Teaching little ones to talk can be tricky. I'm sure many of you have had times where you are trying to get your child to say something and they just don't get it. I've often heard "He knows how to talk, he just won't." I would argue that the child can't—meaning they don't know how or what we are asking them to do. If a child isn't talking, they are likely not imitating. Imitation is the KEY skill needed for language development.
Many people don't know that before a child can imitate words, they need a foundation to imitate actions. In fact, there are 8 levels of imitation! A speech pathologist will be able to assess and then guide language activities that are at the child's level. It is so important to work at the child's level to avoid frustration (for kids and parents alike!). Early language should be FUN!
Parent Coaching is an awesome option. Truly, you are your child's best teacher. However, figuring out WHAT you should work on and HOW to do it is confusing! The information is out there—just google "early language development" and you will get thousands of results.
Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed or even guilty that you haven't tried one of the hundreds of ideas you 'pinned' on Pinterest. Maybe you are on a year-long waiting list to have your child evaluated. What if you could have your own personal speech-language pathologist coaching you? Answering your questions and giving you ideas of what to do at home. Sounds pretty great, right?
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