Why I Wrote My Toddler's First Words

Why Did I Write My Toddler’s First Words? 

I wrote My Toddler’s First Words for two main reasons. First, I wanted to create a parent-friendly resource that could help parents facilitate first words from their toddlers. Second, I aimed to support my fellow speech language pathologists. When parents are concerned about their children, many look for an easy to understand resource. My Toddler’s First Words can be a go-to resource that SLPs can refer to, read from, cite, recommend to parents, and easily incorporate into their sessions or trainings.

In my years of working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I have encountered many parents who write lists, keep journals, or make mental notes examining and monitoring their children’s language development. Some parents have shown me typed, color-coded, dated lists, other parents have shown me lists on random scraps of paper, and several have intentionally observed and remembered new words spoken by their children. Regardless of how organized or spontaneous the collection method, all these parents and caregivers had this in common: a dedication and thirst for knowledge motivated by a concern their child’s language might be delayed compared to his or her peers. These parents yearned to teach their children first words and wanted their vocabularies to grow and flourish. With their children’s attainment of first words, these parents realized they could unlock their children’s minds, reduce frustration, and further drive language development.

Parents are essential in developing their children’s language skills because they can consistently provide a rich language environment and early language stimulation.

Knowing parents are vital to their children’s success, while experiencing firsthand that motivated parents are thirsty for ways to grow their children’s language, I wrote my first book, My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development. The book has taught thousands of readers how to use recognized techniques and play routines to facilitate early language development.

My new book, My Toddler’s First Words: A Step-By-Step Guide to Jump-Start, Track, and Expand Your Toddler’s Language, was written to help parents and other professionals learn even MORE information about language development and MORE ways to facilitate first words beyond the context of play.

In My Toddler’s First Words, you will learn:

·      what counts as a word

·      how to track first words

·      how to choose words to target and practice that are not only developmentally appropriate but are special and interesting to your toddler and family

·      how to devise and follow a plan of action to systematically target these words using evidence based strategies

My Toddler’s First Words can be used alone or in conjunction with My Toddler Talks.

In the next several blog posts, I will be answering questions many parents tend to have about language development and provide support and suggestions on how to encourage first words and language from toddlers and little children. Please stay tuned!

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