Ressa Speech

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Ressa Speech Speech-Language Pathologist, pediatric feeding & swallowing specialist, and play specialists. Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.

Children read our faces long before they follow our words. Long before a child can tell you they are happy, they are stu...
09/08/2026

Children read our faces long before they follow our words. Long before a child can tell you they are happy, they are studying what happiness looks like on the people they love 💛

That is why the joy you show in an ordinary moment does more than lift the mood. Shared delight is one of the earliest forms of connection, and connection is the ground that language and communication grow from.

A child who feels the back and forth of a shared laugh is learning that being together feels good, and that is what makes them want to keep reaching for you.

So you do not need to manufacture big fun. You just have to let your own show. Hum while you cook, get a little silly at bath time, laugh when something goes sideways. Your child is watching, and taking notes 💭

Parents ask me all the time what the “best” toy is for language. The honest answer is that it matters far less than you’...
09/04/2026

Parents ask me all the time what the “best” toy is for language. The honest answer is that it matters far less than you’d think ⬇️

What actually builds language is what happens around the toy. You narrating what’s going on, following your child’s lead, waiting long enough for them to try, and treating whatever they give you, a word, a sound, a look, like it counts.

A pop-up tunnel is a good example. It isn’t teaching in, out, or through on its own. Those words land because someone is standing there saying them while a kid crawls through with their whole body.

So try this. Pick the toy your child already loves, narrate it for five minutes, and wait longer than feels natural after you say something. That pause is where their turn goes.

Looking at a bin of ordinary toys and seeing language everywhere isn’t a special skill. Part of my job is helping you see it too, and once you do, you’ll notice it’s already happening in your living room every single day 💭

Save this for the next time you’re on the floor together, and tell me which toy your child is completely obsessed with right now 🧡

09/01/2026

A parent asked me recently if screen time caused their toddler's speech delay, and I hear some version of that worry all the time 📲

Here's how I actually think about it: screens aren't the villain, and they're not harmless background noise either. What matters is what the screen is replacing.

Language gets built through back and forth, real faces, real responses, someone reacting to the sounds your child makes. A screen talks at your child, not with them. So when it takes the place of those moments across the day, that's where language can lose ground 💭

Less about counting minutes, more about what those minutes crowd out. ✍️ Save this, then protect the everyday talk only you can give, meals, bath time, the car.

P.S. References for this video include…

Christakis, D. A., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Zimmerman, F. J., Garrison, M. M., Xu, D., Gray, S., & Yapanel, U. (2009). Audible television and decreased adult words, infant vocalizations, and conversational turns: A population-based study. From https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19487612/

Madigan, S., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Eirich, R., & Christakis, D. A. (2020). Associations between screen use and child language skills: A systematic review and meta-analysis. From https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32202633/

American Academy of Pediatrics. *Kids & screen time: How to use the 5 C's of media guidance. From* https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Many/Pages/kids-and-screen-time-how-to-use-the-5-cs-of-media-guidance.aspx

08/27/2026

Wait and see gets handed out a lot, and sometimes it's genuinely the right call.

What often gets missed is that on its own, a smaller vocabulary at 2 isn't the whole story, so waiting on word count alone can mean overlooking the signs that actually matter.

That doesn't mean you're behind or that you missed something. It means the clearest markers often show up somewhere other than talking 💭

Pointing, gestures, responding to their name, bringing you things to share. When those are strong, it tells me a lot about where a child is headed, even before the words arrive.

✍️ Save this so you know what's worth watching, and trust the instinct that keeps circling back.

P.S. References for this video American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Late language emergence. From https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/late-language-emergence/

If your child isn’t talking much yet, the instinct is to ask for words. Say ball. What’s this. Can you say it. It makes ...
08/25/2026

If your child isn’t talking much yet, the instinct is to ask for words. Say ball. What’s this. Can you say it. It makes complete sense, you want to help ⬇️

But asking for a word on demand can turn a fun moment into a test. Wait, let me flag my own slip and keep “quietly” out, that’s one of your no-go words.

