Did You Know…Today’s Fact about Language Development
8.2.18
Did you know?
Baby Teeth May Provide Clues to ASD
A study in Science Advances suggests that baby teeth may indicate the roots of autism and may possibly help with earlier detection.
It’s now believed that the way infants metabolize zinc and copper may predict who will develop autism. Baby teeth hold a record of a child’s history of nutrient and chemical exposure. Using baby teeth, researchers found that children with autism contained more toxic lead and less zinc and manganese.
Although years away, these biochemical signatures may potentially be used to develop diagnostic testing to identify autism much earlier and more objectively than we currently can.
Read the study for yourself.
7.31.18
Did you know?
A new study I read over the weekend in the August 2018 ASHA Leader finds that infants who were later diagnosed with autism exhibited marked changes in how their eyes react to sudden changes in light.
Researchers noted that babies ages 9 to 10 months old who were later diagnosed with ASD had exhibited strong pupillary reactions when presented with sudden changes in light. Additionally, researchers noted that the magnitude of pupil constriction correlated with the severity of ASD symptoms.
Quote from the primary researcher:
“This indicates that early atypicalities in sensory processing may play an important role in autism spectrum disorder.” Terje Falck-Ytter, Dept of Psychology at Uppsala University
Read the study yourself at this link.
7.11.18
Did you know?
34% of parents believe that talking to children starts to benefit their language skills at a year old or later.
63% of parents say the benefits of talking begin at 3 months or older.
Sadly, both groups are wrong.
Learning language begins at birth… on DAY #1.
As professionals, we need to share this information with every soon-to-be parent we know!
Read more from this post at Zero to Three.
7.10.18
Have you heard the term “technoference?”
Me neither!
Scientists have dubbed the term “technoference” to describe the small, everyday interruptions that occur during face to face interactions because of technology like television, computers, tablets, and the biggest offender – smartphones!
When parents overuse technology, especially during daily routines like meals, bathtime, and bedtime, children show more frustration, hyperactivity, whining, sulking or tantrums. Sound familiar?
What’s this mean for us as parents (and therapists!) of little kids with developmental differences?
Instead of trying to design strategies to deal with these undesirable behaviors in kids, we should look at ourselves first! Studies say that adults spend on average 9 hours a day using devices – 3 hours of that is on a phone!
While most of us need technology to do our jobs and keep up with other commitments, there are common sense solutions so that kids don’t suffer negative consequences due to our technology habits. Authors of the study suggested creating tech-free zones or times, especially during critical family routines like putting a child to bed and mealtimes. Many families implement “rules” like putting phones in a basket when entering these zones or placing their phones on silent so that no one is disturbed by constant alert signals.
Another idea is downloading an app that will track technology use. This will allow parents to find out whether they are on their phones more often than they think and could motivate them to change their behavior when it comes to technology use.
Read the study for yourself and an interview with the researcher in the links below:
Technoference: Parent Distraction With Technology and Associations With Child Behavior Problems
4.24.18
A professor from UCLA identifies 5 questions to help parents recognize the signs of autism in their toddlers:
Does the baby respond to his or her name when called?
Does the young child engage in joint attention? (Click here for more information about joint attention )
Does the child imitate others? (Learn about imitation and language development.)
Does a child respond emotionally to others? (My note – Beyond immediate family members.)
Does a child engage in pretend play? (Read more about play skills here.)
Here’s my favorite quote…”As many studies have now shown, early intervention is critical for the best outcomes in children with autism, and many believe the earlier the better.”
The full article is an easy read and contains basic explanations for each of these areas: Worried Your Child Has Autism?
3.6.18
My husband (and the other half of teachmetotalk.com!) showed me this online news article several weeks ago and I keep thinking about it and digging a little deeper.
In my entire career, I’ve only seen a few kids with the official diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, now called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), and all were adopted or in foster care. After reading this post and then looking at the study, I know there have been more!
Experts previously believed that FASD affected a relatively small number of children at 1%, but a recent study estimates the number is as high as 3 to 10%.
In this study published in Pediatrics, researchers concluded that 80% of the FASD cases are missed and 7% are misdiagnosed as something else.
