Understanding the Two Ways Children Learn to Talk Have you ever noticed that some toddlers seem to learn language one word at a time—"mama," "ball," "more"—while others surprise you by suddenly using entire phrases like "let's go outside" or "I want that one"? Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: there are actually two completely different ways children learn language. And understanding which path your child is on can be a total game-changer for how you support the

I hear this from parents all the time: "The speech therapist just plays with my child. Are they actually doing therapy?" I get it. You're investing time, energy, and maybe money into speech therapy. You want to see your child working on flashcards, repeating words, sitting at a table doing "real" therapy work. But here's what I know after years of working with toddlers: the most effective speech therapy for young children doesn't look like traditional therapy at all. It looks

Bedtime is my favorite part of the day with my boys. After the chaos of dinner, bath time, and putting away toys, we finally get to slow down. I cuddle up with my toddler on one side and my baby on the other, and we read stories together. It's the sweetest, most peaceful moment of our entire day, and it's also one of the most powerful things I can do for their language development. As a speech-language pathologist and a mom, I know that reading aloud to your child is one of t

Toddler sign language is a communication method that involves teaching infants and toddlers simple signs to express their needs and wants...