best speech for 2.5 year old

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Should I be concerned that my 2-year-old doesn't say many words and is hard to understand?

Talk to your child's health care provider if you can understand only a few or none of your 2-year-old's words. A delay using words or talking can be an early sign of other issues. Your toddler's provider can refer you to health professionals who test children for these issues.

Every child grows and develops at their own pace. But toddler speech development tends to follow a fairly set path. For example, by age 2, most children can:

• Use simple two-word phrases, such as "more milk."
• Ask one- or two-word questions, such as "Go bye-bye?"
• Follow simple commands and understand simple questions.
• Speak about 50 to 100 words.
• Be understood at least half the time by adults who don't know the child.

Between the ages of 2 and 3, most children:

• Speak in two- and three-word phrases or sentences.
• Use at least 200 words and as many as 1,000 words.
• Ask questions that start with who, what, where or why, such as "Where is mommy?"
• Say their first name when asked.
• Refer to themselves with pronouns, such as I, me, my or mine.
• Can be understood most of the time by familiar listeners, such as family members.

If your child might have a condition that causes a speech delay, your child's health care provider may suggest that you see a hearing or speech professional.

For example, hearing problems are checked by an audiologist. A speech-language pathologist checks for communication problems. If your child hears or speaks two languages, see a bilingual speech-language pathologist so your child can get tested in both languages.

In the United States, you can get your child tested through a government-funded early intervention program. This offers services and support to children with delays in development or disabilities. Each state and territory has an early intervention program, and some programs include speech therapy.

The way speech delay is treated in toddlers depends on the cause. When treated early, these delays and the problems that can cause them often get better over time.

Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.

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• Infant growth rates
• Vitamin D for babies
• Kliegman RM, et al. Language development and communication disorders. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• One to two years: What should my child be able to do? American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/12.htm. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Speech and language concerns. Pediatric Care Online. https://publications.aap.org/pediatriccare. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Is your toddler communicating with you? Pediatric Patient Education. https://publications.aap.org/patiented. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Kliegman RM, et al. The second year. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Feb. 22, 2019.
• Important milestones: Your child by three years. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html. Accessed Jan. 24, 2023.
• What is early intervention? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2023.
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Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones

The ability to hear is essential for proper speech and language development. Hearing problems may be suspected in children who are not responding to sounds or who are not developing their language skills appropriately. The following are some age-related guidelines that may help to decide if your child is experiencing hearing problems.

It's important to remember that not every child is the same. Children reach milestones at different ages. Talk your child's healthcare provider if you are suspicious that your child is not developing speech and language skills correctly. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and other experts list the following age-appropriate speech and language milestones for babies and young children.

Milestones related to speech and language

Related Links

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Voice and Swallow Program
• Pediatric Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery (ENT)
• What Is Airway Reconstruction?
• Language Disorders in Children
• The Growing Child: 3-Year-Olds
• Speech Sound Disorders in Children

Related Topics

Age-Appropriate Speech and Hearing Milestones

Hearing Problems and Speech and Language Milestones

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Early Intervention Evaluations PART I: Assessing 2.5 year olds

So today I like to talk about what information should such speech-language reports should contain.   For the purpose of this particular post,  I will choose a particular developmental age at which children at risk of language delay are often assessed by speech-language pathologists. Below you will find what information I typically like to include in these reports as well as developmental milestones for children 30 months or 2.5 years of age .

So here is the information I include in such reports ( after I’ve gathered pertinent background information in the form of relevant intakes and questionnaires, of course ).  Naturally, detailed  BACKGROUND HISTORY  section is a must! Prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal development should be prominently featured there.   All pertinent medical history needs to get documented as well as all of the child’s developmental milestones in the areas of cognition,  emotional development, fine and gross motor function, and of course speech and language.   Here,  I also include a family history of red flags: international or domestic adoption of the child (if relevant) as well as familial speech and language difficulties, intellectual impairment, psychiatric disorders, special education placements, or documented deficits in the areas of literacy (e.g., reading, writing, and spelling). After all, if any of the above issues are present in isolation or in combination, the risk for language and literacy deficits increases exponentially, and services are strongly merited for the child in question.

For bilingual children,  the next section will cover  LANGUAGE BACKGROUND AND USE.   Here, I describe how many and which languages are spoken in the home and how well does the child understand and speak any or all of these languages (as per parental report based on questionnaires ).

After that,  I  move on to describe the child’s  ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR  during the assessment .   In this section, I cover emotional relatedness, joint attention, social referencing,  attention skills, communicative frequency, communicative intent,  communicative functions, as well as any and all unusual behaviors noted during the therapy session (e.g., refusal, tantrums, perseverations, echolalia, etc.) Then I move on to  PLAY SKILLS. For the purpose of play assessment, I use the Revised Westby Play Scale  ( Westby, 2000 ). In this section,  I describe where the child is presently with respect to play skills,  and where they actually need to be developmentally (excerpt below).

