Parent Testimonial:

"Before meeting Katlyn my son Noah and I had tried spelling twice.  The first time, we tried it all on our own. It was a confusing disaster.  I gave up on the method and my ability to implement it. A few years passed and Noah still had little communication. With nothing to lose, I decided to give spelling another go. This time at a center with a group of experienced practitioners. For these sessions, I sat in the waiting room while Noah worked alone with the practitioner. I was invited in when the session was almost over.  Quickly I witnessed Noah typing answers with relative ease. It was so exciting! But when we tried lessons together at home it was still a confusing disaster. I was reading the lesson just like the practitioner was, but the only result we could create was frustration. The question then became if I’m not learning how to be his CRP what is the point of all this? I wanted Noah to be able to communicate with me.  I needed to be his CRP.  This practitioner certainly wasn’t going to come home with us. This wasn’t our place either.  Then we met Katlyn. 

Our first session with Katlyn was so different. As Noah spelled with Katlyn,  I sat just a few feet away.  I began to understand Katlyn wasn’t testing Noah’s intelligence.  Katlyn was training  his motor.  No one had ever taken the time to explain that to me before.  As they worked through the lesson, Katlyn explained bits of the process.  I was grateful.  Anything more and I would have been so overwhelmed by it all. About 45 minutes into the session, Katlyn let me take over.  I was petrified.  I so wanted to get this right.  Katlyn began to teach me how to be a CRP. I received  just 10 minutes of instruction, but it was enough. I left with information on a website full of free lessons and our new and improved home sessions started.  

I was awful at being a CRP at first.  Grabbing the right board in the 3 stencil set was challenging. I fumbled almost every time. Each week though when we returned for our next session with Katlyn,  I was given a new opportunity to observe, ask questions, practice, and receive feedback.  The most important thing I learned was that I was learning too.  There was so much more to this process than I could have ever imagined.  I learned the importance of  starting on the 3 stencils, the purpose behind the different types of questions, how to hold the board, how to sit, what it meant to co-regulate and how to prompt. Pieces of the puzzle no one had ever offered me before.  Together we were building a firm foundation for Noah’s communication to grow and evolve. This was truly a team effort and we were building a great team, one lesson at a time.   

Week by week my confidence in my ability to be a strong CRP grew. And Noah steadily advanced his skills too. But each step was guided with care.  Our weekly sessions with Katlyn guiding us to the next path. We spelled at home 5 days a week for as long as we both could tolerate.  Some sessions were short, others long, the time didn’t matter.  What mattered was that we kept trying. 

The right support is crucial.  Once we found it, Noah’s ability to communicate became a reality instead of a dream.  Katlyn believed in Noah and me from day one.  She never doubted our capabilities.  She took time to make sure we understood what we were doing and why we were doing it.  That understanding created confidence in both Noah and me. Noah lives in an expansive new world now.  And I live in a world with less worry and wondering about Noah’s future.   It is a feeling we fought long and hard to obtain.   It has been life changing for our entire family.   There is no other way to describe it.  My son’s first words were spoken to me at almost 15.  In the middle of a lesson about civil rights he spelled, “I want you to know how much I love you.  Thank you for never giving up on me”.  The memory of that moment still gives me shivers. 

Katlyn was exactly the right support we both needed. If you are reading this I encourage you to reach out.  Katlyn will have your back every step of the way.  She understands that when she has done her job well, you will not return.  It is so important to teach the speller how to type and the CRP how to support.  When those 2 things happen simultaneously that’s when the pieces of the puzzle come together.  What happens next will leave you speechless.  

Call her if your reading this.  Tell her Tracy and Noah sent ya."