One of the study’s authors said that the most common FASD type,or partial FASD, has very subtle physical features, but significant neurobehavioral problems. These problems include decreased attention span, impulsiveness, and of course, learning differences.
Why does this matter?
FASD is as common as autism.
This is not what SLPs know about FASD. Perhaps I should say, it wasn’t what THIS SLP believed to be true! In updating my own information, I thought I’d pass it along to you too!
In case you’re a little on the cynical side (that’s me too!), here’s a post that questions the validity of the study due to limitations – including the reluctance of moms to report drinking during pregnancy.
If you’d like to take a look at the original study, here’s that link at JAMA.
1.3.18
GOOD NEWS…
Autism rates appear to be stabilizing in the US.
According to a study in JAMA, rates did not rise significantly from data collected in 2014 through 2016. This was the first time rates did not increase in the past 20 years.
In the US, prevalence rates are holding steady at 2.4% for children and adolescents.
For you data junkies, here’s more info per gender and race:
- 3.54% of boys were reported to have ASD, compared to 1.22% of girls.
- Prevalence was 2.71% in white children, 2.36% in black children, and 1.78% in Hispanic children.
Be a good consumer of research…
Many news outlets are reporting these results WITHOUT reporting other factors could account for the steady rise in ASD diagnoses over the last two decades. These include changes in the way ASD is diagnosed, increased referrals for children with signs and symptoms, raised public awareness through intense media campaigns, and higher environmental risks.
12.13.17
How common is late talking?
The latest prevalence estimates are 10 – 20% of 2 year olds.
(This also means 80 to 90% of kids meet those early language milestones without any problems!)
The most significant risk factors for late talking are:
- GENDER—Boys are at higher risk than girls.
- LATE WALKING – Late talkers have more motor delays when compared with typically developing kids.
- LOWER BIRTH WEIGHTS – Babies born with less than 85% of their optimum birth weight are more likely to talk late.
- PREMATURITY – Babies born earlier than 37 weeks gestation were found to be at higher risk for late talking.
- DELAYED EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT – Language abilities at 12 months appear to be one of the better predictors of communication skills at 2 years.
Source: asha.org
12.4.17
A child’s ability to imitate actions at 18 months old was a better predictor of his language skills at 36 months old than even gestures. *
Toddlers who do not “copy” things other people do will not have the same language skills as peers who regularly engage in imitation.
Sometimes when I talk to parents, they ask for examples of the kinds of actions toddlers imitate. Here are a few common situations that 1 and 2 year olds with typical patterns of development begin to imitate:
- household chores like pretending to dust, sweep, cook, or cut the grass
- personal care activities like pretending to apply make-up or shave
- community outings like pretending to drive, go to the doctor, or shop at the store
- everyday activities like pretending the remote control or a block is a phone or a spoon is a sword
When toddlers don’t naturally begin to try to imitate others, it’s a red flag. We have to help them build their cognitive experiences through play and everyday activities so they have something to imitate!
In most cases, we also have to spend time directly teaching them to imitate. This can be hard to do, but I can show you how! Check out my book Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers. If you’re a therapist or need want to see in-depth examples with real kids with delays, take a look at my course Steps to Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers.
(*Zambrana, I. M., (2013). “Action Imitation at 1½ Years Is Better Than Pointing Gesture in Predicting Late Development of Language Production at 3 Years of Age.” Child Development 84:560–573.)
11.29.17
Words from the American Academy of Pediatrics about screentime…
“Media in all forms, including TV, computers, and smartphones can affect how children feel, learn, think, and behave.”
“Because of their immature symbolic, memory, and attentional skills, infants and toddlers cannot learn from traditional digital media as they do from interactions with caregivers, and they have difficulty transferring that knowledge to their 3-dimensional experience. The chief factor that facilitates toddlers’ learning from commercial media (starting around 15 months of age) is parents watching with them and reteaching the content.”
“…For children younger than 2 years, evidence for benefits of media is still limited, adult interaction with the child during media use is crucial, and there continues to be evidence of harm from excessive digital media use.”
Bottom line… The words “evidence of harm” are serious! Rethink your patterns about screentime for little ones! It’s not as educational or as beneficial as we think!
Read the full position statement at aap.org.
