SPELLERS the movie won Best Documentary and Donor’s Choice Award at its premier at the Phoenix Film Festival and this film is changing the way the world perceives non-speaking individuals with autism. The SPELLERS film is finally leading practitioners, educators, and even families to re-evaluate expectations and therapeutic approaches to 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. Watch the trailer.

REACT is encouraging the public, including providers and educators, to watch the film SPELLERS to be inspired to make a difference in the lives of individuals who do not have access to these communication interventions.

REACT continues to work diligently to get this film in front of providers and educators. In 2023, REACT offered this as a 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ Continuing Medical Education course. We encourage providers and educators to watch this discussion and for employers to host this film and course as an in-service opportunity for their staff.

Multidisciplinary Perspectives of the Film SPELLERS: Considerations of Implicit Bias & Therapeutic Interventions For Non-Speaking Individuals with Autism was offered as a CME/CEU PRA Category 1 Credits Continuing Medical Education course where participants needed to watch SPELLERS the movie first and then watch this multidisciplinary discussion. The Continuing medical education activity was certified by The American Medical Association (AMA) which is aligned with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA) Category 1 credits certified by our partners: MNI-Great Lakes ECHO. This course offering has expired, but we offer FREE viewing of the course here for employers wanting to provide staff a beneficial in-service.

Learning Objectives:
1. Attendees will review case studies of spelled communication (AAC) in non-verbal individuals with autism and motor neural apraxia through the film documentary SPELLERS.
2. Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on these case studies as they consider their own implicit biases and creating future treatment plans.
3. Clinical studies of the motor skill training in the non-speaking population will be proposed.
4. Listen to the prospectives of multiple specialists on the implications of this film, including a neurologist, physicians, speech pathologists, occupational therapist, research scientist, and parent(s).

Presenters:
Avery Jackson, III, MD: is the chief executive officer and medical director of Michigan Neurosurgical Institute, P.C., which he founded in 2003. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon and has extensive training and experience in complex brain and spine surgical interventions.

James Neuenschwander, MD: Functional and Integrated Medicine Physician owns and operates a multidisciplinary functional medical center and co-owner of an ABA autism center.

Krishna Donaparthi, MD: board certified physician in Regenerative & Functional Medicine, Family Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. His primary focus of research is on pre-conception medicine and its potential effect on spectrum disorder, cancer, and genetic/epigenetic predispositions.

James Lyons-Weiler, PhD: Research scientist, editor and chief and director of IPaK-Edu and UnBreaking Science, and author of “Cures vs. Profits“, “Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism“, and  “Ebola: An Evolving Story”.

Alyssa Miller, CCC-SLP: Speech-Language Pathologist and a certified Spell To Communicate (S2C) Practitioner

Dana Johnson, OT, PhD, MS, OTR/L:Occupational Therapist and Spellers Method get Certified Practitioner.

Maija C Hahn, MS, CCC-SLP: Speech Language Pathologist specializing in Autism and President of REACT; Research & Education for Autistic Children’s Treatment

Joel Troyer: a father of a non-speaking autistic child receiving S2C training

CME Accreditation Statement
This activity was planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) through the joint providership of MNI Great Lakes ECHO, LLC (MGLE) and Research & Education for Autistic Children’s Treatment (R.E.A.C.T.).
MGLE is accredited by MSMS to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
MGLE designated this live activity for a maximum of 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

REACT is committed to providing scholarships to non-speaking individuals and their families to get SPELLERS ACC training. Since this training is not provided by school districts, insurance plans, or government assistance programs, many who desperately want this training are deprived of access due to financial limitations. Your donations are vital to helping this scholarship program to be successful.