Your child is already communicating.
You already sense it. We’re going to teach you to read it.
A research-grounded framework for parents of non-speaking and minimally-speaking autistic children — built on 26 years and 50,000+ clinical hours by Dr. Catherine C. Acotto, PhD, CCC-SLP.
Your child threw the bowl this morning.
Not because they were angry at you — because they were trying to tell you something, and the bowl was the only signal they had available in that moment.
That’s not a behavior problem. That’s a communication gap.
And it’s one you can learn to close.
The SIGNAL™ Framework
Six stages that teach you to read, interpret, and respond to the communication your child is already sending — before words arrive, or in place of them.
See the Child
Observe and recognize the signals your child is already sending.
Interpret the Behavior
Understand what those signals mean using the Eight Signal Functions™.
Get in Sync
Build the relational posture and co-regulatory foundation.
Normalize Symbols
Introduce and support AAC and communication tools without fear.
Anticipate Breakdowns
Read the escalation sequence before it peaks — and design for prevention.
Layer Communication
Expand, generalize, and sustain the system across every context.
Dr. Catherine C. Acotto, PhD, CCC-SLP
For 26 years and over 50,000 clinical hours, Dr. Acotto has asked a single question: what is a non-speaking child trying to tell us — and why isn’t anyone hearing it?
With a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders (emphasis: Autism) and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University, she developed an approach that begins not with what’s missing — but with what your child is already doing.
She still holds her full-time clinical role at the largest county special education program. She’s not teaching from memory. She’s teaching from last Tuesday.
Results that held at 6 months.
Dr. Acotto’s 2014 doctoral dissertation at Arizona State University studied Functional Communication Training for an adolescent with severe self-injurious and aggressive behavior. The results, across three natural settings:
In self-injurious and aggressive behavior at a big box store.
In self-injurious and aggressive behavior at the grocery store.
In self-injurious and aggressive behavior in the classroom.
Effects sustained at 6-month follow-up.
Start Where You Are
Three entry points, one framework. Wherever you begin, you’re building toward Signal Literacy™ — the ability to read and respond to your child’s full signal system.
The Transition Signal Guide™
A free PDF with the core reframe and the First-Then tool. The reframe that changes everything about how you see your child’s hardest moments.
Download Free GuideTransitions Without Meltdowns
The Signal Solution™ — a full-color workbook that walks you through the transition moments that break down most often, and how to redesign them.
Get the WorkbookSilence to Signals™ Course
6 modules, 24 lessons, plus the Signal Community™, unlimited Signal Translator™ AI, and monthly live Q&A with Dr. Acotto.
Enroll NowFrequently Asked Questions
Content written from 26 years of clinical work.
Just the framework — applied to the moments you’re living right now.
Get The Transition Signal Guide™
The reframe and the First-Then tool — the first step into the framework that teaches you to read the signals your child is already sending. Drop your email below.
No spam. Just clarity, grounded in research.