11.21.17
Research tells us that 70 to 80% of late talkers will outgrow a language delay if it’s ONLY an expressive delay. This means no delays or red flags in other areas like receptive language or social interaction issues like fleeting eye contact or limited joint attention.
This is good news, BUT it still means that 20 to 30% of kids will not catch up. This delay can significantly impact a toddler’s ability to learn academic skills like reading and writing since those skills are language-based.
Bottom line… don’t “wait and see.” Get intervention going as soon as you suspect a delay! You don’t want to regret not taking any action!
Source: asha.org
10.12.17
Did you know…experiences change a child’s brain!
During the birth to 3 period, new brain connections form at rapid-fire pace of 700 a second!! (zerotothree.org)
What you do with a child matters – even simple, everyday things like feeding her, giving him a bath, playing together, and even just talking as you hang around the house. ALL these things change the architecture of his or her little brain.
This is good to know! This means that when we need to help a child learn something new that’s been hard (like TALKING!), we can change how things are going by changing a child’s experiences.
Let that sink in for a second.
Things you do together with a late talker can make a big, big difference! I hope that inspires you today!
10.2.17
Do you know the 2 factors most associated with kids with ASD who become functional communicators even after age 4?
By functional communicator, the study specified that children attained phrases or fluent speech.
It may not be what you think!!
The two factors were: (Wodka, 2013)
Higher non-verbal IQ
Less impaired social interaction skills
My favorite line in the study was this:
These data also implicate the importance of evaluating and considering nonverbal skills, both cognitive and social, when developing interventions and setting goals for language development.
If you want to read the results for yourself, take a look here.
I can help you with those strategies if you need some guidance!
Teach Me To Play WITH You is an entire ‘how-to’ book for targeting social interaction with toddlers.
Structured teaching and improving play skills are your BEST strategies for working on non-verbal cognition. Is It Autism? Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD has sections and directions for both.
9.25.17
Echolalia is actually a positive prognostic indicator for kids who are on the spectrum. Of children with autism who acquire speech, 85% of them have a history of echolalia (Prizant 1987). When we work with kids who quote movie lines, books, and even previous conversations, we need to remember this AND we need to make sure their parents see the silver lining…
THIS CHILD KNOWS HOW TO TALK!
We just need to tweak it so that he understands what he’s saying and can use all of those words to communicate with others.
If you’d like more information about echolalia, I have some great resources for you!
Read my post-Echolalia…What It Is and What It Means for an explanation and description of echolalia.
For very practical treatment ideas, read my post-Echolalia…What To Do About It.
There’s a great section about treating jargon and echolalia in my course Is It Autism? Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD. You’ll see examples and get an initial treatment protocol that’s been very effective for me in my work with young children.
9.21.17
Did you sing today? I hope so! Do you want to know why?
Besides being an activity that (most) toddlers love…
“Music and music experiences support the formation of important brain connections that are being established over the first three years of life (Carlton 2000).”
This means that singing is an EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE.
Every single time you break into song with a child, you’re helping build the circuitry for social and language development. You’re setting the stage for WORDS.
Not to mention, singing with children has tons of other benefits too that encompass all areas of early development including physical, cognitive, and literacy skills. Still, need more evidence? Check out this article from zerotothree.org – Beyond Twinkle Twinkle: Using Music with Infants and Toddlers.
———————————————————————
9.18.17
It’s well-known among speech-language pathologists that gestures precede words in language development.
Here’s a study that gives us that proof (for those of us who become obsessed with reading the “evidence.”) The conclusion was…
Toddlers who produced a gesture for a particular object learned to say that word (on average) 3 months later.
Granted, this study was for a small group of verbal toddlers who were transitioning from single words to phrases, BUT it has functional implications for treatment for pediatric speech-language pathologists who work with late talkers. Our takeaway message is this…
PAY ATTENTION TO GESTURES!
When we see a toddler show us, give us, or point to an object, his little system is ripe for learning!
It could just be that he “needs” that word and is more receptive to learning it.
It could be that he’s revving up himself to be able to retain the word to talk about it.
It could be that he’s telling us…”Hey! I need you to tell me what this is!”
Nonetheless, he’s letting us know… “This word is important… so teach it to me!”
Yes, my little friend, we will!
