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SPELLERS + MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL DISCUSSION GRAND RAPIDS
May 7, 2023 @ 3:15 pm - 5:00 pm
SPELLERS + MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL DISCUSSION. FREE event but donations appreciated. Donations go to REACT: Research & Education for Autistic Children’s Treatment.
SPELLERS just won Best Documentary and Donor’s Choice Award at it’s premier at the Phoenix Film Festival and we believe this film is going to change the way the world perceives non-speaking individuals with autism which will lead practitioners, educators, and even families to re-evaluate expectations and therapeutic approaches of this complex, multifaceted disorder.
The documentary SPELLERS pushes us to dig deeper, reflect on our own biases, and develop new and appropriate therapeutic approaches that best serve non-speaking individuals with autism and apraxia. It shows us that “assuming competence” leads to better outcomes and breakthroughs.
Multidisciplinary Panel:
• James Lyons-Weiler, PhD
• James Neuenschwander, M.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Neu)
• Patricia Neuenschwander, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC
• Joel Troyer
• Rachel Damrow, M.Ed
• Alyssa Miller CCC-SLP
CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY: A 2.5hrsCME/.25CEUnits (AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™) post-viewing discussion course is available for attendees of any SPELLERS screening by registering at: https://www.eeds.com/em/6169 (Viewing the SPELLERS documentary is a prerequisite for course offering.) Facebook Event Page
Event Participants
James Neuenschwander, M.D.
Functional & Integrative Medical Doctor
Rachel Damrow, M.Ed
Spelling to Communicate (S2C) provider
Joel Troyer
Father autistic non-speaking son, Landry
Alyssa Miller, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist S2C provider
Patricia Neuenschwander, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
James Lyons-Weiler, PhD
Research scientist and author
About the film
Inspired by the book Underestimated, the new full-length documentary SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society’s margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most “experts” believe are cognitively disabled. As the film opening asks, “What if we’ve been wrong…about every single one of them?” SPELLERS answers that question, in convincing fashion, through the stories of eight nonspeakers—Aydan, Evan, Sid, Maddie, Jamie, Vince, Cade, and Elizabeth—who all found their voice through the miraculous process of using a letterboard to communicate their thoughts and feelings. As Jamie explains, “we think, feel, and learn just like everyone else.”
Genre
Documentary
Runtime
1h 23m
Released
2023
Director
Pat Notaro
Executive Producer
Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Dawnmarie Gaivin, Dana Johnson, Gail Tanner
Cast
Aydan Boden, Jamie Handley, Cade Larson, Vince Rinicella, Madison Hollman, Evan Tastor, Elizabeth Bonker, Sid S
