Our Experience with Spelling and Communication

This photo was captured in our home during an ABA session - April 2026

One of the latest pushes in the autism community right now is the idea of “spellers.” This approach, often called Spelling to Communicate, is built on the belief that many nonspeaking individuals understand language fully but cannot express it due to motor challenges and other underlying factors. Instead of focusing

on speech, it teaches pointing to letters to spell words as a way to communicate. The message behind it is powerful. It encourages caregivers to assume competence and consider that their loved one is trapped in a body that has the ability to clearly express itself.

At the same time, there are important concerns, especially when it comes to individuals who are intellectually disabled. Not every person who can spell or identify words is showing full language understanding. There are ongoing questions about how much of the communication is truly independent and how meaning is processed. With that said, as caregivers, we stay open-minded and try things that may help our loved ones grow, while staying grounded in what we actually see.

Spelling is helping my daughter in a practical way. She is learning to recognize and spell words so that she can find YouTube videos she wants to watch by matching descriptions. It’s giving her a way to help herself, which is great. However, what I see is more of a code association than a deeper understanding of language. Currently, she is connecting words to outcomes, but not showing a real understanding of how words work together in communication. Due to her constant battle with pain, our goal is to help her learn to communicate what her body is feeling.

Spelling as a form of communication can move very slowly, and when a lot of therapy time is focused on it, it can take away from other areas where progress may be more immediate. There can also be a tendency to hope for a breakthrough that may not be realistic for every individual, especially for those who are intellectually disabled. When expectations shift too far in that direction, it can pull us away from fully accepting where our loved one is right now. It’s important to be mindful of how time and energy are used so that support stays balanced and truly benefits our unique loved ones’ overall growth.