If you want to know more about the importance of gestures and language development, check out my post Gestures Predict First Words.
—————————————————————————————————
9.15.17
———————————————————————————
9.14.17
Today’s fact…
the critical window for learning language is birth to 5. Around age 5, a child’s brain is already hard-wired for many things language-related, including grammar and pronunciation. This is why early intervention is so important when we suspect or identify a language delay. “Wait and see” is never, ever a good idea. Get in there and get language going! Read more about brain development in children at Zero to Three.
Sign Up for your
Free Book
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes
Browse Products
Featured Product
Recent Posts
Teach Me To Talk Testimonials
Happy Therapists, Teachers, Parents & Children
"Hello Miss Laura,
First, I would like to thank you for all you do for us moms who are lacking support in the autism community, and thank you for providing tons of information and resources to help our bright children. I myself benefited so much from watching your videos and reading your daily emails. I cannot stress enough how much all this information helped my toddler. Of course, getting an autism diagnosis for your child is extremely scary (she was diagnosed at 2 years old) and I was depressed and did not know what autism was, how it affected children, and how to teach children struggling with this condition. However, your videos helped me to find light in my child and now I am your biggest fan! I rewatch your videos over and over again to make sure I didn't miss anything that can help my daughter. I even purchase two books- Autism workbook and Teach me to Play. My toddler was completely non-verbal, she didn't know how to imitate, no eye contact, no pointing.. you name it she didn't have any skills and I didn't know how to teach her! And that is until I discover ed You- my toddlers (Fairy: smiling_face_with_3_hearts:)!
Now she is little sweet 2.5 years old and she says "mama" (I cried when she said that magic word), she waves bye bye or hi, she points, she gives "high 5", her joint attention is great and overall she is doing so much better! And that's all because I have been doing everything you described in your books and videos! I. My mind I always play "repetition, repetition and repetition", teaching her everything through play that she so much enjoys!!! I can write forever explaining how much I taught her through yr videos and books! And the most amazing thing is that her speech therapist is a big fan of yours as well so it worked out perfectly since we understand each other and work based on your teachings! The therapist even owns the same books I own ...I am so grateful that my toddler has such an amazing therapist; especially the one that understands autism and is ready for a real challenge! God bless you for all you do and I cannot wait for my toddler blossom.. you gave me hope and lit the light inside me. And I'm determined to work with my girl :)"
"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
"Hi Laura - I just wanted to say I received my copies of the Apraxia workbooks yesterday and I LOVED workbook 1 (not ready for 2). I'm on chapter 8 and going through the questions carefully so I'm prepared to help my son. I knew it was a great book when you acknowledged the fact that sometimes therapists and doctors don't bring a positive and supportive vibe when diagnosing. I remember being terrified at the mention of apraxia and ASD by both because they had these very concerned looks and made it seem like it was a death sentence. I know now (in LARGE PART, THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR VIDEOS) that it doesn't have to be!! I see a future for him now. You SINGLE-HANDEDLY, through your books and videos have empowered me to help my son after the doctors and therapists have gone home. You've given me strategies, play ideas, plans on how to keep moving forward. I don't always do things right, but I know I'm on the right track and I love that I can reference, and re-reference your books to help me keep going. As I was reading the book, I was so proud of myself because I've used strategies from your previous books and it felt good because I could check off a lot of the skills that you discuss. So, thank you for all your previous books as well!!"
"Gosh, I love all of your emails/podcast/website, just everything!! I work in early intervention as a behavior analyst and am learning so much from you!"
Thank you!
Hailey
"Laura,
I love your work! I am a professor of early childhood special education and a speech language pathologist! I have worked to help children learn to communicate and I know how valuable the information you share is for both early interventionists and pediatric speech language pathologists!
Thank you for systematically organizing and explaining essential steps for young children to learn and develop. You are having a great impact on our profession, the ECE profession and families!"
Sincerely,
David
"Thank you.
If this is Laura herself reading this email let me take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have put forth for us professionals. I own every manual (except the autism manual) and have watched every course on DVD. I have listened to countless podcasts. All of what I’ve come to be as an Early Intervention speech therapist was absolutely to your credit. With your resources at my side I have never needed to scramble for answers and strategies and above all the clear language I use when communicating with parents. My fun, animated affect and key phrases I use have been learned through watching your example. So….thank you! May you be blessed."
