The Spellers Handbook: Practical Advice for Parents and Students

A means by which thousands, and soon millions, of people are being freed from their lives of silence.

The Spellers Guidebook is the first of its kind--a comprehensive guidebook that every family should take along for their Spelling journey. From the moment you first learn about spelled communication through working with a practitioner, developing fluency, and everything in between, this book serves as a blueprint to follow while you build the skills to spell openly with your child.

The Spellers Guidebook is informative not only for parents and caregivers but for practitioners and professionals as well. It answers questions from the most basic--what to expect during the first spelling session, to more clinical--what is apraxia, and how does it affect my speller? It even discusses the importance of regulation and how the interpersonal dynamic between the speller and their communication partner can impact flow.

The journey toward open communication differs for every family, and this handbook is here to help remove any guesswork. Whether your path seems straight and easy to navigate or the road ahead appears winding and twisting, Dana and DM are here to guide you. If you walk away with nothing more than the confidence that you can do this with your nonspeaker (because you CAN), The Spellers Guidebook has done its job!

Dawnmarie Gaivin, RN, BSN, AT-ACP, is the co-creator of Spellers Method and the founder of Spellers Center - San Diego, a spelling and intentional motor practice based in Oceanside, CA. As the parent of two nonspeakers who use letterboards, she knows firsthand the journey families experience on the road to fluency. DM, as she is called by many, was featured in JB & Jamie Handley’s book Underestimated as well as Spellers the movie, an award-winning documentary loosely based on the book. Dawnmarie is also president of the board of Spellers Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to reliable communication and creating communities with nonspeakers.

Dana Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L is the co-creator of the Spellers Method and founder of Spellers Center - Tampa. She has her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Development. Her career has canvassed multiple settings including the public school system, private clinics, and her own private practice focusing on autism, apraxia, and sensory-motor differences. Dana is a board member of Spellers Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit that supports access to reliable communication. As a Spellers Method practitioner and OT, Dana focuses her work today on supporting the families of nonspeakers and spellers worldwide.