Spell to Connect

21/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17CkutXW6d/?mibextid=wwXIfr

21/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ds1KwBBSC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

What a difference it makes in our mindset and our teaching when we presume competence in our students and embrace the understanding that what may look like "bad behavior" is quite possibly the response of a brain-body disconnect.

Our student Ethan Statter wrote these words to share about his experience of disconnection and struggle between his brain and body.

Hero or Villain

Oftentimes in life, people experience feeling like a villain and a hero. This is something I feel quite often. I am a villain to myself, when I can’t control my body.

The brain body disconnect I feel is real. It’s hard to describe.

Imagine an angel and a devil. The angel is my brain telling me everything I want and need to do. The devil is my body losing control and taking over.

Imagine what this daily battle feels like, when you know right from wrong.

My brain is the hardest working part of my entire being. I gear up for the war against my body each day, wondering if they will ever agree.

The angel has to win.

I have to love my body but how can I when it’s in a constant battle against me. Who am I? Am I my brain or my body? I’m tired of being torn in two.

I need to give myself grace. The grace to succeed and permission to love myself, even in moments of weakness.

Notes from Ethan: I was inspired to write this poem when my brain and body were not cooperating with one another. The challenges nonspeaking autistic humans face can be tough. At times our bodies don't match our thoughts. Hence the devil and angel comparison. The brain body disconnect is something I write about frequently because it is misunderstood. I know the others in this community can relate. We have to stick together.

[id: a photograph of Ethan sitting with his arms and legs crossed, chin resting on his hands. He is gazing toward the ground. Some words from Ethan's portion of the caption are printed on the photo in white text with teal accents.]

12/04/2026

Seeking someone with the right skills and passion to join the Spell to Connect team!

School hours are an option, meaningful and varied work supporting meaningful communication access for nonspeaking individuals.

03/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1C4mdEKryL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EDgdgdwSH/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/04/2026

The beginning of Spell to Connect

13/03/2026

This webinar is happening tomorrow..
For anyone interested in becoming a Spelling to Communicate (S2C) Practitioner, here is a link to register and join the webinar:

Join Elizabeth Vosseller to find out more about I-ASC's S2C Practitioner Training! There will be a Q&A so bring your questions!

18/02/2026

For anyone interested in becoming a Spelling to Communicate (S2C) Practitioner, here is a link to an information webinar coming up in March:

Join Elizabeth Vosseller to find out more about I-ASC's S2C Practitioner Training! There will be a Q&A so bring your questions!

05/02/2026

This is such an important article written by nonspeaker Spencer Austin titled "What it's like to have nonspeaking autism and what has helped me".

Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say, but the words don’t make it from your brain to your lips. You know how you want to move, but your body fails to comply.

20/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GcTLkEZ5y/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The most rewarding thing I do is making sure other quality minds have access to spelling. The moment I made my first pokes, I knew this was the different instruction I needed to have more intentional control to strongly make my voice heard. The Peyton Project is my attempt to steamroll every objection families have about starting this really magnificent process to communication. - Peyton

14/01/2026

https://substack.com/inbox/post/184379930?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=4065809&post_id=184379930&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=6tnfdj&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

A Peer-Reviewed Challenge to the Assumptions Used to Deny Nonspeakers a Voice

07/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/181bC8Xena/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A motor nightmare. Someone says, "Bri, get the blue cap on the table behind you." I know what a cap is and I know blue. I know left and right, in front and behind. I know it all. Yet I cannot navigate my body to execute your directions.

Pointing isn't particularly helpful because I have trouble operating my ocular muscles like everything else. I remember people claiming I didn't have the joint attention to follow a point. Who comes up with this stuff? Visuals won't help. I know what it looks like. I just can't get myself to follow your plan. And I can't make my hand grab the right thing when my eyes do find it.

You might ask how I can swipe that candy from the same table the moment you leave the room, and all I can say is my impulses drive my body a whole lot more effectively than the rest of my brain.

[Image: Shoulders up of Bri, with short brown curly hair, looking off to the right side of frame and smiling, wearing a maroon shirt, olive green jacket, blue and gray necklace. Sitting in the grass in a large field with trees in the background.]