If your toddler isn’t talking much yet, you may have found yourself asking, “What’s this?” — hoping to hear a word.But for many late talkers, that well-intentioned question quietly shuts things down.In this episode, Erin Hyer — speech-language pathologist with over 35 years of clinical and real-life experience — explains why asking for words too early can work against development, and what actually helps toddlers...

Many parents enter early parenthood expecting exhaustion — but not the constant feeling of being on edge, unsure, or reactive, even when they’re trying their best.In this episode of Talking Toddlers, we take a step back from tips and tactics and look at what often gets missed in conversations about parenting young children: where we place our effort matters just as much as how much...

It is a common misconception that language and speech develop together. In reality, they are two very different things.Speech is the physical act of talking.Language is the system of symbols and rules we use to string our thoughts together - both expressively and receptively (and written, but that's another whole different conversation.)While they are closely related, they develop separately.RED FLAGS: by 18 months: has trouble imitating...

Erin covers how she always asks WHY? There is always a reason for the "symptoms" or behaviors that we observe. After 35 years in practice, Erin knows it's not enough to just "label" a child and say, "oh, he's speech delayed" or "she doesn't like to share books" or "he only listens when he wants to." There are general milestone EXPECTATIONS and kids will vary, but they need...

Introduce Parenting With Toddlers Course in the works. To be announced soon and how parents' questions and uncertainty can be supported....