Unlocking Communication

I teach nonspeaking, minimally-speaking and unreliably-speaking children and adults the purposeful movement of accurate pointing at letterboards, so they can liberate their previously locked-in thoughts, letter by letter, word by word.

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“If you’re a family member or ally wondering whether it’s worth trying S2C, given how ‘severe’ and ‘low-functioning’ you’ve been told your nonspeaker is—the answer is a resounding, YES. I know this from experience.”

—Adrienne Murphy, I-ASC-certified S2C (Spell to Communicate) Practitioner based in Dublin, Ireland, and mother to Caoimh (“keev”), one of Ireland’s first nonspeaking autistic spellers.

“My body doesn’t do what my brain asks it to do. My body does things I don’t want it to do... To understand us is to understand what needs to change in the world.”

—Adrienne’s son, nonspeaking speller Caoimh Connolly Murphy, on his experience of apraxia, compulsivity, and the global need for compassion.

What is spelling to communicate?

Spelling to Communicate (S2C) empowers nonspeakers to overcome communication barriers posed by traditional oral communication by pointing to letters on a board as an alternative means of communication.

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Our Journey

My son Caoimh, now in his early 20s, was born in 2003. By the time Caoimh was 10, I had thrown off what I’d been told about him by clinicians and teachers since his autism diagnosis at age 2.

While Caoimh clearly had fine motor challenges – to the point that speaking and handwriting were beyond his reach – I no longer believed that he was “severely intellectually disabled”, or that he was barely able to understand even basic language.

In 2014, when Caoimh was 11, I found a way to teach him how to spell to communicate.

Testimonials

"We have been attending Adrienne for S2C sessions every week for over a year now. Up to this point, our nonspeaking daughter had little means to communicate or express her needs or opinions. It was almost as though she was locked in and we struggled to unlock her potential. She was extremely frustrated. Since starting with Adrienne, we have seen her progress from the 3 letter boards to the 26 letter board with pride and enthusiasm. She loves her sessions with Adrienne as they stimulate and challenge her intellect. Adrienne is an excellent S2C practitioner who is always patient and understanding to our daughter. S2C has opened up a whole new world to us and we feel so blessed to have found Adrienne."

- Sarah & Jimmy

Ian Hardy

Let’s spell to communicate!

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