Before you ever pick up a letterboard, Presuming Competence is the first belief that must be practiced. We know that the body's actions do not indicate the brain's intention. We expect that each individual CAN and WILL! We know each individual WANTS to learn to communicate and gain intentional movement over their body and they WILL!

Apraxia is a neurological condition that affects the motor cortex of the brain. The brain is unable to make and deliver correct movement instructions to the body. The brain is telling the body what to do and the body cannot carry out the plan.

Apraxia of speech is characterized by speech production errors such as sound distortions and distorted sound substitutions. People with apraxia of speech are cognitively able to produce words and sentences. Language comprehension is not affected. The word verbal means “of or relating to facility in the use and comprehension of words' '. The word speaking is “the action of conveying information or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in spoken language. Nonverbal means “without words or language”. Non Speaking means “without speech”. Individuals with apraxia do formulate language but are not able to speak. Using the term nonspeaking tells about the individual not being able to produce speech; rather than using the term nonverbal and inferring an individual who cannot speak cannot produce language or thought and implying that cognitive function is affected. Nonspeaking is a more accurate and respectful term.

Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy (ABA) is believed to be a scientific and evidence-based approach to help people with apraxia learn and develop skills to improve and manage their behavior by modeling the desired behavior or task and having the individual imitate or repeat what was modeled using a motivator as a reward to be earned after the individual has performed what was modeled. Since an apraxic individual cannot communicate, how do you know what they desire? How can we classify actions as behaviors? 

Motor Coaching helps develop Purposeful Motor Movement and praxis is gained through neural pathways being myelinated. Using functional and ocular movement needed for Activities of Daily Living (ADLS) We are creating synchrony between the brain and body and working toward achieving autonomy. With Motor Coaching we are not telling the individual what to do but how to do it! We coach the body how to move which builds praxis and helps the individual Initiate and inhibit their body. Gross and Fine Motor skills are acquired and creates a stronger connection with communication between the brain and the body through this connection gradually eliminates the need for modeling and prompting.

We are always working toward building praxis through Purposeful Motor Skills from pre-k and beyond. Nobody is too young or too old to improve their motor function.

Anyone can Spell to Communicate. Spelling requires the ability to sit and point to letters on an alphabet letterboard. Using Spelling to Communicate hierarchy and motor coaching builds fluency and accuracy to be able to sit and point to letters on the letterboard to spell out words and thoughts. 

Great Question! Only a trained and certified S2C Practitioner can train a Communication Regulation Partner (CRP). A CRP in training is given direct support from our S2C Practitioners.

A CRP will learn:

• Hierarchy of lesson and letterboard use.
• Balance the motor and cognitive demand for a speller
• The importance of emotional and mental regulation needed for both you and the speller 

How do you know? Remember, apraxia impairs the motor. Reading and writing are motor required tasks. For years your child has been listening and watching everyone and everything. Think about everything they may have seen or heard. Radio, TV, teachers, family conversations, Youtube videos. They have so much untapped knowledge stored in their brain with no way to come out. They have seen Highway and street signs, seen words in books you have read over and over and have been able to acquire reading and spelling skills through those experiences. Learning to read and spell is simply pattern recognition. Your Child has Cracked the Code! 

Many of our spellers have shared they knew how to spell and read before age 3.

Believe The Experts!

We are always looking for new team members who are innovative and share our core values and passion. Contact Katy Custer for more information to Join Our Team!

Here at MOB we presume that even if your child “can’t” sit in the chair long enough to spell.. they do want to!! We use a technique called tuned motor coaching to help our spellers work towards more purposeful movement. In result to this technique we see spellers chair time increase, allowing more fluent communication.