Spellers

We have started a new journey with Nolan that I've been hesitant to share. This is rare for me because when it comes to autism, I've always been an open book. This new adventure has been tough to open up about, mostly because it has been hard for Hunter and I to wrap our minds around. I am usually the one who is "all in" once I've done the research, but I had my share of skepticism at the beginning. In fact, the beginning is probably the best place to start.

The world of autism parenting can be a lonely place. Heck, not just with autism, but any child with a disability. One thing that has helped me over the years is to connect with other people who are going through the same thing as us. I've learned more from other parents than I have from professionals combined. Last year, I started reading a book called Underestimated. I love to read stories of people who have gone through struggles and come out of them with

In this book, J.B. Hadley is the father of a person with autism, and they go through the process of finding a communication method that helps him understand his son, Jamison, for the first time in his life. It sounded like a good story to me. Little did I know, this book would change our lives. The method of communication he talks about is called Spelling to Communicate. I'd heard of it before and knew it was used in those with nonverbal autism. Because autism is such a huge spectrum, some people can hold a complete conversation, others only talk about their interests, some can make simple requests, while others can't speak at all.

When Nolan was first diagnosed at he age of two years old, he didn't talk. He babbled and had his own little language, but mostly used pointing to show us what he wanted. At the age of eleven years old, he can now tell us things he wants and loves to repeat his favorite parts of shows and act them out. But because he has something called apraxia, very few people can understand what he is saying. Apraxia of speech is where his brain knows what he wants to say, but there is a disconnect when it gets to his mouth. We do a lot of detective work and translating for him!

With Spelling to Communicate, or S2C, a board with letters on it is held in front of the person who is using it, and he or she touches each letter and spells what they want to say. Simple enough, right? I'd heard of it before, but since Nolan could use words to tell us what he wanted, I never looked into it any further. In this book, though, J.B. Hadley talks about how those with apraxia of speech benefit from it too. After that, I watched the documentary, Spellers, on YouTube, and my mind was blown. S2C isn't just for those who can't talk to communicate their needs. Spellers are able to communicate their thoughts and desires for life. I cried when I witnessed this on the documentary because for so many years we have assumed that whatever Nolan could say is what he knew. If he could say his ABCs or somehow point to them or line them up in order, then he must know them. He can only count to ten? That must be all the math he knows. We have never been more wrong! And going on this new journey the past few months has done nothing but confirm that and change how we see our son. I will start posting a blog once or twice a week with more information, and with Nolan's permission, I'll share some videos from our spelling sessions as well!  I am so excited to share more about this!