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Parent Testimonial…Help for Late Talkers
Best testimonial ever…. Thank you!!! Hats off to this ULTRA-committed mom! She made a HUGE difference in her son’s progress. Read her journey with her son and how she helped her own late talker learn to talk.
“Laura Mize!
First off let me start by saying you are one talented, smart, generous lady!! Thank you so much for sharing your talent in such accessible formats. Your books and DVDs are amazing! I have been using your materials for two months now and would like to share my experience with you:
My son just turned two. As it happened, I had recently quit working my full-time job as an attorney (which is really more like two full times jobs). The timing couldn’t have been more beneficial for our family.
Even though I suspected something was going on earlier, it wasn’t until I took Evan to our first mommy-and-me class at his preschool that I realized he wasn’t talking anywhere even remotely close to the level of the other kids. At his two-year old appointment I explained what I had seen to his pediatrician. She gave us a recommendation for a developmental pediatrician to receive a full evaluation. I scheduled the evaluation for the first available appointment, nearly three months later (we just had that appointment last week).
So since I knew at the very least my son’s speech was delayed, while waiting for the appointment I scoured the Internet for ideas we could implement at home until we got some professional help. I bought every book off Amazon that anyone on any site recommended. I spent hours a night reading about everything and anything: ADHD, sensory integration, autism, etc. I started putting what I could to use, but I had yet to find a comprehensive strategy I could follow. And then one night I happened upon your site. Everything you said just clicked and I stayed up all night reading through your posts. The next morning, the second my husband woke up I asked him to please, please, please purchase your full therapy set (the one with 5 DVDs and 3 manuals). He was a little hesitant considering everything that we had already purchased that month, but my enthusiasm won him over. And that’s when everything changed…
After reading your site I realized for the first time that my son wasn’t a little behind in speech, he was a lot behind in every developmental area. As you know there are a gazillion websites online that explain developmental milestones, but yours was the first that truly explained what the milestones meant (they were the age ranges of when 90% of kids had reach those milestones and that most kids were far exceeding what was listed!!).
The first week after I received your materials (that I had been staying up late every night reading and watching), I started first by using the “Teach Me to Play With You” manual. The games you list seemed so basic and were things I had played with my son many times (and I knew the nanny previously had too), but that he had never seemed interested in playing before. Using them as you recommended with high affect, slowing down, and lots and lots of repetition made a world of difference! I really had to go against my shy nature to continually “ratchet it up a notch”, but my son was finally paying attention to me! I know this sounds unbelievable, but by the end of that week for the first time ever, Evan looked me in the eyes and said “mama”. It was the first time he had ever looked me in the eyes while saying that word and I knew he was actually connecting that word with me! I was bawling on the spot and tear up even thinking about it now.
At the point when I started using your materials my son used less than 10 words (spontaneously or imitated) and even those words were difficult to understand. He avoided social back-and-forth. I had become very used to anticipating what he wanted to avoid his whining. He had difficulty with transitions. His play was very immature; his main focus being putting objects in and out of containers/spaces, though he often would also just knock everything in sight onto the ground. Evan’s frustration in not being able to communicate was palpable.
Wanting to make up for lost time, I started using your strategies for one-on-one interaction with Evan 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, I quickly realized that Evan did best when we did about 6 hours of therapy, 5 days a week, leaving the remaining time for unstructured play and what I can only describe as “processing”. We use one of the remaining days for errands and an activity that involves high sensory input (which Evan seems to crave, but in manageable bits) – Disneyworld is our favorite. And on Sundays we just relax.
Everyone in Evan’s preschool class noticed the changes in his speech and behavior over the 10 weeks of the class. Even though we were doing the therapy consistently and intensely, I thought that since I’m not a professional therapist (and also likely due to the guilt I felt for not being at home much the first two years of his life), that his improvements were due to the simple fact that I was now at home and he wasn’t constantly anxious that I was going to leave at any moment and was thus able to focus more. I still believe Evan’s decreased anxiety is playing a factor, but after having our appointment with the developmental pediatrician last week I realize how adept of an unprofessional speech therapist I have become, which I fully credit to your generosity in taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences, and putting your strategies into a manageable model for someone with zero experience to be able to implement. We met with the developmental pediatrician for two hours, during which time she observed how Evan interacted on his own, with her, and with me. She was amazed at the strategies I was employing and said that I was doing everything a professional speech therapist would do. And compared to the survey we had filled out when we first booked our appointment, she was quite impressed with Evan’s improvement in such a short period. She seemed adamant that if I kept doing what I was doing for the next 2-3 years and with the assistance of a professional speech therapist and OT, that Evan will be able to “really turn things around”. While she feels that autism spectrum disorder is the underlying concern, she isn’t going to diagnosis him at this time, and will instead continue to monitor his progress. I don’t know that Evan won’t ever be diagnosed with ASD, but I took her optimism as a sign that we are on the right track. My husband and I are meeting with her again at the end of this week for a more detailed explanation of her analysis.
