One of the most common questions I hear from parents is: “Why would my child need the Spellers Method if they can already talk?” This is especially common among parents of children with unreliable speech—those who can speak but often struggle with expressing themselves reliably or within a conversation. As someone who has worked extensively with nonspeaking and unreliably speaking children, I can understand the hesitancy to try a new method. There’s often a lot of emotional investment in therapy, and parents worry that introducing a spelling-based communication method might interfere with the speech their child has worked so hard to develop.
Speech Doesn’t Always Equal Effective Communication
The reality is that speech does not always equate to effective communication. Many children and teens with autism or whole body apraxia may be able to speak in sentences or phrases but find it difficult to communicate outside of rehearsed scripts or familiar topics. These scripts might be practiced repeatedly and might seem functional on the surface, but they don’t always reflect the full range of thoughts or feelings the individual wants to express.
I often explain to parents that their child likely has much more to say, but due to motor planning issues, they struggle to get their full thoughts out verbally. For example, just because someone can say “Hi, how are you?” doesn’t mean that’s all they want to say. That phrase has become a learned motor plan, but it doesn’t allow for open, authentic communication.
When Speech Masks the Need for Alternative Communication
For many individuals with unreliable speech, the Spellers Method can be life-changing. The presence of speech can sometimes mask the need for alternative communication methods. These individuals might be able to answer basic questions that only require a simple “yes” or “no” response, but when asked more cognitively demanding questions like, “Why don’t you want to go there?”, they may struggle to respond accurately. This issue arises from what we call the motor-cognitive demand imbalance.
This imbalance leads many to mistakenly believe that the person has limited intelligence or only understands at a much younger level. The truth is, their true cognitive capacity is much greater, but the motor planning issues make it hard to express that depth of understanding.
The Spellers Method: Bridging the Gap
In the Spellers Method, we can clearly observe this imbalance during the acquisition phase. For example, in early sessions, a speller might easily spell a word like “travel” when given the word to spell. This is because the cognitive demand is low – you gave them the word to spell. However, when asked a question requiring higher cognitive thinking, such as recalling the author of a lesson, the speller might appear dysregulated, lose accuracy, or even freeze. This is because they are being asked to recall and hold onto new information (high cognitive demand) while also spelling a response (high motor demand).
It’s like learning to drive a car. Initially, you focus so much on operating the vehicle that you can’t do anything else—like listen to music or have a conversation. As driving becomes automatic, you can add more cognitive tasks, like holding a conversation or focusing on directions. Similarly, in Spellers Method, we slowly build motor skills while gradually increasing the cognitive demand.
Speech vs. Spelling: The Confusion
For unreliable speakers, there’s often confusion between the spoken words and the words being spelled. We are trained to listen to spoken words, but spelling offers a clearer picture of what the individual truly wants to communicate. Often, a speller may respond with one answer, but spell out a completely different, but correct, answer. Additionally, spellers may sound out words phonetically or say random words aloud while spelling, which can be confusing for those listening. Many of these individuals were taught to read phonetically, but they often learn to read by recognizing visual patterns and sequences of letters, sometimes as early as 18 months old.
Another challenge is that, for many individuals with unreliable speech, executive attention (the ability to hold a thought or idea in mind while performing a complex motor task) is difficult. For an unreliable speaker with whole body apraxia trying to spell, they must suppress automatic speech patterns and focus on holding their desired response in mind while coordinating the motor movements needed to spell it out. This combination of cognitive and motor tasks is a significant load.
Building Foundational Skills: A Key to Success
That’s why in the early stages of Spellers Method, we focus heavily on building foundational skills rather than rushing through motor progression. These foundational skills include regulation, vision support, and improving executive attention. These skills help the speller avoid falling back into scripted speech patterns or automatically spelling out familiar words. These are all skills that we help to develop at Spellers Center Tampa.
Spelling as a Reliable Form of Communication
So, when parents ask, “Why would my child need this if they can talk?”, my response is simple: Spelling or typing can serve as a reliable form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It does not take away their speech—it simply adds a new layer of reliability. It provides the child with a voice when their spoken words fall short, helping to reduce anxiety, frustration, and misinterpretation. Most importantly, it reveals to us what they’ve really wanted to say all along.
A True Voice Through Spelling
Time and again, I’ve witnessed spellers say one thing with their mouth and something entirely different through spelling. What’s certain is that every one of my unreliable speakers deserves a communication method that reflects their true voice—not just the words their mouth can produce. Through the Spellers Method, they gain autonomy, clarity, and the ability to express themselves fully.
Isn’t that what we all want for our children?
Be sure to check out the Spellers Documentary to see how Spellers Method has impacted people lives.
