Write From The Heart S2C
Where purposeful motor unlocks reliable communication "write" from the heart for unreliably speaking and nonspeaking individuals
Meet our
Certified S2C Practitioner
Sarah Hovnanian completed her training through the International Association for Spelling as Communication, to become a certified Spelling to Communicate (S2C) Practitioner. She has spent the past 14 years working full-time as a licensed New York State public school teacher, with a Master's Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). She is certified K-12 within public schools and has worked with children, teenagers, and adults of all age groups throughout her career thus far. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech from Emerson College. Sarah is a published author of two children's books in a series called, "Haik Sings His Words," in which she writes about her son's journey as an Autistic, dyspraxic, hyperlexic, and unreliably speaking little boy, who also happens to be a Gestalt Language and Cognitive Processor; truly a musical kid who has developed language through song. Her son has always been fascinated by the written word and has a passionate interest in letters and numbers. Sarah has recently started guiding and coaching her son's purposeful gross motor movements and continues to feed his brain with age-appropriate material through read-alouds, audiobooks, and song! Sarah is also a Certified Adaptive Personal Trainer. She intends to use this credential to enrich her sessions with her Speller clients by creating intentional motor exercises tailored to their individual sensory and motor needs.
Providing motor-based AAC access to her son and all nonspeakers & unreliable speakers has become her life's mission. As a writer herself, she is passionate about revealing her clients' inner voices to express themselves with autonomy and a sense of agency. Sarah believes all communication comes "Write" From The Heart...
Welcome!
There is hope for individuals who struggle with communication, thanks to a growing group of skilled spellers around the world. This method, known as Spelling to Communicate (S2C), addresses the difficulties faced by those with Autism and other sensory and motor differences. It recognizes that the issue lies not in intelligence, but in motor planning and sensory needs.
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The goal of this approach is to unlock the beautiful ideas and thoughts that have been trapped in the minds of these individuals. By teaching purposeful motor skills and addressing sensory needs, this method transforms the fine motor skills required for speech into gross motor skills. Students progress from pointing on letter boards to spelling and eventually typing on a keyboard, allowing for more abstract forms of communication as their motor skills improve.
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The process begins with learning the motor movements necessary to accurately point to letters on different boards. Once mastered, students move on to using a board with all 26 letters. With guidance and support, they become fluent in spelling and can communicate with multiple people. These skills are then applied in real-life situations, further enhancing their ability to express themselves.
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However, the role of parents is crucial in the success of this spelling program. By effectively communicating and regulating with their loved ones, parents can greatly contribute to their progress. In each session, parents are guided to become great communication partners, ensuring that their loved ones continue to thrive in their journey towards improved communication.
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What to Expect in our S2C Sessions
At Write From The Heart, we engage in Spelling to Communicate (S2C) sessions to help improve motor skills, which lay the foundation for the advancement of communication skills. We teach our clients a new way to express themselves by spelling out their thoughts step by step. The goal is to help them communicate with autonomy and agency.
During each session, we help regulate our Clients’ bodies and minds. We read lessons that are interesting for the Client's age. If the Client is having trouble staying focused, they take breaks to move their bodies. Parents or caregivers are encouraged to join the sessions so they can see how their loved one is progressing. We will use more challenging spelling boards and ask more open-ended questions as motor skills are strengthened. We make each transcript available digitally to the parent/caretaker.
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Email us directly at: WriteFromTheHeartS2C@gmail.com
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