“ During today’s assessment, LS’s play skills were judged to be significantly reduced for his age. A child of LS’s age (30 months) is expected to engage in a number of isolated pretend play activities with realistic props to represent daily experiences (playing house) as well as less frequently experienced events (e.g., reenacting a doctor’s visit, etc.) (corresponds to Stage VI on the Westby Play Scale, Revised Westby Play Scale ( Westby, 2000 ) ). Contrastingly, LS presented with limited repertoire routines, which were characterized primarily by exploration of toys, such as operating simple cause and effect toys (given modeling) or taking out and then putting back in playhouse toys.  LS’s parents confirmed that the above play schemas were representative of play interactions at home as well. Today’s LS’s play skills were judged to be approximately at Stage II (13 – 17 months) on the Westby Play Scale, ( Revised Westby Play Scale  ( Westby, 2000 ) ) which is significantly reduced for a child of  LS’s age, since it is almost approximately ±15 months behind his peers.  Thus, based on today’s play assessment, LS’s play skills require therapeutic intervention . “

Sections on  AUDITORY FUNCTION,  PERIPHERAL ORAL MOTOR EXAM, VOCAL PARAMETERS, FLUENCY AND RESONANCE (and if pertinent FEEDING and SWALLOWING follow) (more on that in another post).

Now, it’s finally time to get to the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the report  ARTICULATION AND PHONOLOGY as well as  RECEPTIVE and EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE ( more on PRAGMATIC ASSESSMENT in another post ).

First, here’s what I include in the  ARTICULATION AND PHONOLOGY  section of the report.

• Consonants :  plosive (/p/, /b/, /m/), alveolar (/t/, /d/), velar (/k/, /g/), glide (/w/), nasal (/n/, /m/) glottal (/h/)
• Vowels and diphthongs : ( /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ou/, /ai/)
• LS primarily produced one syllable words consisting of CV (e.g., ke, di), CVC (e.g., boom), VCV (e.g., apo) syllable shapes, which is reduced for a child his age. 
• Speech intelligibility in known and unknown contexts
• Phonological processes analysis

Now that I have described what the child is capable of speech-wise,  I discuss where the child needs to be developmentally:

“A child of LS’s age (30 months) is expected to produce additional consonants in initial word position (k, l, s, h), some consonants (t, d, m, n, s, z) in final word position (Watson & Scukanec, 1997b), several consonant clusters (pw, bw, -nd, -ts) (Stoel-Gammon, 1987) as well as evidence a more sophisticated syllable shape structure (e.g., CVCVC)   Furthermore, a 30 month old child is expected to begin monitoring and repairing own utterances, adjusting speech to different listeners, as well as practicing sounds, words, and early sentences (Clark, adapted by Owens, 1996, p. 386) all of which LS is not performing at this time.   Based on above developmental norms, LS’s phonological abilities are judged to be significantly below age-expectancy at this time. Therapy is recommended in order to improve LS’s phonological skills.”

RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE

“ LS’s receptive language abilities were judged to be scattered between 11-17 months of age (as per clinical observations as well as informal PLS-5 and REEL-3 findings), which is also consistent with his play skills abilities (see above).  During the assessment LS was able to appropriately understand prohibitive verbalizations (e.g., “No”, “Stop”), follow simple 1 part directions (when repeated and combined with gestures), selectively attend to speaker when his name was spoken (behavioral), perform a routine activity upon request (when combined with gestures), retrieve familiar objects from nearby (when provided with gestures), identify several major body parts (with prompting) on a doll only, select a familiar object when named given repeated prompting, point to pictures of familiar objects in books when named by adult, as well as respond to yes/no questions by using head shakes and head nods. This is significantly below age-expectancy. A typically developing child 30 months of age is expected to spontaneously follow (without gestures, cues or prompts) 2+ step directives, follow select commands that require getting objects out of sight, answer simple “wh” questions (what, where, who), understand select spatial concepts, (in, off, out of, etc), understand select pronouns (e.g., me, my, your), identify action words in pictures, understand concept sizes (‘big’, ‘little’), identify simple objects according to their function, identify select clothing items such as shoes, shirt, pants, hat (on self or caregiver) as well as understand names of farm animals, everyday foods, and toys. Therapeutic intervention is recommended in order to increase LS’s receptive language abilities.

EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE:

“ During today’s assessment, LS’s expressive language skills were judged to be scattered between 10-15 months of age (as per clinical observations as well as informal PLS-5 and REEL-3 findings). LS was observed to communicate primarily via proto-imperative gestures (requesting and object via eye gaze, reaching) as well as proto-declarative gestures (showing an object via eye gaze, reaching, and pointing). Additionally, LS communicated via vocalizations, head nods, and head shakes.  According to parental report, at this time LS’s speaking vocabulary consists of approximately 15-20 words (see word lists below).  During the assessment LS was observed to spontaneously produce a number of these words when looking at a picture book, playing with toys, and participating in action based play activities with Mrs. S and clinician.  LS was also observed to produce a number of animal sounds when looking at select picture books and puzzles.  For therapy planning purposes, it is important to note that LS was observed to imitate more sounds and words, when they were supported by action based play activities (when words and sounds were accompanied by a movement initiated by clinician and then imitated by LS). Today LS was observed to primarily communicate via a very limited number of imitated and spontaneous one word utterances that labeled basic objects and pictures in his environment, which is significantly reduced for his age. A typically developing child of LS’s chronological age (30 months) is expected to possess a minimum vocabulary of 200+ words (Rescorla, 1989), produce 2-4 word utterance combinations (e.g., noun + verb, verb + noun + location, verb + noun + adjective, etc), in addition to asking 2-3 word questions as well as maintaining a topic for 2+ conversational turns.  Therapeutic intervention is recommended in order to increase LS’s expressive language abilities.”

Here you have a few speech-language evaluation excerpts which describe not just what the child is capable of but where the child needs to be developmentally.   Now it’s just a matter of summarizing my  IMPRESSIONS (child’s strengths and needs),  RECOMMENDATIONS as well as SUGGESTED  (long and short term)  THERAPY GOALS.   Now the parents have some understanding regarding their child’s  strengths and needs.   From here,  they can also track their child’s progress in therapy as they now have some idea to what it can be compared to.

So, how about it? Can you give it a try? Trust me, it’s worth it!

Selected References:

• Owens, R. E. (1996). Language development: An introduction (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
• Rescorla, L. (1989). The Language Development Survey: A screening tool for delayed language in toddlers. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 54, 587–599.
• Selby, J. C., Robb, M. P., & Gilbert, H. R. (2000). Normal vowel articulations between 15 and 36 months of age. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 14, 255-266.
• Stoel-Gammon, C. (1987). Phonological skills of 2-year-olds. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 18, 323-329.
• Watson, M. M., & Scukanec, G. P. (1997b). Profiling the phonological abilities of 2-year-olds: A longitudinal investigation. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 13, 3-14.

For more information on EI Assessments click on any of the below posts:

• Part II: Early Intervention Evaluations PART II: Assessing Suspected Motor Speech Disorders in Children Under 3
• Part III:  Early Intervention Evaluations PART III: Assessing Children Under 2 Years of Age
• Part IV:   Early Intervention Evaluations PART IV:Assessing Social Pragmatic Abilities of Children Under 3

7 thoughts on “ Early Intervention Evaluations PART I: Assessing 2.5 year olds ”

[…] So today I like to talk about what information should such speech-language reports should contain.   For the purpose of this particular post, I will choose a particular developmental age at which children at risk of language delay are often assessed by speech-language pathologists. Below you will find what information I typically like to include in these reports as well as developmental milestones for children 30 months or 2.5 years of age. Read more here. […]

[…] General speech and language assessments of children under 3 years of age. […]

[…] children under 3 years of age. My first post offered suggestions on what information to include in general speech-language assessments for this age group, my second post specifically discussed assessments of toddlers with suspected motor speech […]

[…] My first installment in this series offered suggestions regarding what information to include in general speech-language assessments for this age group, while my second post specifically discussed assessments of toddlers with suspected motor speech […]

The Westby play scale was revised on 2000. https://www.dropbox.com/s/5dqceo9xwilcd3y/westby_play_scale_2000.pdf?dl=0

Thank you! That’s great to know I will revise the post accordingly!

[…] my previous post on this topic, I brought up concerns regarding the paucity of useful information in EI SLP reports for children […]

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Developmental Norms of the 2.5 year old child

Speech and Language of the 2 ½ year old

At age 2 ½ years, you child…

Uses about 450 words.

Gives first name and holds up fingers to tell age.

Uses past tense, plurals, and combines nouns and verbs.

Understands simple time concepts, such as “last night” and “tomorrow.”

Refers to self as “me” rather than by name.

Tries to get adult attention (for example, “watch me”).

Likes to hear the same story repeated.                                                             

Uses “no” “not” and “yes” in speech.

Talks to other children as well as adults.

Begins to control behavior verbally rather than just physically.

Answers “what” and “where” questions.

Can name common pictures and objects he/she sees regularly.

Uses short sentences to announce what he or she has done (i.e., “Me do it,” or Me want to jump”).

Knows the words big and little.

You can stimulate your 2 ½ year-old child’s speech and language if you.

If your child leads you to a desired object, ask him/her to point and “use your words.”       

Listen attentively as your child answers simple questions.

Imitate everything your child says and copy their play.

Read books every day, perhaps as part of a bedtime ritual.

