Episode 228 — It’s A Brain/Body DISCONNECT
Guest: Dana Johnson • Date: October 31, 2024
Episode Overview
This week, on Autism Parenting Secrets, I spoke with Dr. Dana Johnson, founder of Spellers Center and Invictus Academy and a co-founder of the Spellers Method. With nearly 20 years of experience, Dr. Dana empowers nonspeaking individuals to find their voice through spelling and typing.
About Dana Johnson
Dr. Dana Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L, is the Founder of Spellers Center, Tampa; Founder of Invictus Academy, Tampa Bay; and co-founder of the Spellers MethodTM. Dr. Johnson has a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and a Ph.D in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Development. She is a producer of the award-winning documentary SPELLERS, an executive producer of UNDERESTIMATED: The Heroic Rise of Nonspeaking Spellers, and co-author of The Spellers Guidebook: Practical Advice for Parents and Students. Dr. Johnson has worked with individuals with motor and sensory differences for almost 20 years and currently specializes in supporting nonspeaking, unreliably speaking, and minimally speaking individuals to utilize spelling and typing as a form of communication. Dr. Johnson started her career as an occupational therapist supporting children in the public school system, then moved to private practice working with individuals with autism, apraxia, and other sensory-motor differences.
You can learn more about her at www.spellers.com
You’ll Discover
What Exactly Is APRAXIA (3:42)
The Beliefs To Adopt First (9:23)
An Enhanced Version of OT (18:09)
The Impact of Vision (21:38)
The 4 Ways We Move (30:06)
Why You Must Presume Competence (32:47)
How To Coach The Body (37:56)
The Power of Belief And An Individualized Approach (42:17)
Referenced in This Episode
Autism Parenting SecretsEpisode 213,Presume Competence, Here’s Howwith Dawnmarie Gaivin
Ido in Autismland: Climbing Out of Autism’s Silent Prisonby Ido Kedar
Full Transcript
