok, maybe not gymnastics; I still cannot do a cartwheel after all of these years. However, we are never too old to learn. This past winter I decided to make silly (and sometimes inappropriate) cross-stitches for a few close friends and family. I do not cross-stitch. I am not a crafty kind of girl. But, with the right materials, DIY YouTube videos, and patience, I improved my knowledge and craft. It got to the point where I was creating cross-stitches without using a pattern! With each idea, a good friend laughed, cheered me on, and encouraged me (let’s be honest, she mostly laughed at me). With each cross-stitch success, I wanted to do more. This same concept applies here.
Scaffold your CRPs learning. Start with the basics: Speech vs. Language, Presuming Competence, and Coaching the Body. Then, incorporate more of the knowledge: The Motor Cortexes, and 4 types of motor. Then keep going to the foundational skills such as positioning (body and board), and the 5 types of prompts. With each session, you explain more in a way that your CRP learns. Do not pile it all into one session as it is just so much information and you do not want them to feel defeated or frustrated before they are even in the chair.
Scaffold your CRPs learning. Start with the basics: Speech vs. Language, Presuming Competence, and Coaching the Body. Then, incorporate more of the knowledge: The Motor Cortexes, and 4 types of motor. Then keep going to the foundational skills such as positioning (body and board), and the 5 types of prompts. With each session, you explain more in a way that your CRP learns. Do not pile it all into one session as it is just so much information and you do not want them to feel defeated or frustrated before they are even in the chair.
Empower your CRPs. Cheer them on. Catch them in what they are doing well. Their success is your success. Connect with them in a way that they can be honest with you when it hasn’t gone well. Provide them with articles, tips and videos to help them to truly understand WHY they are doing what they are doing. They need to know more than just the mechanics, they need to know the whys along with the hows.
Lastly, and yes here I go again, THEY are not an island. Connect them to the Spellerverse on Facebook, and local spelling families, and have seasoned parents who are willing to walk alongside your newbies. You can’t be all things to all families, so help them find their tribe.
These are not just my opinions. There is research on the success of caregiver involvement. In fact, in the last decade, we have seen more traditional therapies move to a caregiver-mediated model for this reason. For example, The PLAY Project, developed by Dr. Rick Solomon is a play-based, early intervention, caregiver-mediated program that teaches parents how to enter into the world of their autistic child. A PLAY Project Consultant teaches the caregivers the method and then the caregiver implements what they are taught (sound familiar?). A study completed by Dr. Solomon (2014) found that through parent involvement in the method “PLAY children improved in diagnostic categories on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)”. The study showed that “PLAY intervention demonstrated substantial changes in parent-child interaction without increasing parents’ stress/depression.” ( Solomon R. et al, 2014). This is not the only study out there. There are many more studies across various interventions that continue to show that children’s success is improved when caregivers are involved.
The bottom line, your speller needs their CRP to be informed, educated and empowered. It is your job to ensure they have all the tools to do so!
Resource:
Solomon R, Van Egeren L, Mahoney G, Quon-Huber M, Zimmerman P. (2014) PLAY Project Home Consultation Intervention Program for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Dev Beh Pediatr.35(8): 475-485. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4181375/
About the Author
Sherri Taylor is a Certified Spelling to Communicate Practitioner and Registered Early Childhood Educator living in Windsor, Ontario. As a Special Services Worker for 30 years, Sherri has contributed significantly to various sectors in the disability community, including education, supportive housing, and occupational therapy.
Sherri was introduced to Spelling to Communicate when she was handpicked by the Premier of Ontario to contribute to the creation of funding, supports, and services for autistics and their families. During this period, Sherri engaged with families from across Toronto, an experience that led her to a paradigm shift in her practice after being introduced to Spelling to Communicate by a young man named William. This encounter ignited a passion for empowering nonspeakers and became the catalyst for the establishment of her private practice, Sherri Taylor Collaborative.
Sherri leverages her expertise in purposeful motor movements, sensory strategies, and coaching to support spellers. Her commitment extends to consulting with parents and practitioners, emphasizing a collaborative approach to foster autonomy in individuals with diverse communication needs. As a faculty member of I-ASC, Sherri mentors and evaluates cohorts, contributing to the advancement of best practices in Spelling to Communicate.
With a deep understanding of the importance of amplifying the voices of the nonspeaking community, Sherri has made it her mission to bring their perspectives to the forefront ensuring that their voices are heard, valued, and respected.
