‘Spellers’ movie screening coming to Holmes County
For nonspeakers, the chance to find their voice through the Spellers technique has brought new hope for them to share their lives with loved ones. On Friday, May 5, Plain Values will host a screening of the movie “Spellers” at 6 p.m. at its business located at 2106 Main St. in Winesburg.
For many years those with autism and nonspeaking inflictions have been misunderstood, ignored and avoided because people are intimidated and scared to make a connection with them.
For the 31 million nonspeakers in the world today, many suffering with various degrees of autism, they face those challenges of communication every day.
Here’s the thing: Each of those 31 million people have a story to tell. Each of them is longing to share, to converse, to connect with human beings. However, many are locked in a silent cage, waiting for the day to have their dreams and lives released into the world, to have their story shouted from the mountain tops.
For loved ones who are the caretakers, parents, siblings, grandparents and guardians of individuals struggling to communicate through the spoken word, one question has always been: How can I unlock the door and open up a new world for this individual to have their voice heard?
A new film titled “Spellers” answers that question.
On Friday, May 5, Plain Values will host a screening of the movie “Spellers” at 6 p.m. at its business located at 2106 Main St. in Winesburg. The showing is free to attend.
The evening also will feature a visit from Samantha Fox, speech language therapist and owner of Beyond Speech Therapy Center. She will talk about the advancements currently taking place that have given individuals with autism and nonspeakers a voice.
“Spelling to Communicate is an alternative method of communication that is used for individuals who show difficulty expressing themselves through speech,” Fox said. “These individuals may be nonspeaking, minimally speaking or unreliably speaking. There is often a disconnect between their brain and their body. With this, they do not have a consistent or reliable way of demonstrating their understanding or expressing their thoughts.”
She said these individuals are often labeled as low functioning or as having a severe cognitive/language disorder. S2C addresses the disconnect between the brain and the body by teaching the motor skills to point to letters on a letter board, and once the foundational motor skills are built, individuals work toward expressing their wants, needs and ideas through spelling.
“I’ve done this for a long time, and for years I’ve had patients who aren’t able to use speech as their primary form of communication,” Fox said. “I was using traditional methods and it wasn’t working, and I knew there had to be another way because progress was so limited.”
Fox said that was when she stumbled across Spellers, and it wasn’t love at first sight.
“I was pretty skeptical initially,” she said.
However, she forged ahead with her training to make her own determination. What she discovered was Spellers worked, and it worked well.
Fox said, “It’s been life-changing for many people.”
Fox said there are many assumptions about nonspeaking people. She said it is simply a disconnect between brain and body function, and Spellers creates a method that allows nonspeakers to bypass their issue in that breakdown and create a new path that allows their voice to be heard.
Fox also said in many instances these cases aren’t about an individual being unable to understand and comprehend what is being conveyed to them verbally. They simply struggle to express that understanding in the form of a response.
“In many cases their memory and understanding are incredible,” Fox said. “They are finally given a voice, and their insight is profound. They have a very elegant way of wording things. Unlike most people, when they communicate, they make every word count, and every word has a purpose and meaning to it.”
The movie “Spellers” was created based on the book “Underestimated,” which follows the journey of a nonspeaker finding a voice through spelling and the emotional trek the family made in the process.
Fox said as is the case in many of these scenarios, families are afraid to hope because they are continually told by professionals their child has a disability or severe cognitive or language disorder.
The movie follows the journey of eight individuals and their work with Spelling to Communicate. Fox said the movie does a good job of showing viewers exactly how Spellers methods work.
“I think it’s something people need to see in order to really connect with it,” Fox said. “It’s a tremendous way to connect, and nobody understands the struggles and accomplishments more than a parent with a child who is dealing with nonspeaking issues.”
Fox said she is excited to be available the night of the viewing to share her thoughts and experiences with the public.
Nonspeakers are frustrated and tired of being misunderstood and underestimated by everyone. They have been stuck being forever dependent on others and living a life they didn’t determine for themselves, but Spellers is providing insight into a sweeping change in the world that is giving nonspeakers a voice they never had before.
Don’t miss this riveting movie that peers into a world that has kept too many voices caged for too long.
For a closer look at the subject, visit Fox’s webpage at www.beyondspeechtherapycenter.com.
“Spellers” is a 2023 Official Selection at the Phoenix Film Festival.