What is Spellers Method? A Guide for Parents

Your Child Has More to Say Than the World Knows

If you are the parent of a nonspeaking or minimally verbal child with autism, you have probably carried a quiet knowing for a long time — that there is more going on inside your child than conventional tests and assessments have been able to capture. They notice. They remember. They react in ways that suggest deep understanding.

Spellers Method is one of the most promising approaches for bridging the gap between what your child knows and what they can express.

What Is Spellers Method?

Spellers Method is a communication and learning approach developed by Dana Johnson that teaches nonspeaking and minimally verbal individuals to point to letters on a letterboard as a means of independent, reliable communication.

What makes Spellers Method distinct is its integrative philosophy. While other letterboard methods focus primarily on communication, Spellers Method explicitly incorporates occupational therapy, developmental optometry, and assistive technology alongside letterboard work. The approach recognizes that communication challenges rarely exist in isolation — they often coexist with sensory processing differences, visual challenges, and regulatory needs. Spellers Method addresses all of these together.

Spellers Method practitioners are trained and certified through Spellers, the organization founded by Dana Johnson to advance this approach and support the growing community of spellers and their families.

What Makes Spellers Method Different?

### It Addresses the Whole Person

Spellers Method is built on the understanding that in order to communicate reliably, a person needs more than just a letterboard and a patient practitioner. They need a regulated nervous system. They need their sensory needs addressed. They may need support for visual processing challenges that affect their ability to look at and point to a letterboard accurately.

By integrating OT and developmental optometry into the framework, Spellers Method creates a more comprehensive support system — one that addresses the root causes of communication challenges alongside the communication work itself.

### It Moves Toward Independent Typing

Like all spelling-based communication approaches, Spellers Method works toward full independence. The letterboard is the starting point — eventually, the goal is for the individual to type independently on a keyboard, without any physical support from a communication partner.

### It Honors the Speller Community

Spellers Method is deeply connected to the broader speller community — the growing movement of nonspeaking individuals who communicate through letterboards and who are increasingly sharing their voices, their stories, and their advocacy with the world. Many Spellers Method practitioners are active in this community and bring that perspective to their work with students.

What Does a Spellers Method Session Look Like?

A Spellers Method session is typically one-on-one with a certified practitioner. Here is what you can generally expect:

Regulation and sensory support. Sessions often begin with attention to the learner's regulatory and sensory state. Is the nervous system ready for communication work? Are there sensory needs that need to be addressed first? This is not a detour — it is foundational to the work.

Letterboard communication. The core of the session involves the practitioner presenting a letterboard and the learner pointing to letters to spell words, phrases, and eventually open-ended thoughts. The practitioner supports without directing — the goal is always the learner's authentic communication.

OT and vision integration. Depending on the learner's needs, sessions may incorporate elements of occupational therapy and visual processing support. This might look like specific movement work, accommodations for how materials are presented, or coordination with other providers.

Working toward independence. Over time, support is reduced and the learner builds toward spelling independently on a keyboard, without a communication partner holding the board.

For many families, the first time their child spells a genuine thought — a memory, a feeling, a question — is one of the most significant moments of their lives.

Who Is Spellers Method For?

Spellers Method is designed for individuals who:

• Are nonspeaking or minimally verbal
• Have been diagnosed with autism or a related condition
• Face challenges with sensory processing, motor planning, or regulation alongside communication
• Have not yet found a reliable means of expressive communication

If your child is already working with an occupational therapist or has identified visual processing challenges, Spellers Method's integrative approach may be a particularly natural fit. The method is designed to work alongside the support systems your child may already have in place.

How to Find a Spellers Method Provider

Spellers Method practitioners are certified through Spellers. The provider community is growing, with practitioners across the United States offering both in-person and virtual sessions.

The Lost Puzzle Piece directory lists certified Spellers Method providers alongside RPM and S2C practitioners. You can filter specifically for Spellers Method to find certified providers in your area.

[Search our directory to find a Spellers Method provider near you →](/find-provider)

If there is no provider in your immediate area, many Spellers Method practitioners offer virtual sessions and serve families nationwide. Some families also travel for initial intensives before continuing with remote support.

A Final Word

Your child has a voice. Spellers Method is one of the most thoughtful, integrative paths to helping them use it.

You do not have to figure out the right approach in isolation. Connect with Spellers Method families. Talk to a practitioner. And when you are ready, take the first step.

The Lost Puzzle Piece directory is here to make that step as easy as possible.

[Find a Spellers Method provider near you →](/find-provider)