Chaya
"I just wanted to thank you so much for your incredible help! You are so kind and lovely and every time I implement something you've taught in your manuals or videos it is always a success, I cannot thank you enough. I really appreciate how specific you are in giving us examples of wording to use and how to use a toy in therapy with your videos, it is exactly what I need to properly help my little students. I also really appreciate your list of books of list of toys. I have seen my little students make significant progress thanks to you. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos, taking more of your CEU's, and reading more of your materials. From the bottom of my heart: thank you so much again!!"
Lauren
"Dear Laura,
What an inspiration!
Thank you for helping me be a better Developmental Therapist. I often listen to your podcasts which help me help families.
Your enthusiasm, professionalism and
the sheer volume of information is so great.
You are part of my team.
I just wanted you to know I appreciate you."
Margaret
"Dear Laura,
Thank you for your generosity in sharing so much knowledge in such a clear and enthusiastic way.
As a retired audiologist with a fabulous and language delayed grandson, I used your podcasts and outstanding publication, The Autism Workbook, to inspire and guide me over the past year.
It works!! He went from barely verbal, no gestures, didn't respond to his name etc etc to a verbal, social, curious, ready to imitate anything, fill in the blanks on familiar "set" speech, generate his own totally appropriate and mostly understandable sentences...not just short phrases anymore... full little paragraphs...about imaginary things, what he did during the day, what he wants. True communication!
You make a powerful difference in this world! ❤"
"Laura Mize, you are a Godsend. I don’t know how one human can have so many helpful things to say in a beautifully organized way, so often. Always amazes me when another super helpful email comes from you, and for free. With free YouTube videos and cheap CEUs. THANK YOU!!!"
Sheila, Canada
"I purchased the book on autism and have watched the #400s series podcasts. Laura Mize has been more effective in teaching autistic tendencies, than many professors, shadowing professions, and the 100s of books, articles and classes or videos, or live workshop speakers, have been at teaching effective practices for a child with ASD. Some of the many lessons she has taught, which I will now use, to be a more effective Interventionist, include but are not limited to: red flags, typical behaviors, self-stimulating behaviors, not taking away toys, rather showing child to play with toy appropriately. She gives examples of child's actions, "inappropriate," explains the reason for: why the child is engaging in these behaviors and how they can be replaced with more appropriate, effective fuctional and age-appropriate skills."
"I’m sure Laura gets these messages all the time, but I thought I’d share. I stumbled across Laura‘s "Autism or Speech Delay?" YouTube video when I really needed it. This video finally listed and explained some of the red flags my son was showing for autism. I share the link anytime a parent is questioning in my FB autism group. This mother I don’t even know said Laura's video changed her life. I know exactly how she feels because It changed families too. Thank you to everyone at Teach Me To Talk."
LINDSAY
"Good Morning Laura,
I received your book (The Autism Workbook) yesterday and it is absolutely amazing! As I evaluate young children (0-3) for developmental delays and write plans for them with their parents, there are a ton of ideas that are ready to use. Others that reinforce what I have been doing, and saying, all along. Thank you so, so much for writing this incredible book and pulling everything together in one place!"
FRANCINE IN MICHIGAN
"Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and guidance.
I’m a parent who bought the autism workbook and it’s the only clear resource I found to make a change in my son. I’m really thankful to Ms. Laura for helping out people like us all over the world."
"Laura Mize, all I have to say is that ALL YOUR STRATEGIES WORK."
ANNE, YouTube viewer
"We have 7 SLPs in our preschool (public) program for special needs children (ages 3-5) and we use your courses, books, and techniques every day! :-) We have seen our preschoolers make such great gains!"
"I just received Teach Me to Play With You, and it is ALREADY WORKING! WOW!
Girl…my son is 3 years old, and he NEVER asks for something using words. We were playing “Get Your Belly” (from Teach Me to Play WITH You), and after several times, he laughed and screamed "BEWIEEE!!!" It was a hoot. And I can't believe he said it! I have played with him like this before, but this time I took your advice and acted CRAZY!! I will act like a total lunatic if it will get him to talk to me! Now I can give him "the look" from across the room, and he will say it. That manual is so amazingly practical, and it is a GODSEND right now! Thank you SO MUCH!”
