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Home BlogAsk a Speller! with Danny Whitty: An Autistic Revolution Community Event

Ask a Speller! with Danny Whitty: An Autistic Revolution Community Event

20 August 2024• by

Verbal, just not speaking, autistic and apraxic human

For August’s Community Event, Autistic Revolution (AR) welcomed Danny Whitty of Danny with Words as our honoured guest. We were extremely grateful to Danny for taking the time and spoons (energy) to prepare answers to attendants questions about him, spelling to communicate (S2C) and his projects.

Photo taken outside at the beach. The top half of the photo is of a clear, blue sky while the bottom half is of the blue ocean with some small, breaking waves. White text 'ask a speller! with Danny Whittty'


Background

While Autistic Revolution is a magazine, we see it more as an invitation of community. We know the importance of being able to spend time together in fun, leisure or learning – or perhaps a mix of all three!

Our August Community Event was hosted by AR Associate Editor, Laura Hellfeld.

A Bit About Danny

From Danny’s Website

Would you believe that I am a nonspeaking autistic?

That for over 30 years, I was unable to communicate my true thoughts? It is a sad and tragic story, but it is full of light. My life has moved toward hope since I learned to spell to communicate. My ability to share my ideas and feelings has exploded into brilliant galaxies!

I am a 38 year old autistic and apraxic man. This means I have trouble coordinating between my brain and body. This means I am overwhelmed by sensory stimuli. This means I have been overlooked by schools and society.

This also means I have a glorious world in my mind!

As a neurodivergent, immigrant, half Asian person, I identify with marginalized groups. That is my inspiration to spread awareness and empathy. I am also still mourning the death of my beloved father. His loss in 2018 drives my current reflections on grief and love, and my desire to further explore our Irish heritage.

I am a proud and caring autistic man in southern California. I am a writer, advocate, and awesome friend. I am full of joy! Danny is pictured above in a fitted position and the photo is from his chest up. Danny is wearing a grey hat and collared shirt that is dark blue with green and yellow leaves and flowers on it. Danny is looking at the camera, smiling and holding a letter board.

With that said, I relish fun and bizarre humor, writing, exploring the culinary world, roaming in nature (especially the ocean), traveling, and connecting with people.

My regular advocacy work is through my Danny With Words social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram as well as my blog on this site, and Leo in Bloom Magazine, centered on sharing perspectives and experiences of nonspeaking autistics! My sister Tara and I co-host the All Our Brave Hearts podcast, which you can access on Substack (with transcripts), Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. I recently retired The Ocean & Us Podcast, for which I was the creator and co-host.

I am also an advocate with the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network, a member of the Nonspeaking Leadership Council for International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC), and a board member for Teva Community. I have co-taught and taught courses on poetry and art history for Spellers with Spellers Center San Diego. I have acted as an advisor for the educational guides for The Reason I Jump film, and also contributed to the NeuroClastic Music Media Toolkit and the ACES Talking with Doctorsproject.

I am an avid writer and poet, guided by my poetry mentor Brian Laidlaw, and regularly share my poetry at the monthly Neurolyrical Cafes hosted by Unrestricted Interest and I-ASC. My writings have been published as a poetry chapbook as well as in Bon Appetit Magazine, OpenTable’s blog, Eat Club Magazine, and the Art of Autism. It is amazing to look back at this excerpt from my original bio for this website, written in 2020: “I am hoping to be a published writer one day. I also would love to make more friends. Writing is my passion, and I am happy to share it with you!” Now, I am exploring art, guided by my art mentor Shay Sampson.

A photo of Danny taken outside on a nearly clear blue sky day. Danny is standing, facing the camera and smiling. He is wearing a grey zip jacket and orange shorts. He is standing on what looks to be a hill that overlooks a lot of green bushes, palm trees and a house in the background.

The Session

The session began with Laura, Danny and Danny’s sister Eira welcoming in attendants. Attendants joined Danny from all around the world, including The United Sates, The United Kingdom and even Australia!

