Spellers Method™
Spellers Method™ was founded by Dana Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L and Dawnmarie Gaivin, RN, BSN, AT-ACP, who combined their extensive professional expertise to develop a multidisciplinary approach to communication.
This method integrates principles from occupational therapy, developmental optometry, and low-tech assistive technology to teach the motor skills necessary for accurately pointing to letters on a letterboard or keyboard, empowering individuals to spell words and phrases for reliable communication.
The Three Core Components of Spellers Method™
Intentional Movement
Building purposeful motor skills for accurate spelling or typing.
Vision
Integrating visual processing strategies to support accurate motor planning and execution.
Communication Partner Coaching
Training parents and caregivers to effectively support and co-regulate with their child throughout the communication journey.
By working with a Spellers Method™ provider, you will learn how to support your child in developing the motor skills needed to spell or type to communicate. This opens the door for your child to express not just their basic needs but also their thoughts, goals, and dreams.
As a parent, you will gain valuable tools to better support your child during moments of stress, illness, or discomfort. The Spellers Method™ will transform how you understand and support your child, guiding you both on a life-changing journey toward meaningful communication and connection.
Who benefits from Spellers Method?
The target beneficiaries of the Spellers Method are those with autism, apraxia, Down Syndrome, and other disabilities or sensory and motor difficulties.
Why is Spellers Method Unique?
The Spellers Method incorporates research and expertise from the fields of assistive technology, developmental optometry, and occupational therapy to guide each student’s unique path to fluency, from their very first spelling session through their self-determined ultimate goal. For some that means open communication on a stencil, for others it means pursuit of autonomous typing skills i.e., the goal of spelling without a trained communication partner holding their keyboard.
Who Is Eligible to Train as a Practitioner?
At this time, Spellers Method Practitioner training is exclusively offered to practitioners who are seeking a deeper dive into assistive technology, developmental optometry, intentional motor, polyvagal theory, and more to meet the unique needs of their students. It also teaches the Spellers Method protocol for advancing students to autonomous typing.
Communication Partner Coaching
Why a communication Partner?
Effective communication partners are essential to the process of both learning to communicate by spelling and taking communication beyond the walls of a clinic.
Who are the communication partners?
Parents and caregivers are often a speller’s first communication partner, however spellers may also want other family or friends who work with them to support their communication.
How do I become a communication partner?
communication partner (CP) for the speller. This training occurs during a speller’s private sessions or additional sessions may be scheduled exclusively for CP training.
Intentional Movement
What is dyspraxia/apraxia?
Our senses are our bodies’ means of gaining information about the environment around us, and our relation to it. That information gives us a sense of ourselves—where our body is in space, how heavy we feel, how loud we talk, our sense of balance—and then informs how we should move our bodies to do the things we want to do in our environment. Because of this, for those with sensory differences, movement difficulties often also arise in the form of dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia, or apraxia, is a breakdown in our ability to move intentionally, resulting in challenges with intentional motor skills such as speech, other fine motor skills, activities of daily living, extracurricular activities, social participation, play, etc. Anxiety, low self-esteem, and dysregulation can also occur if the client can’t successfully direct their body to complete, or even start, a desired task.
What is successful motor planning?
Successful motor planning requires developing a well-established, internal body map. This includes body awareness and having a confident sense of where the body is in space. Sensory input, aided by movement, feeds information to the sensory system so that it can build this map.
How do parents play a role?
Parents and caregivers are also taught how to understand and support their child’s abilities so they can meet their goals in other environments.
Vision
Why is our visual system important?
We rely on our visual system for everything that we do. It is essentially our “window to the world”. We use this system to communicate, take in our environmental surroundings, and develop a strong body map to understand how our body relates to the world around us. When our visual system is disorganized, the result can affect many areas of our life.
Why is ocular-motor important?
Ocular motor skills are different from visual acuity. Visual acuity or eyesight refers to how well we can see. We may have sufficient eyesight, but have inefficient vision. We need efficient ocular motor skills and vision for tasks such as hand-eye coordination (spelling) or moving from one location to another. Eye tracking (oculomotility), eye teaming (binocularity), focusing (accommodation), visual motor integration, and visual perception are all necessary for success in everyday life.
How can a Developmental Optometrist help?
Our Spellers Centers in Tampa and Atlanta work very closely with local Developmental Optometrists who understand the specific needs of spellers. They complete comprehensive assessments, all without the need to verbally speak or even spell. If you’re new to spelling, that is the best time to be seen by a developmental optometrist! Our teams are happy to talk with you more about how to find one in your local area if you are unable to schedule a visit while you are visiting one of our Centers.
Learn Communication
Through Typing & Spelling
Share Your Unique Story
Everyone has a unique story. We want to know yours.
Experience the Spellers Method
Begin or advance your skills in this form of communication, motor control, & regulation.
Attain Freedom & Autonomy
Confidently proclaim your future dreams as your destiny!
Why Wait Another Day?
This isn’t just about spelling—it’s about unlocking a lifetime of potential. Join countless families who have experienced the joy of truly connecting with their child for the first time
Let’s begin your family’s journey to a brighter, more connected future