Spell Your Mind Therapy Centre

08/09/2026

Are you spelling with your child at home? K explains why it is so important.

02/09/2026

Important Weather Update

We are looking forward to celebrating our Second Annual Spring Picnic with the Zekwande Foundation community!

Please remember to bring:

• A blanket and/or chairs
• Your picnic basket
• Your own drinks and snacks
• An umbrella or gazebo for shade and comfort

Please note: We are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for the weekend. If necessary, we will postpone the event to ensure everyone's safety and comfort.

We will confirm on Friday, 4 September 2026, whether the picnic will go ahead as planned. Please keep an eye on our social media and messages for the final update.

We can't wait to celebrate spring, community, communication, and every voice with you!

Date: Saturday, 5 September 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Venue: Zita Park, Garsfontein, Pretoria

Celebrating Every Voice, Building Community.

26/08/2026

(Kano is a nonspeaking autist who types his thoughts one finger at a time.
These are his words: )

Kano’s autistic voice

I am a nonspeaker who only got my voice much later than my speaking peers. This meant that for most of my life I had no say in my life. I had no way to tell others my needs, and they treated me like I am not in here.
I had no choices.
My life was dictated by therapists and doctors who did not know that I was trapped in a troubled body. They all thought I was nothing but a problem to be solved. There listened a heartbroken child to their misinformation, hoping my mother did not believe them.
I cannot guess what some parents of nonspeakers go through, but I am sure it is not an easy life.
I advocate for every child who cannot yet speak for themselves when I beg you to always treat them with love and respect. Allow them to participate in the conversations even if they cannot contribute. They will become familiar with how decisions get made.
As an autistic I can share my experience, and maybe there is something that helps.

Everyone has their troubles to overcome. Everyone's troubles are different. For me, my life was torture. I had no control over my body. When it would grab and hurt people, breaking skin and hearts, I would be a trapped spectator.

Reality is often not as it seems. So often does it have rather skewed views of how people are oppressed by a system that values wealth over dignity.

My stillness is often mistaken for cognitive impairment.

May you marvel at autistic minds.

11/08/2026

A huge thank you to Deb Spengler for breaking this down so beautifully at the conference—and thank you, AI, for taking scattered notes, half-sentences, and big ideas and somehow turning them into an infographic 😊

11/05/2026

“Love is a mother’s faithful optimism. It is a light made of joy
Shining hot in the rainstorm of life.
Moving like an earthquake that shakes foundational understanding of life.”
-Kano

Thank you, Kano, for allowing us to share your beautiful words.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms. 🌷🌻🪻

07/05/2026

Apraxia affects so much more than speech. It impacts coordination, independence, communication, and even how the body responds to simple tasks. For many people, it can feel like the mind and body aren't on the same team.

But here's the truth: progress is possible.

With hard work, support, and persistence, improvement happens. Every small win matters, whether it's learning a new skill, communicating more clearly, or gaining independence.

Gregory Tino has been spelling since 2017. He is a published author, advocate for nonspeakers, and member of I-ASC's Nonspeaking Leadership Council.

Learn more by reading Apraxia is No Joke: i-asc.org/apraxia-is-no-joke/

07/05/2026

What happens when someone knows exactly what they want to say or do, but their body won’t cooperate?

Apraxia: The Body Brain Disconnect, is a free webinar hosted by Elizabeth Vosseller, that explores apraxia as a motor-based difference, not a deficit in understanding. We’ll unpack how apraxia affects speech, movement, and regulation, and why inconsistency is often misunderstood. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for recognizing apraxia and practical ways to support more reliable communication and participation.

⭐ Two sessions to choose from!
Thursday, May 14 at 8:00 PM ET
Tuesday, May 26 at 11:00 AM ET (Includes Spanish Translation)

👉 Sign up now: https://i-asc.org/event/apraxia-the-body-brain-disconnect/

The month of May is Apraxia Awareness month!

Too often, individuals with apraxia are misunderstood as lacking knowledge or language, when in reality the barrier lies in the body’s ability to respond reliably. By engaging in a shared experience, we invite our community, partners, and the broader public to better understand the role of motor planning in communication through the Star Challenge.

To learn more, participate, and spread the word, please visit: https://i-asc.org/star-challenge/

18/04/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions we find when working with folks who are just learning about text-based communication is that all it should take for a student to be able to communicate is providing the right piece of technology (why can't she just use the talking keyboard?) or just placing a board in front of them (why won't he spell when I put the board in front of him?)

These questions inform how we provide training and support to schools. But that school has to be invested in the training.

Sometimes, they say some version of "Sure, you can have a letterboard / keyboard. Just pick it up and use it."

That statement tells us we have more work to do educating about why a student can't necessarily just pick up a board or type on a laptop.

They need
* training that includes a foundation in presuming competence and using strengths-based language.
* to understand apraxia & the brain-body disconnect.
* to understand the importance of building a balanced relationship between student & support staff.
* to learn how & when to prompt a student's movement, eyes, posture, attention - and when to fade those prompts.
* to learn how to adapt academic assignments to make them accessible in different ways without losing their grade-level integrity.

It's SO much more than just holding up a board.

As our student TJ writes, "I’m pleading for my right to communicate with someone trained to support me. Would you give a Deaf student interpreters who don’t really know ASL? Just like knowing how to finger spell doesn’t mean you can sign, holding a board up doesn’t mean you can support my communication."

For this sort of comprehensive training, we recommend Communication for Education. We are partners and have worked with around 300 educators, direct support providers, parents, administrators, and related service professionals.

[id: a photo of TJ, a young man with dark, shoulder length hair and glasses, seated pointing to letters on a board held by his communication partner, Lisa, who is standing next to him. TJ's words from the post are printed in white text with blue accents.]

13/04/2026

09/04/2026

Hope you are having a great tour!

We’re off! 🚀

The Zekwande Foundation Mpumalanga Autism Awareness & Education Tour 2026 is officially on the go 💙

Join us as we visit communities across Mpumalanga to spread awareness, share knowledge, and promote inclusion.

📍 See dates & locations on the map
📞 079 840 0335
📧 [email protected]