What to do when your child isn't talking Expert strategies to help your baby or toddler talk, overcome speech delay, and build language skills for life

Addressing one of the most common worries for parents, speech/language therapist Lathey and journalist/ed-tech entrepreneur Blake provide support and resources for parents who have a child with delayed speech development. This book demonstrates how to first identify whether there actually is a deficit in speech, language, or communication. Subsequent chapters discuss what to do to help children during the stages between infancy and early childhood if the baby isn't babbling or joining two words together. One chapter addresses shyness vs. when the child is reticent to talk to others. Specific challenges such as tongue tie, pacifier usage, and stuttering are also covered, along with questions and answers specific to English-as-a-second-language (ESL) households. Practical solutions include games to build vowel development, learning words through singing, books to facilitate progress, and ideas that incorporate play. The book also contains a glossary, a helpful list of relevant support groups and organizations, and reading recommendations for additional learning. This book is structured to allow parents to flip to the specific situations they face to find advice and inspiration. VERDICT Full of resources and suggestions, this book is an easy-to-use reference.