Speech Therapy Resources | Late Talkers, Autistic & Neurodivergent Children for SLPs and Parents

Why Isn't This Child Talking?

Let's Talk About Talking

When a child isn't talking by 18 months (certainly by age 2!) or anytime a child's vocabulary stalls, there's something missing. There are 11 foundational skills that ALL kids master - whether they talk on time or late - before a child begins to talk. Let me help you figure out what's missing so you can begin to hear words! In this 12 part series, you'll learn what each of those 11 skills is, why they're important for language development, and how to help a child strengthen skills in each area. If you've been scratching your head asking, "Why isn't this child talking?" then this series is for you!

The best part of this series is the handout PDF for each show with parent handout or CE credit purchase.

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Let's Talk About Talking Therapy Manual

In my therapy manual Let’s Talk About Talking… Ways to Strengthen the 11 Skills All Toddlers Master Before Words Emerge, I’m teaching you how to target pre-linguistic skills that establish the foundation for communicating. This is a tremendous resource for both parents and professionals. It’s HUGE – 377 pages – but extremely user-friendly. Figure out what you want to work on with a child using the easy checklist, flip to the chapter for that skill, and get busy! The therapy plan is practically written for you!

Home » Lets Talk About Talking Podcast PDFs for Parents

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The Let's Talk About Talking Podcast Series

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ASHA CEU Course #396 Prelinguistic Skill #11 Initiates with Others

ASHA CEU Course #396 Prelinguistic Skill #11 Initiates with Others

Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP of teachmetotalk.com as she finishes up the podcast series 11 prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. In this final podcast ...
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ASHA CEU Course #0395 Prelinguistic Skill #10 Uses Gestures

Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP of teachmetotalk.com as she continues her series of the 11 prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. In this show, we'll ...
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ASHA CEU Course #394 Prelinguistic Skill #9 Imitates Others

ASHA CEU Course #394 Prelinguistic Skill #9 Imitates Others

Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP from @teachmetotalk and teachmetotalk.com as she continues the series on prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. In this audio and ...
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ASHA CEU Course #393 Prelinguistic Skill #8 Vocalizes Purposefully

ASHA CEU Course #393 Prelinguistic Skill #8 Vocalizes Purposefully

Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP as she continues her podcast series discussing prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. This show, ASHA CEU Course #393 Prelinguistic ...
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ASHA CEU Course #392 Prelinguistic Skill #7 Understands Familiar Words and Follows Directions

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3920 BEGINNING IN DECEMBER 2024 In this one-hour audio and video podcast, we’re explaining in detail Skill #7 Understands Familiar Words and Follows Directions. Speech-language pathologists refer ...
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#391 Prelinguistic Skill #6 Plays Appropriately with a Variety of Toys

ASHA CEU Course #391 Prelinguistic Skill #6 Plays Appropriately with a Variety of Toys

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3910 BEGINNING IN DECEMBER 2024 In this one-hour audio and video podcast,  ASHA CEU Course #391 Prelinguistic Skill #6 Plays Appropriately with a Variety of Toys, we're ...
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ASHA CEU Course #390

ASHA CEU Course #390 Prelinguistic Skill #5 Joint Attention

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3900 BEGINNING IN DECEMBER 2024 Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP as she explains the 11 prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. This ...
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ASHA CEU Course #389

ASHA CEU Course #389 Prelinguistic Skill #4 Develops a Longer Attention Span

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3890 BEGINNING IN DECEMBER 2024 Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP as she explains the 11 prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge. This ...
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ASHA CEU Course #388

ASHA CEU Course #388 Prelinguistic Skill #3 Teach A Child Begin Turn Taking

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3880 BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2024 This ASHA CEU course #0388 Prelinguistic Skill #3 Teach a Child to Begin Turn-Taking, reviewed the eleven prelinguistic skills toddlers master before ...
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ASHA CEU Course #387

ASHA CEU Course #387 Prelinguistic Skill #2 Teach a Child to Respond To People

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3870 BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2024 This ASHA CEU course #387 Prelinguistic Skill #2 Teach a Child to Respond To People, reviews the eleven prelinguistic skills toddlers master ...
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ASHA CEU Course #386 Prelinguistic Skill #1 Teach a Child to Respond and Interact

ASHA CEU Course #386 Prelinguistic Skill #1 Teach a Child to Respond and Interact

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3860 BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2024 Join pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP, in this ASHA CEU Course #386 Prelinguistic Skill #1 Teach a Child to Respond ...
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ASHA CEU Course #385

ASHA CEU Course #385 When Is A Child Developmentally Ready to Talk?

UPDATED ASHA COURSE #3850 BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2024 Before any child begins to talk, he’s mastering a set of 11 distinct skills that develop before we begin to hear words. ...
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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