Education, March 20, 2024, 11:05 a.m.

Footprints Special Needs School – Funding Appeal: Spelling to Communicate Practitioner Training

Author: Footprints Special Needs School

The nonspeaking population is currently severely underserved with over 26 million non-speakers worldwide, there are more potential spellers than trained practitioners to teach them.

Footprints Special Needs School is addressing the need to enable non-speaking, minimally, and unreliably speaking individuals to communicate their thoughts, emotions, and needs. S2C (Spelling to Communicate) Practitioners are highly skilled specialists who have been rigorously trained to teach purposeful motor skills to nonspeaking individuals, with their guidance and support, non-speakers are able to develop the skills to spell words and communicate more effectively. Our objective is to enroll 4 of our teaching staff members in the I-ASC Spelling to Communicate Practitioner Training Program, to empower our learners and as many other learners not in the school with barriers to communicate. The program training cost for each teacher is $3500.00 USD.


About I-ASC


The International Association for Spelling as Communication, aka I-ASC (pronounced Ï-ask”), is a global organization of individuals from the non-speaking and neurodivergent community. I-ASC seeks to make spelling and the relevant supports accessible to every person who is unable to use speech as a reliable means of communication, regardless of geography, age, socio-economic or educational status. Through resources, programs, education, and events, I-ASC endeavors to create a consistent foundation of standards, best practices, and data that are quickly becoming the cornerstone for expertise in the nonspeaking community. Coverage and availability are essential to ensure access to communication for all nonspeaking people. I-ASC is committed to setting the standards of best practices to ensure communicative agency and autonomy for all non-speakers.


About the Training


S2C – “Spelling to Communicate” practitioners are global leaders.


I-ASC is the exclusive source of training in the rigorous Spelling to Communicate™ method, an evidence-based practice with a long record of successful outcomes. I-ASC enables nonspeaking, minimally and unreliably speaking individuals to communicate their thoughts, emotions, and needs and empower them to participate more fully in their communities. I-ASC has trained over 420 Certified S2C – “Spelling to Communicate” Practitioners worldwide.


S2C™ is developed with specific procedures to ensure reliable, replicable, and responsible best practices. In order to maintain the integrity of the S2C methodology, it cannot be combined with other approaches for spelling and typing.


What is Spelling to Communicate?


Spelling to Communicate (S2C™) empowers non-speakers to overcome communication barriers posted by traditional oral communication by pointing to letters on a board as an alternative means of communication. This innovative method promotes synchrony between cognitive and motor systems. Through repeated practice, new neural pathways become myelinated. By teaching the motor skills necessary to point on a letterboard positioned in front of them, non-speakers improve motor planning and control, enabling them to communicate their thoughts and ideas quickly and accurately.


How Spelling to Communicate Practitioners Help Non-speakers


I-ASC S2C Practitioners are highly skilled specialists who have been rigorously trained to teach purposeful motor skills to nonspeaking individuals. Their guidance and support to help non-speakers develop the skills to spell words and communicate more effectively. From pointing on letterboards to typing on a keyboard, communication moves from concrete to abstract as motor skills progress. Spelling to Communicate Practitioneers also coach parents, family members, and educational aides to serve as Communication Regulation Partners (CRP) who provide continued support for their nonspeaking person.


The nonspeaking population is currently severely underserved with over 26 million non-speakers worldwide, there are more potential spellers than trained practitioners to teach them. I-ASC is committed to training more rigorously prepared S2C practitioners to coach families and non-speakers to increase communication and learning.

 

Program Requirements:


•    Participation
Virtual Kick-Off Weekend, attendance and participation in all training sessions and virtual seminars, typically held 2-3 evenings per month.

 

•    Mentorship
Ongoing consultation with a highly skilled and experienced S2C Practitioner who will mentor you through training.

 

•    Coursework
Completion of rigorous graduate-level coursework and demonstration of all knowledge and clinical competencies.

 

•    Internship
Completion of a five-day onsite internship at an approved internship location.

 

•    Cost of the Practitioner training program
The cost of the Practitioner training program is $3,500.00 USD per person. Additional costs include the purchase of the letterboards and travel costs surrounding the internship.

 

•    Duration of the S2C Practitioner Training Program
The S2C, Spelling to Communicate, training course lasts approximately six and a half months. Depending on the student, additional higher-level clinical competencies may be needed to be completed that will extend past the 6.5 month program.


Completion of the Program


Upon successful completion of I-ASC’s spelling to Communicate Practitioner Training Program, demonstrating the competencies and skills required to support the communication of non-speaking individual of all ages and profiles. The participants will be qualified to work in various settings, including home or center-based private practices or schools that use S2C with their students.


References: https://i-asc.org


There are very few registered schools that cater for children with special educational needs in Johannesburg, and very few parents can afford the specialized education and various therapies, however, this is an urgent need that should be addressed. These children have the ability and the potential to be integrated into mainstream society if they are given the opportunity to reach their highest potential.


The S2C training would not only be offered to students of Footprints Special Needs School but to anyone who may be interested in the training within the greater Johannesburg Metropolitan area.


We invite you to visit our school and see first-hand the incredible work we are achieving with these very special children.


Email: admin@footprintschool.co.za


Tel: 011 791 0062


Address: 20 & 24 Jan K Marais Street, Malanshof, Randburg, 2196


Our Banking Information:


Footprints Education Campaign NPC
Mercantile Bank
Strijdom Park
Account Number: 1050909151


Special Needs School: GDE 700400348
Public Benefit Organization: 930073204