For many years, if a non-speaking child couldn’t answer a question by talking or pointing to the correct picture, people often assumed they didn’t know the answer.

 

Today, we’re learning that for many individuals, that assumption may not be accurate.

 

Instead of asking, “Do they know the answer?” we should first ask, “Can they reliably show us what they know?”

 

For many non-speaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals, the biggest barrier isn’t necessarily understanding language—it’s executing the movement needed to communicate.

 

What is apraxia?

 

Many non-speaking individuals have apraxia, a motor planning disorder. Apraxia affects a person’s ability to carry out intentional movements. The person may know exactly what they want to do or say, but their brain has difficulty sending consistent, reliable motor commands to the body.

 

Speech is one of the most complex motor skills we perform. It requires precise coordination of the lips, tongue, jaw, breath, and other muscles—all working together in fractions of a second.

 

When someone has apraxia, those movements can be inconsistent. The intention to communicate is there, but the body may not reliably cooperate.

 

How does spelling help?

 

Communication through spelling provides a different way to access language.

 

Rather than relying on the complex fine motor movements needed for speech, the learner is taught to point to letters using larger shoulder movements. For many individuals with apraxia, these gross motor movements are easier to develop and control than the precise movements required for speaking.

 

The goal isn’t simply to point at letters. The goal is to build reliable motor control so the person can communicate intentionally and independently.

 

Learning the Motor Skills

 

Spelling is not something a learner is expected to do immediately.

 

Just as we wouldn’t expect someone to play the piano without lessons, we don’t hand someone a letterboard and expect them to spell fluently.

 

The motor skills must first be taught.

 

During the beginning stages, learners practice:

 

• Looking at the target letter before pointing.

• Coordinating their eyes and hand.

• Building shoulder stability and motor planning.

• Improving accuracy and consistency with each point.

 

These foundational skills take time, repetition, and practice.

 

The Learning Process

 

Most learners begin with three letterboards, where the alphabet is divided across three separate boards with large, easy-to-see letters.

 

This reduces the motor demand and allows the learner to focus on accuracy.

 

As their motor control improves, they gradually progress to:

 

• A full alphabet letterboard

• A laminated letterboard

• A keyboard

• Eventually, an AAC device or iPad with voice output

 

Throughout this process, prompts are gradually faded as the learner becomes more accurate and independent.

 

Communication typically progresses from simple choices to answering open-ended questions and eventually participating in conversations.

 

What Spelling Does—and Doesn’t Do

 

Spelling does not give someone intelligence.

 

Instead, it provides a reliable motor pathway for expressing thoughts that may have been difficult or impossible to communicate through speech alone.

 

For many years, assessments relied heavily on speech or pointing to pictures. If a child couldn’t point to the correct answer, it was often assumed they didn’t understand.

 

But those tasks require reliable motor control.

 

If a person cannot consistently execute the movement, we cannot accurately measure what they know.

 

Communication through spelling focuses on teaching those motor skills first, giving individuals another way to access language and express themselves.

 

At its heart, spelling is about providing an opportunity. It offers individuals with motor planning challenges a way to communicate more reliably, so they can share their thoughts, ideas, personality, and knowledge with the world.