ASHA CEU COURSE #0013 Research-Based Therapy Method for Toddlers with Expressive Delays

Does your toddler or preschooler struggle to use words and still isn’t talking? Do you want an effective, evidenced-based method for language therapy with toddlers you can use for direct treatment sessions or to teach parents how to implement?

In this course, pediatric speech-language pathologists Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP and Macy Mize Usher, M.S., CCC-SLP from Teach Me To Talk or teachmetotalk.com, review guidelines from the research-based VAULT Method™, a powerful, practical framework for helping late talkers learn to communicate in early intervention speech therapy services. If you’ve ever wondered where to start with a late talker or felt unsure how to make real progress in speech therapy, this episode is for you. Learn six guidelines for treatment sessions for toddlers with expressive language delays. This method is built on decades of research and real-life clinical experience giving you clear, effective, and connection-based strategies that truly work for toddlers with language delays.

Laura Mize and Macy Mize Usher walk you through the research-based VAULT method (Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers), a powerful, evidence-based approach that boosts expressive vocabulary and communication in late-talking toddlers. If you’re a speech-language pathologist (SLP) working in early intervention, an educator, or a parent of a late-talker, this video is for you. The protocol is grounded in clinical research showing rapid gains in toddler vocabulary when implemented using six guidelines for treatment.

You’ll learn how to:

✅ Implement the method: clearly selecting target words, delivering high-intensity word input, and structuring sessions for maximum vocabulary growth

✅ Use play-based, child-engaging activities that support late talkers and motivate communication

✅ Recognize when this method is effective for late talkers and discover when to move on to another method

✅ Track progress with measurable outcomes (e.g., weekly word gains) and use data to inform goals and family coaching

✅ Honor strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming approaches while using this structured method for speech delay and late talkers

Course appropriate for SLPs and other therapists (OT, PT, and EI Developmental Specialists/Therapists) who work with pediatrics in various settings including state or county-based early intervention providers, outpatient pediatric therapy clinics, infant/toddler and preschool programs, and other childcare settings and parents of autistic children