Talk to your child a little beyond his or her level of language production.  For example, if your child is saying one word, model two words.

Expand what the child says (for example, if he says, “More juice,” you say, “Want more juice”? Okay, here’s more orange juice”).

Hold a preferred object under your chin and label the object.

Sing to your child and constantly talk about what you’re doing and seeing.

Expose your child to many new experiences and talk about them before, during, and after the event.

Help your child learn new words in a meaningful way by experiencing object in a variety of ways (seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, hearing).

Have your child deliver simple messages for you (i.e., Tell Daddy that dinner is ready).

Show the child you understand what he or she says by answering, smiling, and nodding your head.

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2.5 year old speech and language milestones

Do you wonder about your child’s learning and communication skills and compare them with their peers? Ever find yourself wondering if your child is reaching their developmental milestones on time?

Granite Bay Speech has developed a free, no-cost checklist to help you identify potential communication problems.

This video shows real-life examples of speech and language developmental milestones for a 2.5 year old.

Please visit our website at www.granitebayspeech.com/development-milestones-checklists/ for a full list of developmental milestone checklists for all ages!

We hope you enjoyed this video! Feel free to share it with your family and friends!

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Your 2.5 Year Old

Use our developmental milestones to learn what most kids can do as they grow.

By Aaron E. Carroll

This story was originally published on April 22, 2019 in NYT Parenting.

At 30 months, your toddler is starting to turn into a person. She likely knows hundreds of words. She’ll sing songs. Instead of one-word demands, she’ll be putting words together in phrases. She’ll also have opinions, which will often differ from yours. She can be a handful, physically, and will be more than able to explore the world on her own.

At 2.5 years of age , kids are generally able to:

Communicate better. Your 2½-year-old will be able to put words together in phrases. He’ll also be understandable to others about half of the time. He’ll be able to articulate his curiosity with questions that begin with words like “where.” He’ll also be using pronouns that discriminate between himself and others, like “me” and “you.”

Move around. Most 2½-year-olds are becoming pretty independent. They can help get themselves dressed. They can throw balls overhand. They can (with help) brush their teeth and wash and dry their hands.

Play with others. Children at this stage likely are engaging in what we call “parallel play.” At play dates, they will play alongside others, but independently. Soon, however (or maybe even now), they will begin engaging in “social play” – where they start to interact with other children.

Communicate in more sophisticated ways. Kids this age may be developing a sense of humor. They will laugh at silly things and try to get you to laugh. Some kids this age will also be able to tell you when they need to go to the potty and are ready to use the toilet.

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Speech Therapy for Toddlers

What is speech therapy.

• Language Development
• Signs of Delay
• Speech Therapy Activities
• A Parent's Role

Frequently Asked Questions

Speech therapy is a treatment led by a speech and language pathologist (SLP) or speech therapist. It helps a person communicate and speak more clearly. Toddlers may develop language or speech impairments due to illness, hearing problems, or brain disorders.

This article covers speech and language milestones, causes of speech disorders, diagnosis, what happens in speech therapy, and how parents can help their toddlers. 

Dragana991 / Getty Images

Speech therapy is a treatment that helps a person speak or communicate more effectively. It is performed by specially trained speech and language pathologists (SLPs) or speech therapists. They help their patients better understand others, pronounce words clearly, or put words together. 

There are different types of speech therapy and their use will depend on the age of the child and what they are experiencing. For example, therapy practices vary for children with apraxia (difficulty pronouncing different syllables), stuttering, aphasia (difficulty speaking due to damage to the brain), and difficulty swallowing, and for late talkers.

Language Development (Newborn to Toddler)

While delay does not always mean there’s a problem, it’s important to recognize when a toddler misses a developmental milestone. The following are general guidelines of speech and language development for babies and toddlers:

Newborns communicate through crying. Their cries may sound the same at first but start to vary as they grow. They also cry to express emotions, and parents begin to understand what different cries mean.

High-Pitched Crying

A high-pitched cry not resolved by comforting or eating may mean that an infant is experiencing discomfort or pain.

Newborns pick up on rhythms of speech and their parents' voices within the first few weeks of life. Between 1 and 4 months old, they become more alert to sounds and may startle more easily or turn to look for the source of the noise. 

Around 2 to 3 months old, infants start smiling and cooing, which often sounds like "ah" or "eh." Babies begin laughing by 3 to 4 months old.  

By 5 or 6 months old, infants imitate adult sounds produced by babbling or shrieking. Babbling involves repeating sounds such as "ba," "ma," or "ga."  

7–12 Months

Seven-month-old infants hear words as distinct sounds and try to repeat them. By 9 months old, they start to understand expressions and simple commands like "no," recognize words for objects, and respond to their names.

Ten- to 12-month-olds follow simple commands such as "give mommy your cup." They also begin to say simple words such as "dada" or "bye-bye."