"I wanted to send you a quick email to say thank you. I started watching your videos/podcasts about 4 months ago. My son has gone from losing words he previously used, only having about 7 words at his 2 year check up in August (assessed at a blended 10 month language level) -- to now having so many words, increased social engagement, following commands, spontaneously requesting things, and naming letters & numbers (not in order) as well as colors. We had our monthly meeting with our SLP through the state infants & toddlers program and it felt like we were just bragging the whole time, but I knew in the back of my head it was because I have been using strategies you taught me.
We still have so much work to do with our sweet boy, but I know in my heart he would not have succeeded without the education you provided. I will continue to read your emails & watch videos as we go along this journey and face challenges, but credit is due to you, Laura.
Thank you so much, endlessly."
KATIE
"I just want to tell how fortunate I feel to have found your website and you!! I became a special instructor in EI almost a year ago and I started with hardly any applicable training. I felt so lost and confused as how to help the kids I work with learn how to use words and play. Honestly, I didn't even understand the importance of play, although I always played with my kids. But, once I started to watch your podcasts and get some of your manuals I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and that I could finally teach these kids and their families something of value from a real therapist and based on research!. Thank you so much for seeing the need to help other EI service providers and providing a forum to share your knowledge and years of valuable experience. I'm sure you get a lot of these emails every week if not every day, but I wanted to make I could add to those notes of gratitude!! THANK YOU again!!"
SS
"Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for these emails and your books, I have them all and they have seriously saved and improved my sessions with my kiddos. Huge thank you."
REBECCA
"I was very frustrated with how speech therapy was going for my child. I would take him and drop him off and not hear much of anything from his therapist and teachers other than, "He had a good (or a bad!) day." Your materials were invaluable for us because I learned how to work with him on his speech. I learned how to teach him to talk and play. I learned how to pay attention to his cues and work with him to teach him to communicate. Without it, I have no doubt he still wouldn’t talk."
BRITNEY
"Hi! I just wanted to say (from an SLT perspective) how incredibly useful I am finding absolutely all of your articles, blogs and resources - I only discovered your site last month and have just received all your books which I feel I am learning more than on my entire university training course!! But also the way in which you give specific, realistic, fun, encouraging ideas for working with parents is really just fantastic, I only wish I have your site sooner! Thanks so much from the UK! Kind regards."
HANNAH
"I just wanted to reach out to say thank you for making things a little easier to manage for me this year. I made the transition from school SLP to private therapist about a year ago. While the change was welcome, it was a lot, and I was just getting my footing in the clinic when I began teletherapy full time. Your website has been a huge lifeline in helping me work with late talkers and coach their parents in an accessible but effective way, even remotely. I look forward to getting your emails each week. I am floored by the amount of valuable, free information that your website provides, and I’m looking forward to investing in your workbooks soon. A sincere thank you for all you do!"
ALLISON
"You are an inspiration! I am truly grateful for the way you put into words and writing how to do what we do as SLPs. At this time in my 13 years of practicing, I find your encouragement keeps me going. As a single mom, I find it a stretch to buy materials these days and I am so thankful for the freebies you so generously share that help me teach my families. I don’t have much time to put together lists or quick references for parents!! Much gratitude!!"
ANDREA
Laura thank you so much. Btw, you have transformed my therapy- I have become such a competent and strong therapist after watching probably like 350 of your videos and podcasts over the past few years. And I am a seasoned therapist with almost 25 years experience. (Yes prob 350 episodes ha!) But there was still a lot I learned from you. I have such a thorough understanding of birth to 3 development and how to properly incorporate appropriate therapeutic goals, techniques and strategies now, thanks to you. Kelly
Hi Laura,I want to thank you so much for the resources you provide, my daughter has delayed speech and though she qualifies for CDS. Honestly the most progress she has made in her speech/language development has been after I implemented your 5 top strategies for delayed talkers! She is now almost 2.5 and her vocabulary is well over 75 (I haven’t counted recently, could be over 100) words when at 2 she barely had four words. Honestly the last few months have been a transformation for her.
Ann
