Spelling to Communicate Practitioners in Hawai’i
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Meet Our Newest Practitioners in Training!
Practitioner in Training - Based on Oahu
Raiza Garcia
I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) dedicated to empowering nonspeaking, minimally speaking, and unreliable speakers to access meaningful communication. My goal is to combine compassionate, evidence-based practice with advocacy and family partnership to help individuals build autonomy and connection through functional communication and daily life skills.
My professional journey began in education, where I spent nine years teaching in self-contained classrooms supporting students with diverse and complex needs, including those on the autism spectrum. This experience fostered a deep respect for neurodiversity and strengthened my commitment to individualized, family-centered support.
Today, I bring that same dedication to my work as a BCBA providing in-home and community-based services. By integrating the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis with a focus on meaningful relationships and quality of life, I aim to help every client experience success, confidence, and authentic connection.
Practitioner in Training - Based on Kauai
Julie Spicer
My name is Julie Spicer, and I'm a DIRFloortime® trained speech and language pathologist (SLP), Spelling to Communicate (S2C) Practitioner in training, and owner of Garden Island Speech Therapy on Kauai's south shore (Koloa).
It's my passion to empower individuals who experience communication challenges. I journey with families to discover and individualize tools to support emotional regulation, build robust engagement during genuine interactions, while bolstering communication skills. I love helping families use the power of their relationships to authentically support development and communication.
Born in Western Canada, I grew up in Southeast Asia before returning to Canada for high school and college. My husband and I met in Canada and spent several years in California pursuing further education, then moved to Detroit, Michigan before settling on Kauai in 2020 with our two young children. We feel very grateful to call this island home. Since opening my private speech therapy practice in 2022, I have learned so much about the specialized services families need in my community. My work with children and teens who have minimal and unreliable speech has led me to S2C and I am eager to bring this approach to Kauai and the Hawaiian islands. I am so humbled by the stories of individuals who have learned to spell to communicate, and cannot wait to become certified as an S2C Practitioner (graduating June 2026).
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Renee
Practitioner
Renee is an elementary school teacher and has worked for over 20 years at Enchanted Lake Elementary School in Kailua. She has experience teaching students with a variety of needs, and even taught for four years at a psychiatric outpatient day treatment program.
“I am so excited to work as a registered practitioner with Spelling to Communicate because as a teacher I love nothing more than to use something that works. The progress I see in my spellers is the highlight of my week!”
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Hadas Gabai
Hi, my name is Hadas Gabai. I'm a trained practitioner in Spelling to Communicate (S2C) and the Spellers Method. I currently work at the Spellers Center San Diego under founder Dawnmarie Gavin. I am so grateful to have a job I love and work with such a dedicated, passionate team. In my work, I support individuals and families via purposeful communication and motor development, especially for those with autism and full-body apraxia. Along with teaching spelling for communication, I lead one-on-one Intentional Motor (IM) classes focused on purposeful movement, regulation, and building confidence.
I'm drawn to language, health, and communication. I have a degree in Spanish from Portland State University and additional training in biomechanics and nutritional therapy. I combine communication support, motor coaching, and health as these are my passions!
In my IM work, I assess each client's sensory profile and motor skills to tailor sessions. I understand apraxia as a motor planning difference—not a cognitive deficit. My goal is to build reliable motor pathways and support neuroplasticity. The motor patterns developed through intentional movement often show up on the letterboard, directly supporting spelling. As clients gain better body control—reducing impulsivity, strengthening initiation and inhibition, and improving their ability to follow directions and rhythm—these improvements translate to more accurate spelling on the boards. With coaching and supports that fade, as neuroplasticity strengthens, clients gain more consistent independent skills.
When I lived in Hawaii, I partnered with the Hawaii Autism Foundation, leading movement-based classes and supporting local families. Hawaii is also where I was first introduced to spelling, and I'm forever grateful for that experience. I'm still very much connected to that community and committed to making this work more accessible. I offer Zoom sessions and work with families across the U.S. My dog, Dublin, often joins sessions and brings a calming, fun presence as my sidekick. :)
I'm dedicated to helping non-speaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals be seen and heard. I'm passionate about educating parents, aides, teachers, therapists, and policymakers about apraxia—and about shifting how we understand autism from a behavioral lens to a motor one. That shift changes everything. Once you see it, you can't unsee it!
Please Note: Hadas is currently accepting online clients.
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Maly Gella
Maly is a registered nurse and has worked for 25 years as a maternity nurse. She has spent her entire nursing career caring for mothers, newborns, and their families. As a nurse she has studied autism for several years and that is how she learned about S2C.“After JB Handley shared his son Jamie’s S2C journey on HIghwire, I was forever changed. I was so physically affected, I can only describe it as a visceral reaction. All I could think was, what would I be like, completely present, trapped, unable to communicate? It was unimaginable. Then I read, Underestimated, and I knew I needed to become a S2C Practitioner, so here I am. I thoroughly enjoy working with all of my spellers, each so unique, working at their own pace. It is so exciting to see their progress and I feel so blessed to be on this Spelling to Communicate journey with them.”
Please Note: Malay is currently not accepting new clients.
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Nicole Johnson
Nicole Johnson is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and has worked with individuals with developmental disabilities since 2015 in a variety of roles and settings. She is passionate about educating parents and professionals and advocating for rights and access to services that will allow individuals to reach their full potential. Through her career as a BCBA, Nicole has developed a special interest in functional communication training, helping nonspeaking individuals communicate through sign language, PECS, and speech generating devices.
While these methods of communication are effective in communicating basic wants and needs, she knew there had to be another method out there that could unlock her client’s voices. The moment she found out about S2C and witnessed a nonspeaker spelling on the letterboards, her world was flipped upside down and she knew this was something she had to pursue.
Nicole is eager to share her knowledge of S2C, working to serve the community and support nonspeakers as they work to develop purposeful motor skills that will lead to success on the letterboards.
Please Note: Nicole is currently not accepting new clients.