A Toddler's First Words

Most 1-year-olds can say a few words such as “up” or “dog” but do not put words together in a sentence.

13–18 Months

By 18 months, a toddler puts two words together and says phrases such as "push it." They often communicate in gestures that get more complex over time.

Toddlers this age start recognizing objects, body parts, pictures, or people. For example, if you ask, "Where is your nose?," they will be able to point to it.  

19–24 Months

By 24 months old, toddlers know and say 50 or more words. They start to form two- to three-word sentences. Two-year-olds can usually communicate their needs, such as “I want more milk,” and follow two-step commands.

Speech and Language Developmental Timeline

Children develop at different speeds and may not follow the typical timeline. If you are concerned about the delay, contact your pediatrician or healthcare provider as soon as possible. Early treatment can make a difference.

Signs of Speech or Language Delay in Toddlers

The following are general guidelines to help parents know if they should have their young child evaluated for speech or language problems:

• A baby who does not vocalize or respond to sound
• A 1-year-old who does not use gestures, such as pointing
• An 18-month-old who would rather use gestures than sounds
• An 18-month-old who has difficulty imitating sounds or understanding simple requests
• A 2-year-old who imitates speech but doesn’t talk spontaneously
• A 2-year-old who can say words but not communicate more than their immediate needs or follow simple directions
• A 2-year-old who has a raspy or nasal-sounding voice

Understanding the Words of a Toddler

Parents and regular caregivers usually understand about 50% of a toddler’s speech by 2 years old and 75% by 3 years old.

Speech or language delays can occur due to problems with the structures of the mouth, head injuries, chronic illnesses, or brain disorders.  

If the cause is a brain disorder, it can be difficult to coordinate their tongue, lips, and mouth to make sounds or words. 

Hearing problems can make it difficult to imitate or understand language. This is not always a problem that is apparent at birth. Chronic ear infections can cause hearing damage in one or both ears.

A speech therapist will perform tests with your toddler to check the following:

• What your child understands
• What your child can say 
• Clarity of speech
• How the structures in their mouth work together to form words and eat

The following are diagnostic tests or scales a speech therapist may perform with your toddler:

• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III) : Bayley-III is used worldwide to measure all aspects of development from birth to 42 months. A speech therapist administers the language portion by watching the child follow instructions and identify people and objects. It helps them know if the child is on track or needs further evaluation. 
• Preschool Language Scales–Fifth Edition (PLS)-5 English : The PLS-5 is an interactive screening tool designed for infants and young children. Speech therapists measure all areas of language through a play-based approach. 
• Differential Ability Scales Assessment–Second Edition (DAS-II) : The DAS-II provides a scale to help speech therapists better understand how a child processes information. This allows them to develop appropriate activities for therapy.
• Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation 3 (GFTA-3) : The GFTA-3 involves asking a child to identify colorful drawings and measures their ability to pronounce consonants.
• The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scales: This test is specifically designed for children from birth to 36 months old. It involves a parent interview, as well as observation of the child performing tasks.

What Happens During Speech Therapy?

The speech therapist will plan and perform activities to help your toddler with skills based on their specific needs. Therapy may occur in small groups or individually. 

Language building activities include using picture books, repetition, talking, and playing. If a toddler has difficulty pronouncing certain words, the therapist will teach them how to make the sound or say specific words. 

Sometimes speech therapists help toddlers with speech mechanics. This involves teaching them how to move their mouth or tongue to pronounce a word. They may also prescribe lip, tongue, or jaw exercises to continue at home.

What Concerns are Addressed During Speech Therapy?

Some of the concerns that SLPs may address during speech therapy include:  

• Speech mechanics
• Word pronunciation
• Volume or quality of speech
• Social communication skills
• Trouble swallowing

How Can Parents Help?

It helps to talk and read to your child frequently. Use correct names and speak in a slow and clear voice. When giving direction, keep things simple. Kneeling to their level can them focus on what you are saying.

If your child points at a glass of water, help them connect the gesture and language by asking, “Do you want water?” When they don’t pronounce words accurately, emphasize the correct pronunciation when responding.

Waiting for a Response

When asking a question such as “Do you want a drink?,” try waiting for a response. This helps your toddler learn to communicate back to you. 

Chronic illnesses, brain disorders, and hearing problems can cause a toddler to have delayed speech or language development. Speech therapy can help them learn to communicate more effectively. 

Parents can help by talking to their children often, speaking clearly, and emphasizing correct pronunciation. If your child is in speech therapy, it’s helpful to perform exercises prescribed by your speech therapist at home.

A Word From Verywell

Not all children follow a typical timeline for speech and language development. Sometimes they are focused on learning a new task, such as walking, and put language development on the back burner. They often catch up later. 

If your toddler is experiencing a language or speech delay, talk with your child’s healthcare provider. If there is a problem, getting help early can make a difference.

