Laughing Monitos

07/20/2026

Delay and disorder are not the same word.
If your child's pediatrician or therapist has used both words and you've been using them interchangeably, you're not alone. Most parents do.

Here's the difference.

A language delay means your child is moving through the typical stages of speech and language development, just at a slower pace than expected for their age. The roadmap is the same. The timeline is stretched.

A language disorder means the pattern of development itself looks different. It's not just that words are coming late. It's that the way language is being processed or produced doesn't follow the typical sequence.

This distinction matters because the two things call for different approaches in therapy. A delay and a disorder can look similar on the surface (a quiet toddler, fewer words than peers) but what's driving them is different, and so is the plan.

If you've received an evaluation and you're not sure which one applies to your child, that's exactly the kind of question worth asking your SLP directly.

07/14/2026

07/11/2026

Your child doesn't have to earn the right to communicate.

One of the most common things parents hear before starting speech therapy: "Let's see how far he gets on his own first."

It sounds reasonable. It isn't.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — whether that's a speech-generating device, a picture board, or an app — does not replace speech. It supports communication while speech develops. Research is consistent: giving a child a way to communicate does not reduce their motivation to talk. In many cases, it increases it.

Withholding a communication tool while waiting for words is the equivalent of withholding a wheelchair until a child tries harder to walk. The tool does not get in the way. The absence of the tool does.

If your toddler's SLP has mentioned AAC and you feel uncertain, that is a completely normal reaction. Ask your questions. Get the information. But know that your child does not have to prove anything before they deserve a way to be heard.

07/09/2026

You sit down to play and your toddler ignores the puzzle you set out. They pick up a toy car and start spinning the wheels, over and over.

Your instinct might be to redirect. "Look at me. What color is this? Can you say car?"

Try this instead: grab a second car and spin the wheels alongside them. Say nothing. Just match what they're doing.

That moment of two people focused on the same thing? That's joint attention. And for late talkers, joint attention is the foundation that language grows from. You can't build it with questions. You build it by showing up inside their world first.

No script required. Just follow their lead.

07/09/2026

Repeating words doesn't mean your toddler is stuttering.

MYTH: Any repetition is a stutter.

REALITY: Most toddlers repeat whole words and phrases because their brain is moving faster than their mouth. That's typical development, not stuttering.

If your 2- or 3-year-old says "I want, I want, I want the ball," you've probably felt your stomach drop.

Is that stuttering? Do I need to call someone?

Most of the time, no. Between ages 2 and 4, toddlers repeat whole words and phrases all the time. Their ideas are moving faster than their mouth can keep up. That whole-word repetition is a completely normal part of language development.

Stuttering looks and sounds different. It shows up as repeated sounds or syllables ("b-b-b-ball"), prolonged sounds ("baaaall"), or visible tension in the face or body while a word gets stuck.

If you're noticing sound-level repetitions, struggling, or tension that lasts longer than a few weeks, that's worth a conversation with an SLP. But whole-word phrase repetition on its own? That's usually a growing brain doing its job.

You don't have to figure this out alone. Questions welcome in the comments.

HillSLP

06/30/2026

"They'll catch up on their own" might be true. But waiting has a cost either way.

Many late talkers do catch up. The ones who don't lose months of the window when support works best. A screening tells you which group your child is in.

The children who don't catch up lose months inside the developmental window when early support is most effective. The brain is doing its most intensive language-wiring work before age three. Waiting through that period, and then finding out your child needed help, means starting from a harder place.

Schedule a screening today. Visit https://www.laughingmonitos.com/ for more information.

06/17/2026

You've probably heard that more individualized attention always means better therapy. It makes sense on the surface. One adult, one child, full focus.

For late-talking toddlers, the research adds a wrinkle: language develops in social context. Toddlers talk because other people talk around them, because they want something a peer has, because a friend just said a word and now they want to say it too.

A skilled clinician in a group setting isn't dividing attention. She's creating the conditions that make communication necessary. That's not a compromise. That's early intervention design.

If you've been hesitant about a playgroup format because it sounded less serious than a private session, this is worth knowing.

Visit our website for more information: https://www.laughingmonitos.com/

06/15/2026

Here is what the research has said for decades: bilingualism does not cause speech delay. It does not slow language development. It does not confuse toddlers.

When a bilingual child is talking later than expected, the cause is the same as it would be in a monolingual child. Bilingualism is not the explanation.

You are raising a child who will move between two languages, two cultures, two worlds. That is a gift. Keep speaking your language.

If you have real concerns about your child's communication, I am here. That conversation does not require you to give anything up.

06/14/2026

Hope to see you all at our Free trial class today at 4pm!

06/10/2026

What sounds should my 12 month year old be making?

If your baby just turned one and you're wondering whether their sounds are on track, you've probably landed on some confusing milestone charts that list things like "canonical babble" without explaining what that means.

This carousel breaks it down into four categories: the consonants your baby should be using, what their babble should sound like, what counts as a first word, and what "jargon" is (and why it's actually a good sign).

Save this post and share it with your pediatrician at your 12-month well visit if you have questions, or reach out to Judy to schedule a screening!