Not only is it fun to sing along to Fergie about our fitness, we all know that regular exercise is great for both your physical and mental health. That fact is not any different for our spellers – it is a great purposeful motor that can improve health, promote regulation, and integrate the brain and…
Imagine a world where you do not get the option to voice your opinion when decisions are made that affect your daily life. This is an unfortunate reality for many with disabilities. Now, imagine you do not have the ability to talk, so you quite literally cannot voice your opinion about these decisions… Our nonspeakers…
The holidays are an ordeal for everyone. Especially for the neurodiverse. I wrote this to give you some perspective on this bittersweet occasion for us. The most obvious challenge of Christmas for a nonspeaker is getting toys. Yes, we wanted them. Yes, they are beautiful and we love them, just like every kid on Christmas….
Kia ora folks! Ruby here again. This week we’ve been doing more enviro-madness, getting outdoors and considering many of the awesome solutions to healing our global ecosystem. We learnt about Greta Thunberg, Jane Goodall, Extinction Rebellion and the Fridays For Future movement, all of whom are challenging the rest of western society to think about…
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…
Growing Kids Therapy Center’s STEM-focused Summer Institute is in full swing! This week, our group met for an Eggciting Physics Eggstravaganza, and kicked off the week with some eggsperiments. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Can you tell the difference between a raw egg and a hard-boiled egg just by spinning them? Can…
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 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…
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…
