S2C™ is appropriate for individuals age 5 and older who are nonspeaking, minimally speaking, or unreliably speaking. Just as in traditional education, instruction is adapted to meet each student's individual learning needs. I believe that all students can learn and want to learn.

If your child is three years old or younger, I recommend giving traditional speech therapy, occupational therapy, and early intervention the opportunity to work. In the meantime, focus on "feeding the brain." You can do this by reading age-appropriate books aloud, using rich, age-appropriate language, and practicing activities that develop purposeful hand-eye coordination, such as catching balls, tracing letters, and similar skills.

If your child is four years old, I encourage you to reach out so we can discuss when it may be appropriate to begin working with S2C™. I can also provide ideas and activities to help build the motor and literacy skills that prepare children for spelling.

S2C™ is appropriate for individuals age 5 and older who are nonspeaking, minimally speaking, or unreliably speaking. Just as in traditional education, instruction is adapted to meet each student's individual learning needs. I believe that all students can learn and want to learn.

The primary focus of S2C™ is communication rather than speech. Research has consistently shown that the use of AAC does not decrease speech and, in many cases, may actually support speech development.

Some individuals also experience improvements in speech while learning to use a letterboard. However, the primary goal of S2C™ is to develop a reliable and effective means of communication.

It is also important to note that learning S2C™ is compatible with other therapeutic interventions, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, and special education services.

All forms of communication are valuable, and many individuals successfully use multiple methods of communication, including spelling, AAC apps, speech-generating devices, and, for some, speech.

Learning the motor skills needed to accurately spell on a 26-letter board provides access to full, robust, and flexible communication. Many other forms of AAC, such as picture exchange systems and communication apps, rely on whole words or icons to construct sentences. While these systems can be highly effective, they also have limitations. Even when mastered, it is not practical to program every word in a language, making it more difficult to fully participate in classroom discussions, conversations about current events, or meaningful interactions with friends and family.

By learning the motor skills to select from just 26 letters, an individual has the ability to express virtually any thought. As the S2C community often says, "Twenty-six letters equals infinite possibilities!"