You might feel so lost and overwhelmed when you are looking for resources to help your late talker. But when you start to feel discouraged, know that you are the secret sauce to more success for your child. In fact, in a few research reviews discussed here, it was implied by data that late talkers did better when parents were trained by SLPs to do the therapy, than when SLPs did the therapy by themselves. Pretty encouraging, right!? Another cool review talked about how there was progress when SLPs did therapy by themselves, but way more progress was made based on how much families did at home with their training. You can help your late talker learn to talk; you just need a guide! Here are 3 things to look for in your SLP “guide.”

Lot’s of people don’t have insurance coverage for developmental speech therapy (anything that isn’t autism, childhood apraxia of speech, or traumatic injury related). But, there are ways to get therapy through government programs for free, shop for a great price, and get a speech language pathologist that will give you great progress in less time (which saves you money too.) So check out your schools, investigate government programs and clinics with sliding scales, look for prompt pay and package discounts, and find a speech language pathologist that gets you in on the sessions and equipped to keep the progress going in between visits with parent coaching or even “anytime” access.

Some kids “Won’t Talk” for NO reason. Well, there are reasons, but when it’s not one of the big reasons that come with a diagnosis that can give a certain sense of closure, it can leave parent’s worried and as frustrated and anxious as their late talker. Anxiety, perfectionism, lack of language building skills, and general frustration (and giving up) can play a role in why some children just “won’t talk.” Your Toddler Won’t Talk for no reason? Here are some reasons your child doesn’t talk that are harder to see, but just as real.

If you've ever wondered why your child has a speech delay or they just don't say words the way they are supposed to sound, you've probably asked your doctor. But possibly one of the more common reasons a child has difficulty with communication, even though it can also affect sleep and other basic needs, is often looked over even by a great pediatrician. If your child is a talker or doesn't speak clearly even after years of speech therapy, read about the 1 reason why, you may never hear about!