The SLP Next Door Podcast

Children between 4 and 5 years old use longer and more complex sentences that are grammatically correct. Children also enjoy connecting with stories, characters, and their own lives at this age. For example, while watching their favorite TV show, a child may notice the main character in the story is eating chocolate chip cookies and say, "Hey! I like to eat chocolate chip cookies too!". Between 4...

When it comes to toddlerhood, a lot is going on. Communication development, motor skills, coordination, cognitive, and social-emotional skills come simultaneously. Toddlers are learning their preferences, developing personalities, and just loving life. In this post, we will talk about ASHA's speech and language milestones for 3-year-olds to 4-year-olds, including speech development stages in toddl...

Being 2 years old tends to come with a pretty bad rep- I mean, it's labeled the "terrible twos". But, if you've been here long enough, you know- I'm all about shifting the mindset regarding how we look at, evaluate, and engage with- toddlers, including 2-year-olds. In this episode, we discuss the communication milestones for 2-year-olds to 3-year-olds and how development can affect behavior! This...

What counts as a word? By the time they turn 2 years old, toddlers should be able to use and understand at least 50 words. Honestly, they probably understand way more than 50 words by the time they're 2. However, it can be difficult to determine what they know vs. don't know because their expressive skills continue developing. What counts as a word? A word is an expression that a toddler uses cons...

In 2023, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) released updated communication milestones for the first 5 years of life. Communication milestones are goals or markers a child is expected to achieve at a certain time or age. These milestones were created so that parents (and clinicians) could have guidelines to measure their children (or caseload) and provide areas that may require enco...

Did you know that infant stages of development also include babbling in infants? There's more than meets the eye when it comes to the sweet baby coos and baby sounds. They are very important for the development of future speech skills. Why is babbling important for language development? Babbling in infants is the prerequisite for later speech and language. What could impact this area of developmen...

We are going to discuss managing expectations during speech therapy for toddlers! In this episode, we chat about different ways to view progress, how to take a step back and reassess your sessions, and why prelinguistic skills are so important!  Hold on to your pants, friends. I'm about to drop a truth bomb. But I want you to know that everything I'm saying, I've experienced myself with my caseloa...

Prelinguistic skills provide the foundation for language acquisition by developing the cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skills necessary for communication. Clinicians and caregivers play a critical role in supporting prelinguistic development. Responsive and engaging interactions provide infants and toddlers with the social and emotional foundation necessary for language development.  Prelin...

What are the best toys for speech therapy? Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Anytime you ask that question of someone (including me), it's important to remember that the answer will be based on another person's opinion. Don't get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with asking others their opinion- but I want to look at this topic from another angle... What if, instead, we asked: "how do you choose t...

Piaget, Vygotsky, and Smilansky. These are the top researchers (along with Parten) cited when understanding how play impacts cognitive development in early childhood. Vygotsky's research says children are born with basic cognitive functions and build/grow their cognitive abilities through social interactions and adult experiences. He believes talking to children and exposing them to new things, co...

One of the first things I searched for in my quest to become a play connoisseur was "how does play develop". This question brought up a ton of suggestions. The internet is good at doing that. The Oxford Dictionary defines play as [a verb] "engagement in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than serious or practical purposes and [a noun] an activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreatio...

In today's episode, we discuss my favorite books when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers. Reading is not about sitting down and reading every word on every page, making sure we sit still the entire time, and reading a book cover to cover. You must get outside of what YOU think is the right (or only) way to do things. Think outside the box. Take any available book and make it work by finding d...

Story reading aloud is a research-based strategy that encourages children's language and literacy development (beginning from infancy). Reading aloud encourages early language skills and early cognitive development. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2017 found that the quality and quantity of reading aloud during infancy and toddlerhood can help predict a child's vocabulary, future...

In 2010, Carol Stoel Gammon, from the University of Washington, analyzed multiple studies of the relationship between lexical development (vocabulary comprehension) and phonological development in typically developing young children (0-4 years) acquiring American English as their first language. In this episode, we will talk about how, by talking to babies and toddlers, we can encourage language d...

When I first started working with toddlers, I set myself (and the toddlers) up for failure every session. I was asking them to do tasks beyond their current developmental abilities.  I questioned my abilities. It was hard not seeing the progress I expected; the toddlers weren't paying attention to tasks, and, probably, the most daunting… answering parent questions. I've divided the ability to impr...

Speech therapy for toddlers is different. It's different than preschool speech and definitely different than school-based speech therapy services. Because of these differences, it's time for a mindset shift. In today's episode, we will talk about shifting our viewpoint when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers. We will talk about toddler development and moving from thinking toddlers are "being...

Hey there friend! Welcome to the neighborhood! Thank you for checking out this intro episode of The SLP Next Door Podcast. I am so excited about all the information and actionable strategies that this podcast is going to give in the full episodes!  I want you to walk away with the knowledge, strategies, and most importantly, confidence YOU need to create engaging and progress making sessions in sp...