OnPoint Communication

Join Kelley Howe for a NEW webinar!
Beyond a Purposeful Poke: Supporting Motor Skills Beyond the Letterboard

📆 Two opportunities to catch the webinar.
Tuesday, June 16
1:00 pm ET
7:00 pm ET - This session will include Spanish translation

Register for FREE:
i-asc.org/event/beyond-a-purposeful-poke-supporting-motor-skills-beyond-the-letterboard/

This webinar will explore how to coach purposeful motor skills that help spellers build greater control, independence, and confidence in everyday tasks. We’ll discuss how motor planning, regulation, and intentional movement show up in real-life activities and share practical strategies for supporting purposeful actions across environments. Whether you’re a practitioner, parent, or ally this session will offer actionable tools to help your speller build motor skills beyond the board.

Speech vs. Language

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/families-of-non-speakers-push-to-protect-their-right-to-communicate-262885957854?fbclid=IwZnRzaARpiMRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeUq8i7AMZyvHQ-GJYJaAcZp8Ptm44e_AAcrCikXS6Vlq84q0nD9vRopJ_3WI_aem_ZRxrsfbKFYUX4hyhgIq8QQ

Families of non speakers push to protect their right to communicate Families of people with motor disabilities that make it difficult to speak out loud are fighting to protect a form of communication using letterboards and keyboard. But opponents say some of the methods aren't backed by science, and could lead to harm. NBC News' Vicky Nguyen reports.

For my Spellers who love learning about the planets and the night sky. Don’t miss this opportunity where the planets align in the evening sky!

City : New York
Best date: Feb 28
Local sunset 5:45 PM
Start looking (~+30 min) 6:15 PM

🌌 DON'T MISS: A Rare Parade of 6 Planets Lights Up the Sky! 🌠⁠
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Get ready for a spectacular celestial event! On February 28, 2026, six planets will align in the evening sky, creating a breathtaking "planet parade." ✨⁠
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🔭 Which planets are taking part?⁠
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👁️ Visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter (though Mercury might be tricky to spot).⁠
🔭 Need binoculars or a telescope: Uranus and Neptune.⁠
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🗓️ When and where to look?⁠
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· Best viewing time: About one hour after sunset.⁠
· Where to look: Look towards the western horizon right after sunset. The planets will form a majestic arc stretching from west to east.⁠
· West / Southwest: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Neptune⁠
· Higher in the Southwest: Uranus⁠
· Southeast: Bright Jupiter, near the almost full Moon 🌕⁠
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💡 Pro Tips for the Best View:⁠
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· Find a spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon.⁠
· Start observing immediately after sunset – Mercury sets quickly! ⏱️⁠
· To easily identify each planet, use the Star Walk 2 app and its handy Planet Walk feature. 📱⁠
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This is a relatively rare evening alignment, perfect for both beginners and experienced stargazers. Mark your calendars and don't forget to look up! 🚀⁠
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Clear skies! ☀️➡️🌌⁠
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Research Evidence supporting Literacy in non speaking and unreliably speaking individuals : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613241230709
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64553-9

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64553-9

Eye-tracking reveals agency in assisted autistic communication - Scientific Reports About one-third of autistic people have limited ability to use speech. Some have learned to communicate by pointing to letters of the alphabet. But this method is controversial because it requires the assistance of another person—someone who holds a letterboard in front of users and so could theor...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the appointment of 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), including spellers Elizabeth Bonker Communication 4 ALL and Caden Larson, MAPS doctors, PANS/PANDAS experts, an S2C practitioner and spelling advocates.

This is huge for the spelling community and for all who will join in the future. Access to spelling and integration of spelling into education for non-speakers is ahead!!

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-kennedy-appoints-new-interagency-autism-coordinating-committee.html?fbclid=IwZnRzaAPntLxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe5lqubdH0__RPXVrDx9R86MBSNIt2EXgweWMKMGhMNIRbQoXusbDE3dPD-xM_aem_zfYcflwiTkmg-smEsb3avg

Secretary Kennedy Appoints New Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to Advance Fight Against Autism HHS announced the appointment of 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).

Whole-body apraxia is a brain-to-body disconnect where a person knows what they want to do or say, but their body has difficulty planning, initiating, and coordinating movements to carry it out. It is not an intellectual issue, understanding, thinking, and intelligence are intact, yet it affects speech, responding on demand, and overall motor control due to motor planning and sensory challenges.

Autism Isn't What You Think In this video, Dr. Dana Johnson, PhD, explains Whole Body Apraxia—a brain-body disconnect that affects how kids with autism move, respond, and interact with ...

Why We Need to Study Assisted Methods to Teach Typing to Nonspeaking Autistic People At least one third of autistic people have limited or no speech. Most nonspeaking autistic people are never provided alternatives that would enable the full range of expression that speech allows, si...