I will never be able to fully express my gratitude at the impact you have made on our lives!!! Evan now has a spontaneous vocabulary of 207 words (I counted over a three-day period). He initiates interactions with gestures and words. He makes a lot more eye contact. And he is engaging in back-and-forth interactions for often two hours at a time! For example, we especially have a lot of fun playing together in the bathtub, singing songs, playing social games, imitating each other, basically all your techniques in one play space – my husband is amazed at the hours we spend in the tub. I think the enclosed space makes a big difference, so we also moved our tv and couch out of the way (and out of use!), in exchange for a large camping tent in the middle of the living room.
I know I don’t know you personally, but I will always hold a special place for you in my heart. I couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!”
*Names Changed for Privacy*
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Teach Me To Talk Testimonials
Happy Therapists, Teachers, Parents & Children
"Laura, I am a long time follower. You have mentored me from a distance for many years. I've watched many of your courses and purchased 5-6 of your books. I just wanted to take a moment as a sister in Christ to say- --- Thank you!! I'm in my 33rd year as an SLP and still love it! I work in the public schools and have grown my skills along the way with your help. Thank you thank you thank you and, Many blessings to you and your daughter!!!"
Camille, SLP
"Laura,
Three years ago, my then 2year old (adopted) was only saying two words - momma and boat. We had been doing speech therapy for 6 months, and he loved to play, but he was entirely uninterested in talking. A dear friend who is a SLP recommended I look you up online. Since then, I've read your emails, listened to hours of your podcasts, ordered two of your therapy manuals, and watched many of your videos.
My now 5year old tells elaborate stories now, and if you didn't know his background, you would never guess. And thanks to the hours that I have spent with your guidance, when our next son, now a 2.5yr old, didn't talk (after a craniotomy), I had tools to get started with him. His speech has just taken off in the last month or so.
Thank you so much for all that you do to help parents facilitate speech therapy with their kiddos. And thank you for your gentle, confident living of your faith.
God's blessings."
Rachel (mom to 3 boys in a now very noisy house!)
"Hi Laura!
I became an SLP in 2004 and you were my first SLP crush! I was so fortunate to have a supportive school district that allowed me to purchase your videos and the Teach Me to Talk handbook. Not only was the handbook a life saver (I literally called it my Bible lol), but the videos, oh how the videos changed my life, and the lives of the families I worked with! I remember telling my families that they'd love you, not only because you spoke directly to families, jargon free, but also because of your southern dialect. You speak directly and clearly, but never rushed and never over anyone's head, something I highly value. I told families that I could listen to you read the phone book and it would capture my attention. You see, I'm from Ohio where we don't get a whole lot of diversity and cool dialects, so listening to you talk about my favorite topics was a breath of fresh air. So many of us think talking over people's heads makes us more credible or whatever, but now that I've been around over 20 years, I can say you had it right all along. Southern speech included 😊"
Heather Welling, M.A., CCC-SLP, Early Intervention in Summit County, OH
"I found the modality checklists to be invaluable. I had something in hand that I can use right off the printer."
Elizabeth, SLP
"LOVED this program! It was jam-packed with a ton of information that will take time to incorporate into therapy sessions. (Not only is the child learning new skills, so am I as a therapist!) I've known about strength-based therapy and have done it, but not to the extent and to the organization offered in this training. I am looking forward to seeing how my therapy changes and how my little ones progress by using this program."
Leah, SLP
"This program was extremely beneficial for use in my practice. All of the information, handouts and techniques that were presented were amazing. Easy to follow along. I liked that it was broken up into different videos/sections."
Michele, SLP
"Thank you for including real-life stories and anecdotes from your own practice. Very helpful."
Ellen, SLP
"I loved the clear strengths guidance, and the reminder not to push too hard in therapy!"
Elizabeth, SLP
"The course was very helpful and practical. I will certainly apply this approach to children on my caseload. I kept thinking about children that already "graduated" from EI and wish I had this knowledge when I still had them on my caseload. (Although I did put a lot of other Teach Me to Talk information into practice!)"
Heidi, SLP
"I appreciated learning the 7 C's of Communication, which seemed to include, (restated/reorganized/ summarized) information from '11 Skills Toddlers Master Before Words Emerge', which I have successfully used for years now (Thank you so much!!!!). I appreciated the additional information included to better assist toddlers with ASD since that population, unfortunately, continues to rise. I also appreciated the focus on regulating children and the need to keep them regulated, since dysregulation and sensory impairment in toddlers is also rising. These are areas I did not study in grad school. I appreciate the worksheets we can provide for parents to identify strengths and how to use these strengths more effectively in treatment. Thank you again, for your essential contribution to our field. p.s. You and Macy are precious!! God bless you both!"
"I am one of those therapists who you pointed out works on the wrong things. ARH!! What a slap in the face, but in a good way, because it was a much needed wake up call. I've hated my job lately and now I know why. Thank you for the clarity."