A toddler should start speech therapy any time after 3 months old if they experience developmental delays in speech or language. This may seem young, but a speech therapist can monitor the signs if there is a delay. Early intervention can make an impact. 

The estimated national average cost for the United States is $218 per session. However, many insurances and most state Medicaid programs cover speech therapy. It can be helpful to find an in-network clinic to decrease your out-of-pocket expenses. 

Nemours Kids Health. Delayed speech or language development . KidsHealth.org.

Durkin MJ. From Infancy to the Elderly: Communication throughout the Ages. Nova Science Publishers; 2011.

Meadows-Oliver M. Pediatric Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. 3rd Edition. Wolters Kluwer; 2019.

University of Michigan Health. Speech and language milestones, birth to 1 year .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Important milestones: Your baby by nine months .

American Academy of Pediatrics. Language delays in toddlers: Information for parents . Healthychildren.org.

Nemours Kids Health. Communication and your 1-to-2 year old . KidsHealth.org.

NAPA Center. Speech therapy for children: What are the benefits? .

Garro, A. Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Child Psychology . Springer; 2016.

Ross, K. Speech-Language Pathologists in Early Childhood . Plural Publishing; 2015.

DeVeney SL. Clinical challenges: Assessing toddler speech sound productions . Semin Speech Lang. 2019 Mar;40(2):81-93. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1677759.

NAPA Center. 5 tips to help your toddler’s speech development by a speech therapist .

Wooster Community Hospital. At what age should speech therapy begin? .

MDsave. Speech therapy visit .

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Introduction to Medicaid .

By Brandi Jones, MSN-ED RN-BC Jones is a registered nurse and freelance health writer with more than two decades of healthcare experience.

• 1 to 2 years
• 2 to 3 years
• 3 to 5 years

Learning to talk: 2 to 3 years

Your child's imagination presents the perfect opportunity to build their confidence. Role play, counting games and helping out around the house are great ways to use their imagination and build on the words they already know.

Try to repeat words and add instructions to words they've grasped to encourage their play.

Video: Follow your child's interests when playing

Watch a mum role-playing with her child, using toys and creating characters. She follows her daughter's lead to encourage her to express her thoughts and ideas.

Activities for your daily routine

Mealtimes are a great time for your child to learn new words. You can help them by talking about the food they're eating.

Give them 2 options of what to eat. For instance, you could ask, "Do you want the mushroom or the tomato?". Hold up, or point to, the food as you say it.

When they decide what to eat, you can describe how the food looks, tastes or feels.

Remember, learning new words can take time, but it can be enjoyable for your child.

Try using nouns

When you're using words to describe things, say what the thing is and then the describing word. For example, you say "The (thing) is (describing word)" instead of "It's (describing word)." 

Use repetition to correct mistakes

If your child says a word incorrectly, still encourage them with a big smile but repeat what they said back to them correctly.

Role play, or pretend play, is a great activity to help your child become more confident.

Start with a familiar routine. Take a teddy or toy and ask your child to act out their daily activities with it.

Ask them questions to help them express their ideas and show what they know.  For example, "Where should Teddy sit?" or "Can you help Teddy brush their hair?".

It's ok if your child has their own ideas they want to act out, as long as you both have fun together.

Ask your child to name their teddy

Get creative and help your child decide on a name. Use the name your child chooses when referring to it.

Give your child lots of praise

Praise your child however they use their imagination, say "Good job".

Out and about

Counting helps your child understand how numbers work and how they relate to one another.

You could play a fun clapping game together if you're waiting for an appointment or transport.

Start by saying "1 clap" and clap once together. Then say "2 claps" and clap twice together, and so on. If your child recognises the numbers, you could ask them to clap on their own.

If they get a but bored of the game, try adding your own ideas, like singing or humming along.

Video: Talk with your child about every day tasks

Watch a child and her parents prepare and eat fruit. Mum and dad ask questions about how to prepare fruit and what fruit she likes best. She also helps tidy up after!

Little tips for everyday play

• when they say "Dog", you could respond with "Yes, it's a big, noisy dog"
• talk to your child about feelings
• chat to your child about what has happened so far in the day and what is going to happen next, for example you might say "Now we have had breakfast, we can go to the park"
• look at picture books together and talk about things they can see and how we use them, for example "A chair is something we sit on"
• encourage your child to use their imagination, for example, sing "Old MacDonald had a farm" and ask your child to suggest animals
• make a game with some empty bottles and a ball and take turns to roll the ball and see how many bottles you can knock down – talk about everything you do, saying things like "Well done, you knocked down 2 bottles"
• act out stories with soft toys and chat to them as you are doing actions

Tiny Happy People on the BBC website has fun activity inspiration to help your child learn to talk, play and sing.

Libraries are a free way to access age appropriate books. Some also run story time sessions for parents and their children. Find your local library service on gov.uk .

