Many toddlers get referred to Brightspot for speech therapy - maybe they haven't said a first word yet, or use a handful of baby signs to communicate, or repeat lines from their favorite shows (Daniel Tiger, anyone?!) even when those sentences don't seem to make much sense.  Everyone says that early intervention is important, but how, specifically, does it work? 

To create a treatment plan for these very young communicators, Rachel focuses on the skills that underly successful communication: developmental steps that have to be in place before those first words and sentences can ever emerge. She hones in on the underlying causes of each communication delay, providing insight into whether a child's speech delay is related to difficultly understanding or using language, or due to a lack of available speech sounds for "building" the words, or connected to social learning differences.  

Rachel was a speech-language pathologist before she ever became a mom, so by the time her children began developing their own early communication skills, she was deeply tuned in to all the different components that allow children to learn to talk.  Observing these early stages in her own children gave her a real-life insight into the many small moments of growth that lead to a child's first word and first sentences, and she is able to offer these same insights to parents of 'late talkers' in a supportive and nonjudgmental way.  She will figure out what small shifts may enable your child to move toward first words, help support the development of longer and more complex sentences, and recommend other supports & approaches as necessary.  If you have questions about your toddler's communication, even, "are they on track?" - feel free to schedule a free twenty-minute consultation, since Rachel loves to talk about all things early communication. :)