Spell Your Mind Therapy Centre

“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. 🌷🌻🪻

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/

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/

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.]

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]

📢 Mpumalanga, we’re coming!

Zekwande Foundation will be hosting the Autism Awareness & Education Tour from 7–10 April 2026, visiting schools and communities to raise awareness, share knowledge, and promote inclusion for individuals on the Autism spectrum.

Together, we can build communities that understand, support, and celebrate neurodiversity. 💙

📞 079 840 0335
✉️ [email protected]

This weekend we were at the first S2C Africa Summit. It was incredible!
Seeing nonspeakers present and share their experiences was such a wonderful experience.

Big thank you to all the organizers, especially to International Association for Spelling as Communication and Elizabeth Vosseller for coming all the way.

Hope we can do this again soon!

What an incredible weekend! Thank you International Association for Spelling as Communication The Sisu Hub Heidelberg Autism Centre for organizing this.

What an incredible day!