Words in Motion S2C

27/03/2026

So great to be out there with Colleen last night to build this new Jacksonville Speller Collective community!

We are here! UF Health Neurodevelopmental Pediatric Center for the Spring Fling.

26/03/2026

The Jacksonville Speller Collective was born out of the idea of connecting current and future S2C Practitioners in Jacksonville for the benefit of growing the spelling community here. Colleen and I will be representing that today at this event put on by the UF Health Neurodevelopment Pediatric Center.

Come out and see Colleen and Katlyn at this event tonight!

23/03/2026

The 4 Rs of Spelling to Communicate (S2C™): Replicability, Reliability, Responsibility, and Researchability

These are the foundation of ethical, effective communication for nonspeakers.

When we commit to the 4 Rs, we uphold the highest standards in every session and protect the authenticity of nonspeakers’ voices.

Communication is fundamental to being human, and it deserves to be protected. The responsibility is ours.

👉 Read the full blog to learn more.
https://i-asc.org/the-4-rs-of-s2c-the-cornerstone-of-ethical-and-best-practice/

image: An plain white background with the words, replicability (blue), responsibility (green), researchability (gray), and reliability (orange) stacked vertically. In the bottom right corner is the green I-ASC logo]

04/03/2026

When families begin Spelling to Communicate, there can be a lot of questions about what sessions should look like.

Looking away while spelling is common. Maintaining steady eye fixation is a motor skill. Holding the eyes fixed on one location can be difficult, and the eyes may fatigue from working hard to maintain fixation, scan for letters, and shift quickly between them (saccades).

Movement during sessions is also normal. Rocking, pacing, or shifting positions often helps regulate the nervous system and organize the body for motor tasks.

Many spellers also make vocal sounds while working. Humming, vocalizing, or other noises can be part of how the nervous system regulates during motor tasks. These sounds are not distractions and do not need to be corrected.

Accuracy may fluctuate while the motor system is learning to execute intentional movement reliably. One moment pointing may be clear and controlled, and the next the body may struggle to carry out the movement.

Communication can also look different from one session to the next. Regulation, energy levels, sensory load, and fatigue all influence how reliably the body can access purposeful motor. These changes reflect motor access — not changes in understanding or intelligence.

Breaks are another important part of the process. Supporting regulation allows the nervous system to reset so purposeful motor can return.

Most importantly, parents should know that S2C practitioners are trained to support these moments. Movement, noise, variability, and regulation needs are all things we expect and know how to navigate.

Families never need to feel embarrassed or worried about these things in a session. S2C spaces are meant to be welcoming, supportive, and safe for both the speller and their family.

S2C sessions aren’t linear and don’t have to look “perfect.”.

18/02/2026

This is a great cause to support nonspeakers in their advocacy!

Today, the Spellers & Allies Network launches their campaign to strengthen nonspeaker-led advocacy.

When you donate, you create opportunities to:
🔹 Educate healthcare professionals about spelling through nonspeaker-created presentations
🔸 Advocate in schools, hospitals, universities, and conferences
🔹 Increase spelling access for nonspeakers
🔸 Address racial disparities in communication access
🔹 Support paid speaking and nonspeaking coordinator positions

S&A is led by nonspeakers.
It is a community of peers.
And it is changing the way the world sees spellers.

Support nonspeaker-led advocacy today.
https://shorturl.at/9XDta

[image: Three advocates wearing Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network (I-ASC) shirts stand at a podium during a presentation. One person speaks into a microphone while another holds a letterboard. The graphic includes the I-ASC logo and the words “Support NonSpeaker-Led Advocacy” in bold green and blue text.]

06/02/2026

We often expect people to communicate first — and regulate later.
But for many neurodiverse individuals, regulation MUST come first.

Regulation is the nervous system’s ability to feel safe and organized enough to engage. It’s not about being still, quiet, or compliant. It’s about capacity.

Intentional communication requires multiple systems working together:
• sensory input
• motor output
• emotional safety
• cognitive access

When regulation drops, these systems fall out of sync. Sensory input becomes overwhelming, motor output becomes unpredictable, and purposeful motor can go offline temporarily — even though the person still has thoughts, understanding, and language internally.

This is why dysregulation is not a choice.
It’s not refusal.
And it’s not a lack of effort.

It’s the nervous system doing its job to protect the body.

Supporting regulation may look like movement, stimming, breaks, pacing, fidgets, body engagers, co-regulation, or changing the environment. These supports are not “getting in the way” of communication — they are what make communication possible.

Regulation also doesn’t always happen before a task. Often, it happens through supportive engagement — when demands are adjusted, pressure is reduced, and the body feels safe enough to stay present.

✨ Regulation is not a reward.
✨ Regulation is not optional.
✨ Regulation is the gateway to communication.

Support the body — and communication can emerge.

04/02/2026

Today in our online Culture Keepers group that focuses on intangible culture, we learned about Ainu ceremonial dances. Many of these dances represent various animals. I posed the question to the group "If you had to choose one animal or insect to represent in a dance, what would it be and why?" With their answers, I asked AI to use those answers to create an image of the chosen animals doing a ceremonial dance and this is what we got. Such a beautiful representation of our group!

02/02/2026

Every year on Groundhog Day, we laugh about reliving the same day over and over.

But in the S2C world, it can feel like we’re having the same conversations on repeat — year after year.

We’re still explaining that:
• lack of speech ≠ lack of language
• motor challenges ≠ cognitive challenges
• actions ≠ intentions
• communication requires regulation and access

S2C isn’t new.
The neuroscience isn’t new.
The lived experiences of nonspeakers aren’t new.

What’s new — and still slowly growing — is acceptance.

Maybe this is the year we stop repeating the same myths
and start listening to the people who’ve been waiting to be heard.

✨ Here’s hoping S2C doesn’t feel like Groundhog Day forever.

30/01/2026

The brain–body disconnect explains why so many nonspeaking and unreliably speaking individuals appear capable one moment and “unable” the next.

Their thoughts are intact.
Their understanding is intact.
Their language is intact.

What’s unreliable is the motor output required to show it.

Communication and all purposeful actions depend on multiple systems working together — cognitive, sensory, motor, emotional. When sensory input is overwhelming or inconsistent, the motor system loses reliable guidance. Signals from the brain to the body become disrupted by neural “noise,” and the body cannot consistently carry out intentional movement.

This is why someone may:
• know the answer but point or respond inaccurately
• understand fully but respond slowly or not at all
• appear capable one moment and dysregulated the next

These are not inconsistencies in thinking — they are inconsistencies in access.

When the nervous system is supported through regulation, emotional safety, and reduced pressure, the brain–body connection becomes more reliable. Purposeful motor can come back online.

✨ The brain isn’t broken.
✨ The language isn’t missing.
✨ The body just needs support to access what’s already there.

This is why we presume competence.
And this is why we focus on supporting the body, not testing the mind.

20/01/2026

I have been quiet on here the last couple of weeks, focusing on the big move and getting my office set up. However, last week I started seeing clients here and Jacksonville and it was an incredible start! I cannot wait to see what more this community brings and how I can bring S2C to it!