Dana Johnson

PhD, MS, OTR/L, Spellers Method Co-Creator

Dana Johnson is the Founder of Spellers Center, Tampa; Founder of Spellers Center Atlanta, Founder of Invictus Academy, Tampa Bay; and co-creator of the Spellers Method.

Dana has a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, and a Ph.D in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Development. She is a producer of the award-winning documentary, SPELLERS, an executive producer of UNDERESTIMATED: The Heroic Rise of Nonspeaking Spellers, and co-author of The Spellers Guidebook: Practical Advice for Parents and Students.

Over the last 20 years, families and individuals with motor and sensory differences have come to Dana for help from all over the US, Canada and Europe. She currently specializes in supporting individuals with autism, apraxia, nonspeaking, unreliably speaking, and minimally speaking individuals by utilizing spelling and typing as a form of communication. Dana started her career in Canada as an occupational therapist supporting children in the public school system, then; she transitioned to private practice in North Carolina before working for 2 years at Johns Hopkins Outpatient Care in the Tampa Bay Area. In 2010, Dana opened her own clinic in New Port Richey, FL Spellers Center Tampa (formerly Interplay Therapy) with a focus on autism, apraxia/dyspraxia, and sensory-motor differences.

As a Spellers Method provider, as well as an Occupational Therapist, Dana focuses her current work on teaching purposeful motor skills to treat apraxia/autism and to help nonspeakers communicate.

What is the best thing about your work?

‘What I love most about my work is that I get to show parents that their child IS able to communicate and they have been learning their entire life! I let parent know that most of what they have believed or have been told about their child isn’t true. I love working with the spellers and witnessing the excitement they get when they spell their first word. It never gets old!”

What is something that you wish everyone understood about your job?

“I wish the majority understood that people who cannot speak are not intellectually or cognitively delayed. For example, a person with autism may do or say something that seems ‘inappropriate’. What the majority doesn’t understand is that these behaviors are unintentional and are not done on purpose. This is a characteristic of Apraxia. I wish that people had a better understanding of apraxia because it would change the world for those with nonspeaking autism, Downs Syndrome, and other neuromotor disabilities.”

How do you unwind?

“I love going on motorcycle rides, particularly in the mountains, with my hubby – Todd. A strong passion of mine is fitness which includes regular workouts at the gym, and walking with my two pups, Archie and Newman, which also helps me to relax and enjoy the moment. I spent a lot of free time studying nutrition and learning more regarding the impact of diet and food choices on our overall health.“

Education:

Ph.D. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Development, Fielding Graduate University, CA, USA
M.S. Occupational Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
B.A. Kinesiology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Professional Licensure & Memberships:

Florida Department of Health – Occupational Therapy License #13065 (2006–Present)
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) – Member #233039 (2006–Present)
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) – Member #4370694 (2006–Present)
DIRFloortime Expert Trainer and Provider Certificate (2013–2019)
International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) – Executive Leadership Cadre (2019–2020)

Research:

Ph.D. Dissertation (2015–2016)
Applying the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Model to Understand Parental Stress Experienced When Working With and Within a Treatment Team: An Interpretive Phenomenological Inquiry
Master’s Thesis (2006)
Using a Child’s Occupations to Deliver Sensory Integration Treatment in Their Home and School Environment

Professional Organizations:

Co-Executive Director / Spellers Freedom Foundation (2023-present)
Executive Leadership Team Member / International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) (2019–2021)
Board Member / Non-Speaking CommUnity Consortium (2017–2019)
Board Member / Family Partnerships, Tampa, FL (2008–2010)

Publications:

The Spellers Guidebook: Practical advice for parents and students. Skyhorse Publishing 2023
Kids with Special Needs Reach New Heights at Muskoka Woods – Exceptional Possibilities, Summer 2006

Presentations & Lectures:

Mind Over Motor: Understanding sensory motor differences and the impact of neurological “noise” in the autistic population. Documenting Hope Conference (2024)
Blending Motor Planning and Neurodevelopmental Optometry to access Communication. Documenting Hope Conference (2024)
Blending Motor Planning and Neurodevelopmental Optometry to access Communication. The Autism Community in Action (TACA) (2024)
Blending Motor Planning and Neurodevelopmental Optometry to access Communication. Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) (2024)
Mind Over Motor: Understanding sensory motor differences and the impact of neurological “noise” in the autistic population. Medical Academy of Pediatric and Special Needs Conference (MAPS)(2023)
Why Behavior is not Always Communication – National Autism Association (2022)
Revolutionary Thinking – Guest Presenter, BayCare Pediatricians Conference (2019)
Hope for Your Struggling Communicator – TACA Talk, Tampa, FL (2019)
From Chaotic to Organized: Supporting Students in the Classroom – Motormorphosis Conference, Sterling, VA (2018)
Understanding Challenging Behaviors – YMCA of the Suncoast, Palm Harbor, FL (2017)
Including Spellers in Schools – Motormorphosis Conference, Sterling, VA (2017)
Whole Body Movement – Motormorphosis Conference, Sterling, VA (2017)
Rethinking OT in Our Schools – Helping Hands Support Group, Trinity, FL (2016)
Supporting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder – Helping Hands Support Group, Trinity, FL (2015)
The Development of the Parent: The Child’s Contribution – Co-Presenter with Dr. Claudia Gold, ICDL Annual Conference (2012)
Supporting Children with Asperger’s Disorder in the School Setting – Hillsborough Catholic District Schools, Tampa, FL (2010)
Rethinking OT in Our Schools – Tampa Day School, Tampa, FL (2009)
Autism and Sensory Processing: Impact on Treatment of the Pediatric Client – All Children’s Hospital Physical Therapy Dept. (2008)
DIR/Floortime Model: How Can We Use It in Practice? – All Children’s Hospital Occupational Therapy Dept. (2008)
Sensory Integration Therapy in Clinical Practice – Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada (2006)
Making Sense of the World Around Us – Autism Parent Support Group, Raleigh, NC (2006)