What tends to work better is modeling instead of requesting.

You say the word, then pause, smile, and wait. You follow what they’re already interested in and put words to it. And when they do give you something, a sound, a point, a single word, you treat it like real communication and build on it 🗣️

None of this means you’re doing it wrong now. It’s a small shift, from getting the word out to making talking feel easy and worth it. That’s the thing that actually brings more words ✨

If mealtimes with a picky eater have started to feel like a battle, here’s something that tends to change everything: tr...
08/20/2026

If mealtimes with a picky eater have started to feel like a battle, here’s something that tends to change everything: trying a new food doesn’t have to mean eating it 🍴

So much of the pressure we put on the table, just one bite, you have to try it, actually works against us. It makes a new food feel like a demand instead of something to explore. And a wary child digs in harder.

What helps is the opposite. Let them touch it, smell it, squish it, or just have it near their plate with zero expectation. Summer produce makes that easy, it’s colorful, forgiving, and fun to explore. Every one of those small, no-pressure moments is real progress, even when nothing gets eaten 🫐

Expanding a child’s foods is slow, steady work, and it’s absolutely something you can support at home. Save this for your next market trip, and tell me the one food your child is completely unsure about right now ☀️

Mealtimes are one of the most stressful parts of the day for a lot of families, and when your child is a picky eater, it...
08/17/2026

Mealtimes are one of the most stressful parts of the day for a lot of families, and when your child is a picky eater, it can feel like nothing works.

The hard part? Some of the most instinctive things parents do at the table can quietly reinforce the very patterns they’re trying to break.

That doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means the strategies that feel logical aren’t always the ones that work with how kids process food, texture, and pressure at the table 🍴

A few small shifts can change the entire energy around mealtimes 🥦

💌 Save this and try one shift this week.

The pressure a lot of parents feel is that language building has to look like sitting down and teaching. Good news is, i...
08/13/2026

The pressure a lot of parents feel is that language building has to look like sitting down and teaching. Good news is, it doesn't.

Some of the richest language moments happen when your child is knee-deep in sand and you're just there, talking about it with them 🐚

You don't have to do everything on these slides. Pick one. Narrate what you're doing, or add a little pretend, or take turns filling a bucket. One small shift, done often, does more than a perfect plan you only manage once 💛

That's the whole idea behind supporting language at home. It isn't about extra work. It's about noticing that the moments are already there.

Save this for your next beach day, and let me know below what your child loves most about the sand or water 💭

07/29/2026

A lot of parents focus on word count, and I get it, it feels like the clearest marker of progress.

But as a speech-language pathologist, words are just one thing I'm looking at. Communication starts long before a child says their first word, and sometimes the most important signs are the ones parents don't realize they should be noticing 💭

Gestures, eye contact, pointing, responding to their name, bringing you things, taking turns during play, those are all building blocks. And when those are strong, they tell me a lot about where a child is headed, even if the words aren't there yet.

The tricky part is that no two children develop on the same timeline. There's a range, and it's wider than most people think.

That's why comparing your child to another child the same age doesn't always give you the full picture.

✍️ Save this because the next time someone asks you if your child is "behind," you'll know exactly what to look for.

07/16/2026

Most parents default to drilling words and phrases at home, it feels like the most productive thing you can do 🗣️

But after years of working with families as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, the strategies that actually move the needle look nothing like a practice session.

They look like…
💬 narrating while you pour cereal,
⏸️ pausing for five seconds longer than feels comfortable,
🧘‍♀️ or sitting on the floor and following your child's lead instead of directing the play.

The reason these work is because children learn language best when it's happening in context, not when it's being rehearsed.

When you narrate your morning routine, you're giving your child real words attached to real things they can see, touch, and experience.

You don't need flashcards. You don't need a curriculum. You just need the everyday moments you already have ✅

💌Save this for the next time you're not sure what to do between sessions.

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