Certified S2C Practitioner · Based in Kent
Supporting non-speaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking individuals to communicate through Spelling to Communicate (S2C).
About Lydia
I'm a certified Spelling to Communicate (S2C) practitioner based in Kent. I support non-speaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking individuals to access communication through S2C. Many of the people I work with are autistic with significant support needs, alongside individuals with Down syndrome and other conditions that affect motor planning and access to speech.
At Spelling Bea, I believe everyone has a voice and deserves the opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions and personality. S2C provides access to purposeful motor skills, enabling individuals to point to letters on a letterboard to spell and communicate. My approach is rooted in presuming competence and respecting each person's unique nervous system, sensory profile and motor differences.
My passion for this work comes from my own journey as a mum to my non-speaking autistic daughter, Bethany — the name Spelling Bea was inspired by her. Watching Bethany flourish through S2C has been one of the most profound experiences of my life, and shown me how life-changing it is when a person is finally given a reliable way to share what they think, feel and know.
Every individual deserves the opportunity to be heard, understood and respected.
The method
Spelling to Communicate (S2C) is a method designed to support non-speaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking individuals to communicate by pointing to letters on a letterboard.
S2C recognises that these individuals experience challenges with motor planning and motor control — making speech difficult or unreliable despite having thoughts, understanding and intelligence that they cannot reflect through spoken language. Through carefully structured lessons and purposeful motor activities, individuals learn the skills needed to reliably point to letters, spell words and express their thoughts.
At Spelling Bea, we:
Communication is a human right. Every individual deserves access to a reliable method of communication.
In their own words
The following words come from non-speaking individuals who communicate through spelling.
I have a dream. Communication for all. My life will be dedicated to relieving them from suffering in silence.
For those of you who don't know what praxis is - it is the way you get your body to do everything you want it to do, literally even the smallest purposeful movement. Now imagine you know what you want your body to do but you can't get it to do it, that is Apraxia. There is a disconnect between the brain and the body. It's like having your hands tied behind your back and duct tape over your mouth, you still have conscious thought but cannot communicate. That is our lived experience, our brain-body disconnect.
Imagine you're paralysed, you tell your body to move and it refuses, now imagine you are moving but your body does not obey your brain, that creates impulses, patterns and erratic movements, your brain is ok but it's the disconnect which causes it - that's Autism, kind of a moving paralysis. It's not a lack of understanding or thought. In simple terms, non-speaking is not the same as non-thinking. The hardest part of autism is the communication challenge. I feel depressed often by my inability to speak. I talk in my mind, but my mind doesn't talk to my mouth.
I felt very strongly about writing you today, to give a little extra insight on the disconnected links that were supposed to make my brain and body work together in harmony. But they don't and that's okay. You see life for me and others like me is a daily game, except not fun, of tug and war. My brain, which is much like yours, knows what it wants and how to make that clear. My body, which is much like a drunken almost 6-foot toddler, resists.
Parent & Carer Commitment
Meaningful progress happens when the individual and their support network work together. The greatest progress is seen when parents, carers and support teams actively learn alongside the speller and build the skills to support communication in everyday life.
A CRP is a trusted person who learns how to support a speller's communication, regulation and motor development outside of formal sessions. A CRP may be:
Every speller has a unique nervous system, sensory profile and motor challenges. Learning to communicate through spelling requires:
The more a speller can practise throughout daily life, the greater their confidence and independence.
As your S2C practitioner, I will:
Qualified & certified
Spelling Bea is a fully qualified S2C practice, certified under the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC), working with non-speaking and minimally speaking people across Kent.
Ready to begin?
As a practitioner and as the parent of a non-speaking autistic daughter, I understand both the challenges and the incredible possibilities that emerge when communication becomes accessible. Together, we can create opportunities for communication, connection and understanding — because everyone has a voice.
