The SLP Next Door Podcast

The One Where I Talk About Communication Avoidance, Pressure, and Shutdown Sometimes children avoid communication not because they "won't" communicate — but because communication feels overwhelming, high-pressure, or emotionally unsafe. In this episode, Megan explores how communication anxiety, perfectionism, overwhelm, and nervous system regulation can impact language access and participation. In...

Visual supports are widely used in classrooms and speech therapy—but sometimes they don't work the way we expect. In this episode, we explore why visual supports can sometimes create additional pressure and how to adjust them so they truly support communication and understanding. When used effectively, visual supports can increase predictability, reduce stress, and support functional communication...

Once we understand that communication becomes harder when a child is overwhelmed, the next question becomes: What can we do about it? In these instances, it is so important that we work hand in hand with parents, caregivers, and teachers to help them see the child's behavior as a way of communicating a want or need. Because communication support isn't just about getting children to say more words....

In this episode of The SLP Next Door , Megan explores how nervous system regulation affects communication development in young children. When children are overwhelmed, accessing language becomes much harder. Understanding the connection between regulation and communication can help grown-ups respond in ways that support learning and build connections. In This Episode We Discuss • Why nervous syste...

After a year away, The SLP Next Door is back. In this episode, pediatric speech-language pathologist Megan Peveto reflects on what sustainability really means in speech therapy, early childhood classrooms, and communication development. Too often, we feel pressure to add more strategies, more visual supports, and more goals. But sustainable, trauma-informed support doesn't come from doing more — i...

What Medicaid changes mean for providers—and how to support families without the drama. In this episode, Megan is unpacking the real story behind the recent Medicaid changes—without the noise, drama, or clickbait. There's a good chance you've heard about Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and seen some intense headlines, but what does it actually mean for families and providers? This episode isn't about...

Just wanted to shout out THANK YOU- thank you my friends for your continued support as I walk this post partum anxiety journey. I see you, I appreciate you, and I am thankful for each and every one of you. 

In this episode, I'm sharing my journey through the first 2 months post-partum and how it relates to parent involvement in speech therapy for toddlers.  I pride myself on being an empathic person. Life has thrown a ton of curveballs my way. With each curveball, I've been left with a lesson and purpose that has helped me relate to parents on multiple levels. Today, I want to share some of that with...

In this episode, you'll find an honest conversation about setting boundaries, find peace, and making tough decisions about work life balance.  If you caught the previous episode of The SLP Next Door Podcast, then you know I'm currently in the midst of new motherhood (second time around) and fighting an incredibly difficult battle with post partum anxiety.  Today, i'm opening up and talking about b...

In this episode, I'm starting to share my journey with post-partum anxiety. Like many moms, my post-partum anxiety slammed me out of nowhere and left me feeling completely out of control of my life.  After posting about it on Instagram, I realized that many others also experience crippling anxiety and so I've decided to carve out some time on The SLP Next Door Podcast to share my journey.  I'm no...

What is a language based learning disorder? It's exactly what the name says- a learning disorder caused by difficulties and deficits in language development. Language based learning disorders can impact a child's ability to process, express, read, write, and comprehend language in written and oral form.  Language based learning disorders include diagnoses such as Developmental Language Disorder, D...

Language is the words we use and how we use them to communicate and share ideas. Effective language development is critical for a child's development because language helps us learn, communicate, and socialize. Typically, we divide language into three categories: pragmatic language, expressive language, and receptive language. However, there are actually 5 domains of language and 3 components of l...

In this episode, Megan talks about a topic being discussed amongst many people working with (or raising) toddlers and preschoolers... behaviors! More specifically, finding the function of the behavior impacting communication development in early intervention speech and language.   There are 4 potential functions of a behavior: seeking attention escape or avoid someone or something seeking access t...

Gestures are actions produced with the intent of communicate. Gestures are typically expressed using fingers, hands, arms, facial features, and other body movements. Children produce gestures before their first spoken words. A 2009 study found that the number of gesture + speech combinations a child uses in early communication is a strong predictor of later language development.  Tracking early ge...

In this episode, Megan continues talking about communication in speech therapy for toddlers. Topics include: verbal communication, not verbal communication, and multimodal communication.  Megan dives into examples of non verbal communication, gives a verbal communication example, and explains why multimodal communication is typically most common.  Communication is the exchanging information betwee...

Communication is the exchanging of information between people through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. Babies and toddlers communicate through a variety of methods that often get misconstrued. In this podcast episode, Megan talks about the importance of understanding what functional communication looks like in speech therapy for toddlers. The ability to communicate helps children bu...

Back by popular demand, this week's episode is a case study featuring a 24-month-old toddler named Noah. Noah has been receiving speech therapy services but isn't showing the expected progress. We'll take a look at his prelinguistic skills—those foundational communication abilities that set the stage for later language development. The goal for today's episode isn't to diagnose or jump to conclusi...

In this episode, Megan shares 4 ways to encourage Prelinguistic Skills development. These activities can be easily implemented into any early intervention speech and language activities or daily routines; including language activities for infants! What are Prelinguistic Skills ? How to monitor progress and track development . Even better, these activities also target multiple areas of communicatio...

In this episode, Megan chats about the 11 Prelinguistic Skills, gives examples of what each skill looks like, and different ways to take an inventory of a child's prelinguistic skills while measuring progress in early intervention for speech and language.  If you don't have a copy of Communicate & Connect, today's episode is still going to be beneficial, so stick with me. Visit theslpnextdoor.com/...

Prelinguistic Skills are the foundation for all language and communication across the first 2 years of life.  Here's the thing: if a child is lacking in one of these areas, it will lead to difficulties in language development. Understanding these skills helps providers and caregivers/parents determine how a child communicates and progresses through language acquisition and use.   More importantly-...

Today, I want to talk to you about what you can expect from The SLP Next Door this year and how you can be an important part of it! I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions- mainly because I have terrible anxiety, and if I don't complete whatever it is I set out to do, I'll mentally tear myself down and spiral into the abyss and, frankly…. I don't want to do that this year. I actually began t...

As we end this 2024 I wanted to take a moment to reshare the most popular episode that was listened to this year!  Thank you all so much for being a continued part of this journey, I cannot wait to see what 2025 brings :)  This episode is Part 1 of a four-part conversation between Tara and Megan about autistic toddlers. Megan and Tara discuss typical vs. atypical toddler development, traits of Aut...

Sometimes seeing a rare genetic disorder come across your desk can be intimidating- How do I begin? What can I do for therapy? How do I evaluate? I've been there, and today, I'm going to walk you through this case step by step – so the next time, you'll feel empowered, not intimidated. Coffin-Siris Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects multiple areas of the body including; developmental...

Today, we're diving into new case study, where we turn early intervention speech and language evaluations and observations into goals and strategies you can use in speech therapy for toddlers. If you've ever found yourself staring at an evaluation report or sitting in a session thinking,  Okay, now what? , this series is for you. This week, we are walking through the case of a minimally verbal 27-...

If you've ever struggled with taking your speech and language evaluation information and turning it into early intervention language goals, this series is for you. I get a lot of questions about navigating the chaos that early intervention speech and language evaluations can bring while trying to determine goals, strategies, and figure out what the heck to do to see progress. So, I've decided to s...