Kia ora! For the last three months I have been lucky enough to intern at GKTC, where I have been learning so much. All the way from little old New Zealand! What an honor it has been to be welcomed so warmly and given the opportunity to communicate with the spellers in the community… what…
In March, members of Growing Kid Therapy Center‘s Tribe began planning an art project honoring their mothers, and the mothers and motherly figures of the spelling community. They decided to focus on plants for the image that would be recreated with donated recycled materials, and the brainstorming began with coming up with words to describe…
TRIBE CONTINUES TO GIVE! The Tribe are nonspeaking young adults who meet weekly at Growing Kids Therapy Center and who use spelling as a form of communication and are all highly fluent in their ability to communicate. Growing Kids Therapy Center is dedicated to teaching non-speaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking individuals how to Spell…
TRIBE GIVES BACK! This year, the Tribe, a group of GKTC’s nonspeaking young adults, decided they wanted to devote their time and work to community philanthropy. Their efforts have been impressive. First, the Tribe held a toy drive at GKTC and collected over 3 boxes of toys which they delivered today to Cornerstones in Reston, Virginia. Cornerstones will…
To the Board of Directors: I am writing to you to ask that you withdraw the proposals from the Ad Hoc committee on FC and RPM. Â The members of this committee have a longstanding public record of trying to discredit the use of FC, RPM and other forms of typing or spelling as a form…
Emma: My name is Emma Budway, Ben: and I am Benjamin McGann and we both use spelling to communicate. Emma: The majority of my and Benjamin’s childhood was spent in countless therapies and special education. Ben: Each claiming to get through to the autistic child and teach him or her to be normal, or at…
Re: [TIME SENSITIVE] ASHA Policy Statement on RPM My name is Thomas Pruyn and I am a nonspeaking autistic who uses spelling to communicate. I am Ryan McMahon and I am a nonspeaking autistic who uses spelling to communicate. Like many other nonspeaking autistics, I, Ian Nordling, have found my voice by spelling on a…
As many of you know, we are training Buddy, a goldendoodle, to become an OT dog. Â Animal assisted therapy has always been a dream of mine. Adding a dog to a therapy session can be a great way to add some fun, motivation, and regulation. Ryan, a GKTC client, is a part of Team Buddy…
We have been so grateful to spend the last 6 weeks with Shelby Watson, our fabulous Australian intern! Shelby was so eager to learn how to teach nonspeaking individuals to Spell to Communicate (S2C) that she packed up her bags, hopped a plane and embraced American life and clinical skills as a participant in our…
When I first started working at Growing Kids, I worked with students who were brand new to Spelling to Communicate, as well as some who started with Elizabeth beforehand. Over that time, skills began to build, goals were being met, and fluency was increasing. For the students and for myself, as well! Doing a regular,…
There are many reasons why I love being so involved with Tribe, but the UVa-Tribe exchanges are at the top. As a UVa alum, a friend of Vikram (who teaches the course), and as an educator at GKTC, it’s truly the case of my worlds colliding, and it’s the best thing ever. GKTC Tribe and…
Today we welcome guest blogger, Michele Kukler, one of our ACTS (Accessing Community Through Spelling) professional practitioners and teacher extraordinare of the Connections School of Atlanta. Michele and the incredibly dedicated teachers and staff at Connections are leaders in education as they include nonspeaking students along side speaking peers inside and outside the classroom through…