Your local council may offer activities too. Find learning activities for your child on gov.uk .

Family hubs

Family hubs offer support to children, young people and their families. They provide a single place to go for support and information from a variety of organisations, making it easier to get the support you need.

They can provide guidance on issues such as feeding your baby or toddler, mental health and parenting support.

Family Hubs are currently operating in 75 local authorities across England.

How to help their speech development

• try playing with things your child is interested in, and be at their level physically while you're playing together
• as soon as you notice your child looking or pointing at something, talk about it before their attention moves on to something else
• use picture books to introduce your child to new things and point to the pictures and say what you see
• take turns to make noises or speak – slow down your speech, give them plenty of time to respond and listen carefully to what they have to say
• make reading, singing and playing fun by using lots of actions and different voices
• use the same song or book, as young children learn a lot from singing the same song or looking at the same book again and again
• talk to your child in short, simple sentences, as it helps them understand what you are saying and makes it easier for them to have a go at copying when they are ready

Learning more than 1 language

It's important to talk to your child in the language or languages you use.

A child learning more than 1 language should babble and say their first words in the same way as a child learning one language.

It is important not to confuse this slight delay with language difficulties – most children quickly catch up.

For more help on languages, have a look at the parent's questions on the National Literacy Trust website .

Help and advice

You and your child will see a health visitor at about 2 to 2-and-a-half years to talk about your child's development. If your child goes to nursery, they will also have a progress review with their key worker.

If your child needs a little extra support, your health visitor and nursery can help. They may also put you in touch with a speech and language therapy team, or signpost you to local activities.

Ask your health visitor for support whenever you need it, they will be able to provide tips and advice.

Remember, children learn to talk at different ages. If you are worried, speak to your health visitor or nursery key worker, or contact your local speech and language therapy service for advice.

For more ideas on how you can help your child, visit:

• Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists: Speech and language therapy
• Speech and Language UK

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When should we be concerned about garbled speech in my 2.5-year-old?

My 2.5-year-old toddler has started saying words (more like noises) that me and my wife can sometimes understand, but they barley sound like the intended words. At what point should we start to get concerned? What can we do to help him develop proper pronunciation?

• language-development

• 3 How many languages are spoken in your household? It matters because the number of languages your child is acquiring influences the age range of “normal” speech development. From what I’ve learned on this site anyway. We only speak English (and “Rhode Island-ese” as its sometimes called, lol) at home. –  Jax Commented Aug 20, 2019 at 23:36
• Does your son also say words that you do understand, or does he only say non-intelligible words? What does your pediatrician say on the matter? By this age I'd expect regular questionnaires addressing this and other developmental issues during your hopefully annual or more frequent checkups. –  Joe Commented Aug 21, 2019 at 15:07
• Not a complete answer, but, if you have any concerns about his speech, start keeping a diary of his “words” so you can accurately answer when the pediatrician (or whoever) asks you “Does he use 20 words? 50?” My pediatrician asked a similar question at all my kids’ 2 yr check up. –  Jax Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 0:04

Here are some comparison tables on intelligibility of general speech development .

From the article, the speech of a 2.5 year old should typically be some 50-70% intelligible to strangers.

As for when intervention (by a speech-language therapist) is indicated, from the same article, the cited figure is when less than two thirds of utterances by a four year old should be intelligible.

I'm no SLT myself, but to me, this stresses how great the variation is within normal speech development. Obviously, norm data is culturally biased. As has been pointed out in comments, if you are bilingual, there are other normal ranges.

An SLT will be able to tell whether your child's speech development is within our outside of the normal range, and (if warranted) help you with concrete techniques for practicing problematic speech sounds. From what I gather, they will look for whether your child is progressing along an expected trajectory of speech development, rather than meeting specific age criteria, or whether he is showing phonological processes that are not expected during any point in normal speech acquisition.

In general terms, for encouraging speech in normal developing children, obviously engage with your child in communication. Two-way communication with the child is much more rewarding than just being immersed in a language-rich environment. If you're using a stroller facing away from you, you may want to consider turning it so that your child faces you when you're walking, to facilitate communication.

Lead by example. Provide your child with the correct pronunciation without pointing out that he has made something wrong, which may cause him to think that language is too hard or unrewarding. If your child says "Look. Big ", you don't say "No no no, it's pig not big .", you say "Oh yes, I see the pig too".

• Very nice answer, +1 and welcome! –  anongoodnurse Commented Aug 21, 2019 at 14:52
• 1 I second anongoodnurse’s comment, great answer, and I’d like to add that the very first thing that was evaluated when I was concerned about my son’s lack of speech at age 2 was his hearing. He had a very very thorough evaluation of his hearing. One that didn’t require his cooperation so the results were accurate. He ended up needing intervention (not bc of his hearing) but, unlike the OP’s child, he wasn’t really making any sounds at all. –  Jax Commented Aug 21, 2019 at 23:59

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Best Books for Speech Therapy for Toddlers

In my week of making lists, I wanted to add a post with recommendations for the best books for speech therapy for toddlers.