Susan, SLP
"Dear Ms. Laura and sweet Macy, I just purchased the new course and wanted to say THANK YOU! I would have definitely expected such cutting-edge information to come from you! I am part of several message boards for parents of autistic children, and we parents are just so tired of being told by professionals what our children can't or will never do. And really, what is the point of doing that? How does that help at all? Except to make the parent miserable and feel like there is no point in trying to help their child?...The tone of the course is great (such positivity), and Macy is such a delight! She is such a wonderful addition to Teach me to Talk."
Ann, SLP
“I loved the handouts to share with parents to help them understand how utilizing their child's strengths and interests is the best way to facilitate their child's communication abilities.”
Colleen, SLP
“The most beneficial part of the program is the strengths survey, as well as the treatment toys and activities that correspond to each strength. There was no part of the program that I did not feel was beneficial.”
Natalie, SLP
"I LOVED the energy of this course! I also appreciated the research facts I learned I can spit out to other professionals and parents. The best part was how characteristics of ASD were divided into strengths and therapy activities... so if I have a visually inspecting kid, I know I can go into my pdf and find out what activities I should target based on that characteristic... this really did improve how I think about therapy."
Kelsey, SLP
"I feel so much more at ease now having a huuuuuge packet of therapy ideas and a framework for organizing my therapy and having an actual PLAN instead of just "following the child's lead" while trying to figure out how to work in the goals. The way the content was explained was easy to follow and the handouts are excellent."
A, SLP
“I found identifying a child's strength helped me to consolidate my previous knowledge and experience. I feel I have a clear method to identify a child's strength and to build their strengths into sessions plans to help achieve their set goals.”
Christine, SLP
"Wow, this course was by far my favorite course I have taken in a long time! I have been lately feeling "stuck" with a few of my autistic toddler clients, and this course provided clear and helpful tools and strategies to best support our clients while also being affirming. I loved all of the ideas that were provided as well as the Strengths Survey – I can't wait to implement all of these wonderful things!"
Isabel, SLP
“The most beneficial part of the course was the handouts to share with parents and ALL the therapy ideas!! I've always felt that we focus on the 10% a kiddo can't do instead of the 90% Can Do. I have always tried to do this in my therapy sessions. Now I have evidenced material for support!!!!!”
Suzanne, SLP
“Liked systematic handouts to use to help with assessment and diagnostic therapy. Enjoyed hearing examples of each strength domain. Great review and great handouts to be able to share with families. The course was well organized and the content is much needed as an EI therapist.”
Terri, SLP
“This was a fresh new philosophy and a comprehensive approach with a new concept for successfully working with children with Autism. Before this ,the very structured, compliance teaching model which has been utilized by many therapists using comply-reward, noncompliance -punish or a with-hold philosophy. Children with Autism became prompt-.dependent with this method. These Children couldn't initiate language or make a plan to move on their own. They had to wait to be prompted to act or to respond and never spoke spontaneously on their own. I and many of my SLP colleagues have always believed in play therapy and giving the child choices to play works best. It is very important that Parents should hear about this strategy! Thank you Laura and Macy for doing the evidence-based research and putting this new concept into words!!”
Teresa, SLP
“This was a wonderful, easy to understand course with lots of great materials. Exactly what the fabulous Laura Mize is known for!”
F, SLP
"I am an autism mom, and I bought your books and listened to several podcast episodes over the last few years. I believe your teach me to talk and autism workbook were one of the number one tools in giving me to guidance to help my son. Thank you!"
Brittni
"I just want to thank you for the invaluable information you’ve given me in helping my grandson to talk (which I have passed on to his parents). We’ve ve learned patience, appropriate expectations, and fun and effective strategies that we had found no where else. He is exploding with conversation! Sometimes I struggle to interpret his articulation, but all I have to do is say, “Show me”, and he’s excited to do so. He and I both want so badly to communicate with each other, and your strategies have made it so much easier and non-threatening. Once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Stacey
"My little guy is taking off like a rocket!! We’ve been working through your Autism Workbook for a few months and he has had an explosion of skills develop. YOU are AMAZING! THANK YOU!" Laura Q, Mom
"Dear Laura Mize and Team,
Thank you so much for all your hard work and publishing books! Our 17-month-old toddler suddenly exploded into speaking and imitating everybody's gestures and sounds, just a week or two after we 'completed' all activities that are listed under 11 pre-linguistic skills! Your method really works!"
Grateful customer.
"Hi Laura!
I absolutely LOVE all of your workbooks, especially your Autism Workbook. Starting with Social Games has been a game changer for many of my littles with ASD and their families. It's been the best way for them to finally connect and sustain shared attention and engagement, leading to longer social interactions, through play!"
Jodie, Dev, Therapist
"Hi Ms. Laura,
Thank you so much for the videos you have posted on your youtube channel. They are so direct, informative, and helpful. Thank you for being a resource for me to become a better therapist."
Dianne
