Not speaking is not the same thing as not having something to say.

In this episode, I'm joined by Elizabeth Vosseller, founder of Spelling to Communicate and Executive Director of I-ASC, the International Association for Spelling as Communication.

And we are talking about communication.

Not the easy kind.

Not the "say what you mean with your mouth and everyone understands what is happening" kind.

We are talking about what happens when a person has thoughts, language, ideas, preferences, humor, opinions, and vocabulary, but cannot reliably use speech to share them.

Elizabeth explains that Spelling to Communicate (S2C) is a method of teaching communication to nonspeaking people. And nonspeaking is the word we want here, not nonverbal.

Because nonverbal means without words.

And the people Elizabeth works with are not without words.

They may have no speech, very few spoken words, or lots of speech that is not reliable or communicative. They may script, loop, say the opposite of what they mean, or struggle to get their bodies to do what their brains are asking them to do.

Which brings us to one of the biggest themes in this conversation: communication is motor.

Speech is motor. Typing is motor. Pointing is motor. Signing is motor. Getting an idea out of your brain and into the world requires the body to participate.

And for some kids and adults, that is where things get complicated.

Elizabeth walks us through praxis, which is the process of having an idea, making a plan, executing the plan, and adapting when something does not go the way it was supposed to go. For people with apraxia or dyspraxia, the idea may be there. The plan may be there. But the message between the brain and the body may not move smoothly.

And if we do not understand that, we can make some very big mistakes.

We can look at a child who is not following a direction and assume they are being noncompliant.

We can look at a child who is hitting, grabbing, bolting, or making sounds and assume the behavior is intentional in a way it may not be.

We can look at a nonspeaking child and assume there are no words inside.

That is a dangerous assumption.

Elizabeth and I also talk about rich language environments, spelling, reading, communication regulation partners, and why support does not automatically mean influence when the support is trained, careful, and ethical.

This conversation is especially close to my speech therapist heart because it asks us to slow down and separate language from speech, communication from behavior, and intention from motor access.

Which is not always easy.

But it matters.

Because when we assume a child has nothing to say, we may stop offering them enough to think about.

When we assume a behavior tells the whole story, we may miss what the body is struggling to do.

And when we assume speech is the only real path to communication, we may miss the person who has been there the whole time.

Key Takeaways

• Nonspeaking is different from nonverbal. Nonspeaking means a person cannot use speech reliably and effectively.
• Nonverbal means without words, which can wrongly suggest a person does not have language, thoughts, or vocabulary.
• Spelling to Communicate (S2C) teaches nonspeaking people to use pointing to letters as a motor-based way to communicate.
• Communication depends on the body. Speech, typing, pointing, signing, and texting all require motor planning and motor execution.
• Praxis involves having an idea, making a plan, executing the plan, and adapting when something does not work.
• Apraxia and dyspraxia can create a breakdown between what a person intends to do and what their body is able to do on demand.
• A purely behavioral lens can lead adults to misunderstand kids whose bodies are not reliably following their intentions.
• Rich language and literacy exposure matter, even when a child is not speaking.
• Communication regulation partners provide motor coaching, sensory feedback, and regulation support when they are properly trained.
• Assuming competence means being careful about what we say, what we offer, and what we believe may be possible.

About Elizabeth Vosseller

Elizabeth Vosseller is the founder of Spelling to Communicate and Executive Director of I-ASC. Since 1995, she has worked clinically with individuals with complex communication and sensory-motor differences across hospital, university, and private settings. Her work focuses on motor-based access to communication, advancing education, training, and research for nonspeaking individuals.

About Your Host, Gabriele Nicolet

I'm Gabriele Nicolet, toddler whisperer, speech therapist, parenting life coach, and host of Complicated Kids. Each week, I share practical, relationship-based strategies for raising kids with big feelings, big needs, and beautifully different brains. My goal is to help families move from surviving to thriving by building connection, confidence, and clarity at home.

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