Eira attended the event as Danny’s Communication and Regulation Partner (CRP). To learn more about the role of a CRP, please check out this thoughtful blog on CRPs and attunement on I-ASC webpage.

Prepared Answers

In preparation for the event, attendants were invited to send in a question to Danny that he could choose to prepare an answer to. We wanted to respect how much energy it takes for Danny to communicate and being able to prepare some answers ahead of time meant that Danny could use his energy to enjoy the event. Please find the questions and prepared answers below.

Many people I know who are autistic and are read as non-disabled by society, so therefore don't get their support needs met easily, will talk about how they want all autistic people to be seen under one umbrella (you either are autistic or you aren't) because many people have spiky profiles, and suffer from not having their needs met. But I haven't heard the opinion of a non-speaker, or an autistic with dyspraxia (like my son!) who IS read as autistic by society and their views on the idea of you either are or you aren't, and all autistic people are under one big umbrella. What is your view on this?
Oh my goodness, this is a tricky one! I have a nuanced answer so please interpret it with care. I think the autistic label is so broad. This means that it is not sufficient for any of us. Additional information is often needed. I feel that nonspeaking autistic voices are often not represented in autistic spaces. And that is a problem. At the same time, many speaking autistics are great allies to nonspeaking autistics. I respect them for that. They are also disabled, so their needs and rights are important. And to be honest, there is a lot that I don't know about what they experience. So I am not going to exclude them from a label that helps them. I think what might help is everyone just trying to be a bit more compassionate and not being so ready to jump into conflict over artificial camps like autism moms and autistic self-advocates seem to online. Ensuring that more nonspeaking autistic voices are heard will be so important for better representing nonspeakers so we can advocate for ourselves and thus shape society's and government's understanding of what supports we need.
And to be honest, there is a lot that I don't know about what they experience. So I am not going to exclude them from a label that helps them. I think what might help is everyone just trying to be a bit more compassionate and not being so ready to jump into conflict over artificial camps like autism moms and autistic self-advocates seem to online. Ensuring that more nonspeaking autistic voices are heard will be so important for better representing nonspeakers so we can advocate for ourselves and thus shape society's and government's understanding of what supports we need.
How do I know if spelling would be a good fit for my child? And what can I do if there is no spelling centre near me?
I think there is a lot of great guidance on the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) website. From my experience, most nonspeaking autistic people are great candidates for it. But also people with Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy are using it! So I recommend trying to find a practitioner. They are the best resource on this. If one is not nearby, many do virtual sessions. And all can take free calls to chat and see if it might be a good fit. I-ASC can help you find a local practitioner. There are also Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) practitioners who could help. It is very similar to S2C.
My child is a teen and uses AAC. She has expressed wanting a boyfriend and I want her to have that kind of relationship if she gets the opportunity. Do you have any tips on helping her have privacy but at the same time she often needs me to be present for her other support needs?
I wish I had firsthand experience in this! I have never dated. But I have faced similar concerns such as when I have therapy sessions. that is only possible because I have Communication Regulation Partners who I trust in sensitive situations. So I strongly recommend that you have discussions with your child about how you can establish boundaries and cultivate trust for such situations. Maybe even literally wearing a special hat while supporting her during dates to indicate "support person" mode versus mom mode. Sounds silly but could help. I can recommend Sofi Ghassaei (she is on Facebook and Instagram) as someone who has great insights on this. She is in a serious relationship and shares the realities of being a speller and dating.
This was not a question but an area that came up when some speech and language therapists were chatting to me - They had been told that S2C involved a lot of moving someone else's body and this made them worried about maintaining that person's dignity and autonomy. Do you have any thoughts on this?
They are so misinformed! S2C involves no body contact, unless in the very beginning stages and even then only in cases when the speller needs hands-on support to learn specific skills. There is no prompting as to where to point once the first level of training is done. These things are like training wheels that come off before the speller answers open questions. I am so frustrated by people who judge this method without even learning the basics about it.
And Facilitated Communication does indeed involve contact. It has been misused. But that is malpractice. The method itself works if practiced properly. I have several friends who use it. It is important to guard against malpractice. This is true in pretty much any field. The International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) implements strict standards for S2C practitioners and requires regular recertification. They work to ensure the integrity of how S2C is practiced. If you see bad practice, it is an irresponsible or unqualified individual. It is not a condemnation of the whole method.
I wonder why people who are so concerned about our autonomy and rights in this matter don't care enough to really learn about it and to consider that the alternative is a life with no communication. I'll take the low risk of running into a bad communication partner over the certainty of a miserable and limited life without communication any day. If you see bad practice, report it to other S2C practitioners. Don't take away access to communication.
I am dyslexic so reading it often difficult but spelling is a lot more anxiety triggering especially if things are spelled aloud to me as i am unable to understand the words so feel embarrassed to say, “I don’t understand”. So I avoid those situations as much as possible. How would you encourage a dyslexic person to learn to communicate with a speller that is comfortable and respectful of both their needs?
So I think this depends on your role in the communication. If you are not the Communication Regulation Partner, you can wait until the final words are read aloud. You don't need to pay attention to the letters. If you want to be a Communication Regulation Partner, you are not the only dyslexic person to do so! One of my good friends is dyslexic and she is a practitioner who sees spelling clients and trains Communication Regulation Partners. So it is possible to do, but I don't know how she approached it.

