Speech & Language Development

3 Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Many children on the autism spectrum may show developmental differences during their infant and toddlers years, especially in social and language skills. Read more ›

Does Your Child Have a Language Delay?

Your child may have a language delay if they don’t meet the language developmental milestones for their age. Their language abilities may be developing at a slower rate than most children’s. They may have trouble expressing themselves or understanding others. Their delay may involve a combination of hearing, speech, and cognitive impairments. Read more ›

Speech and Language Development

Speech and language is an essential part of any child’s development. Language development impacts your child’s social interactions, behavior and academic skills. Read more ›

Language Delays in Toddlers: Information for Parents

Your baby is able to communicate with you long before they speak a single word! Learn how children communicate and what to do when there are concerns about delays in development. Read more ›

Speech and Language Milestones [downloadable]

Children vary in their development of speech and language skills. However, they follow a natural progression or timetable for mastering the skills of language. A checklist of milestones for the normal development of speech and language skills in children from birth to 6 years of age is included below. Read more ›

Talking With Babies and Toddlers: Why More Talk Is Better

Talking with your baby or toddler can help their language and communication development. The more you talk with your baby or toddler, the better.

This is because parents who talk a lot to their young children use many different sounds and words. When children hear a lot of words and many different words, it improves their understanding of language. It also increases the number and variety of words that they understand and use. Read more ›

Pandemic Babies With Developmental Delays Can Be Helped to Make Up for Lost Social Interaction – 5 Tips for Parents

Typically, about 1 in 6 children experience a developmental delay. But children born during the pandemic, a 2022 study has found, have nearly twice the risk of developmental delays in communication and social development compared to babies born prior to the pandemic. Read more ›

Stanford Team Finds Benefits to Online Autism Treatment

In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford Medicine researchers had to pause a study of autism treatment in preschoolers. The participants, young children with speech delays, had been coming to Stanford 12 hours a week for a therapy called pivotal response treatment, which uses autistic children’s interests to motivate them to talk. Read more ›

Do Masks in School Affect Kids’ Speech and Social Skills?

Some parents express worry that masks might interfere with children’s ability to learn or to socialize. Other parents fear that unmasking will lead to more COVID-19 cases.

Amid the debate, a small but growing body of research is offering hints that masks do not have a significant impact on speech or social skills. Read more ›

Assessment 101: An Inside Look at Evaluations

We receive lots of questions from parents about evaluations: Does my child need one? Or should we just start treatment? An evaluation by a psychologist or a multidisciplinary team can be a valuable tool in understanding your child’s strengths and weaknesses and provide a roadmap for next steps. It can reveal whether what seems like distraction, laziness or reluctance could actually be a sign of mental health or learning challenges. Read more ›