Why I want to help parents and my own kid’s speech struggles...

Although I had been a SLP for many years before having kids, my outlook definitely changed after having kids! Having my own kids has made me a better clinician and has given me a deeper understanding of communication disorders from a parent’s point of view.

I have 3 kids who are now 14, 10, and 8, but I remember the early days when my kids were young and things were tough! 

 Although my firstborn (daughter) was an early talker, I remember being pretty worried (even as a SLP!!) when my middle child (son) was not talking much at 18 months. I was also very pregnant, soon to have a very fussy newborn on my hands as well (he literally ended up crying every night for hours… but, that’s another story….) 

Luckily, I happened to be a SLP, so I knew exactly what to do when my toddler was struggling to talk, without doing research and figuring it all out with the zero time I had with 3 little ones… So,  I broke out all the speech therapy tricks on my son and soon, he started talking more, combining words, and although it was a process and didn’t happen overnight -  he was off and running with his language! He had “caught up” with his communication by age 3 ½. Phew!  

Then…. he started stuttering at age 4… agh! So, I brought out my speech therapy bag of tricks again and luckily was able to significantly improve his speech and I am thankful to say, he no longer stutters and his communication is right where it should be for his age! He is also quite the reader and doing well in all areas academically. I mention this because, a) I’m a proud mom and b) research shows that some ‘late talkers’ show later signs of reading or other learning disabilities even though they seem to “catch up” with their language/communication skills.  

Side note: although his stuttering may have been ‘developmental stuttering’ (a normal part of speech/language development in some children), it was pretty significant stuttering at the time and I didn't know whether or not he would continue to stutter moving forward. Even though it was scary as a mom to worry about his speech, I was so thankful that I had the tools to help him, having the knowledge that I had as a SLP. And, it was great to see him make such significant improvements with his speech.

So… I definitely know what it’s like as a parent to worry about your child’s talking and I want to be able to teach parents what I know (as a certified SLP for over 18 years) and to also teach you “my bag of tricks” or what I did as an SLP and a parent of a late talker. 

 I wish I had gotten it together to start this website sooner, while I was working with my son as a late talking toddler to show you in real time what I did and “before and afters”… but there was NO WAY I had any spare time to do anything extra with my time. At that time,  I was barely sleeping and getting myself showered and dressed in the morning, let alone starting a new website!

So, I get it, and I’ve been there - all of you parents with little ones, you have zero extra time to sift through the tons of information online (What is normal?  What’s not?) and then do the research to figure out what to do, or when to get help, and then try to actually DO whatever it is you need to do to help your child talk. 

BUT! Don’t worry! I’m here to help you! Let me show you exactly what to do to help your child TO-DAY.

 I will help you know when you should worry and when you shouldn’t. 

When you should get help and how. 

I will share with you the exact things that you can do as a parent to do to help your child.

And what NOT to do.  I will also share the best, most accurate information, and free resources to help you help your child. I will save you the time and energy and do all of that work for you, since I actually now have at least SOME free time in my schedule.  It probably helps that my kids are now older, more independent, and all school-age now :)

Don’t worry, you’ll get there someday too. But for now, go ahead, take that nap while the little ones are asleep or take the time to start your potty training routine.

I’ll do all the research for you- I will share all the insider secrets so you know EXACTLY what to do to help your child with their communication.  Ok…...ready….. set…… Let’s communicate! 

Check out my free resources here!