The session ended with attendants sharing their gratitude with Danny. We ended up calling it the ‘love fest’ portion of the webinar as we all expressed how much we have learned from Danny. One attendant shared with Danny that his social media inspired their family to begin S2C. We also thanked Danny for his role modelling on social media of boundaries and self care. Frankly we all couldn’t stop thanking Danny as his work and advocacy help us all.

Attendant Feedback

‘The session was brilliant – great questions and answers. It went at a good pace that was comfortable for everyone. It was well hosted and just felt like a session with friends.’ Katie Munday, Autistic & Living the Dream 

‘Myself and Wolf had a wonderful evening meeting Danny. We are big fans of his book and i have enjoyed listening to his podcast. Thank you, Laura for hosting this fun event.’ Kassi-Desiree, The NeuroSpicy Baker

‘It was so wonderful to meet Danny and hear his wonderful insights. Really informative and a beautiful space to be in.’ Alice McSweeney, Neurodiverse Journeys

‘I thought it was fabulous. I loved how respectful it was…His message is so important and I want more speech therapists to hear it! Overall I felt it was a fantastic coming together and I was so glad I could make it. I would love to come to more.’ Kim Mears

‘This was an amazing session, Danny has such incredible insight and he covered so many important points during this event. It was lovely to read how his messages resonated with families who attended. Professionals would be wise to learn from educators like Danny and understand how vital it is for non-speakers to access communication methods that allow them to authentically express themselves. The session was also hosted really well by Laura and it created an inclusive atmosphere for attendees. Thank you so much AR for organising this event!’ Scott Neilson, Autistically Scott

Thank You

A drawing by an event attendant to thank Danny for his time. The drawing has 'Thanks Danny' written at the top and an image of a charcter from Five Nights at Freddie's. The character is a fox drawn from the chest up and has a black eye patch on the right eye, an open mouth with yellow teeth.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Danny and Eira for providing such an educational and fun time. We would also like to thank all of the community members who set aside this time to join in. Thank you so much for spending time with us.

A drawing by an event attendant to thank Danny for his time. The drawing has ‘Thanks Danny’ written at the top and an image of a charcter from Five Nights at Freddie’s. The character is a fox drawn from the chest up and has a black eye patch on the right eye, an open mouth with yellow teeth.

To follow Danny’s work

Website: dannywithwords.com

Co-host of the All Our Brave Hearts Podcast

Editor-in-Chief of Leo in Bloom Magazine

Interview for Uniquely Human Podcast

Article in Bon Appetit Magazine

Thank You,

Laura Hellfeld and the Team at Autistic Revolution

Last modified: 21 August 2024

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