If you need specific therapy ideas, I’ve devoted 3 entire podcasts to this topic and you can find those here:

Making Books Better Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

Here’s the list of books — along with potential goals to help you plan how to use the books to target language skills in toddlers with language delays.

Please keep in mind that many of the books I’m including are picture books meaning there’s no storyline, but the pictures are engaging and perfect for building a busy toddler’s attention, sharing an experience together (to target joint attention), learning how to link meaning with words, and finally, naming pictures. Some books are listed under multiple goals — which is even better! I’ve included a few more books that I love and use mostly for “just reading” to help a child learn to listen to a whole story at the bottom of the list.

This information is discussed in detail in podcast #415 .

Demonstrate awareness and enjoyment of books measured by attending/listening with joint attention, not mouthing book immediately, righting the picture, and turning pages.

Little Blue Truck

See Touch Feel Books by Roger Priddy

Point at pictures for awareness (not accuracy – that’s coming up!)

Bright Baby Board Books by Roger Priddy

To teach pointing…

Introduce sliding books for kids who need practice isolating their index fingers to point. 

For more specific strategies for helping children learn to point, watch this video.

Slide and Find

Cheerios books – to target pincer grasp

Complete simple actions with books.

Watch the show for more specific ideas, but in this phase, you’re modeling an action for a child to imitate such as kissing a baby, patting a puppy, knocking on a door, etc.

Roger Priddy Bright Baby

Follow the directions in the book for imitating actions: 

Pat the Bunny

Repeat One Action for the Entire Book

Never Feed a Shark

Modify Books like Moo Baa La La La

Song-Themed Books

5 Little Monkeys

To teach a child to imitate using Peer Modeling:

Shake a Leg

Identify familiar pictures on request.

(We’ll do much more about targeting receptive language with books in the next developmental range in show #416!)

Bright Baby Board Books

In my podcast #416 Making Books Better for Toddlers with Language Delays Part Two, I demonstrated strategies for the following goals with specific books for speech therapy sessions and recommend to parents. Here’s that list for you. For detailed instructions for using these books to meet the following 6 early literacy goals for kids with language delays who are in the 18 to 36 month developmental period, please watch show #416 !

Goal #1… Identify familiar pictures on request.

A child will point to the picture you name as you say, “Show me the ___,” “Where’s the ____?” “Find the ____.” or “I see the ___. You find the ____.”

Begin with simple picture books and when a child is ready, increase your complexity. (more about that in show #417!)

Roger Priddy Books

Here’s the book I use for making “sets” of objects to match with pictures. See details in show # 416 .

Not the same book sound book as I used in the podcast, but very similar:

Goal 2: Match pictures to objects

Select a book with familiar objects and find an object (try for one per page) so that the child can match the object to the picture.

Goal 1: Child will imitate play sounds and exclamatory words while reading books.

Goal 2: Child will imitate familiar words during verbal routines using books.

Goal 6: Child will name pictures.

Select counting books with familiar words and instead of counting the objects name them sequentially. For example, on a page of 3 dogs, you’ll say, “Dog. Dog… (expectant waiting for the child to fill in “dog.”)

In my podcast #417 Making Books Better for Late Talking Toddlers (18 to 36 months), I demonstrated strategies for the following goals with specific books I use in therapy sessions and recommend to parents. Here’s that list for you. For detailed instructions for using these books to meet the following 6 early literacy goals for kids with language delays who are in the 18 to 36 month developmental period, please watch show #417.

Previous books lists for 415 (part 1 of this series) and 416 (part 2 of this series)

• Identify pictures of familiar actions or verbs.

Open the Barn Door

Mrs. Wishy Washy

Maisy Goes to Preschool

What Are They Doing?

First 100 Words

2. Identify pictures of first location words or prepositions.

3. Find 2 pictures on request as a prequisite for following two-part commands. 

Troubleshooting Ideas:

ACTIVE BOOK – younger – Eric Carle

Make any book active just by giving a job on every page

Design activities around personal preferences to help with attention/participation/and general listening.

4. Identify objects by function. 

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

5. Answer yes/no questions

6. Teach negation “not”

GREAT BOOKS TO HELP BUILD A CHILD’S ABILITY TO LISTEN TO AN ENTIRE STORY!

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Stage 7 toy list for new jobs and new events from stages of play for toddlers and preschoolers with language delays, stage 6 toy list for expanding play routines, stage 5 toy list, stage 4… early symbolic play toy list, 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.

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."

"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!"

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!"

"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!!"

"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."

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."

"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."

"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!!"

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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!"

"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!!"

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.