It’s sometimes astonishing to observe how a typical 4-year-old can craft complex sentences and engage in back-and-forth conversations. While I don’t obsess over these conventional milestones, acknowledging their importance and striving to meet them is crucial. 🔐 Finding the right balance is key—avoiding undue pressure while diligently supporting language development, whether through spoken words or alternative communication methods like ASL, which we’re exploring for Michael. This is crucial because the prime period for language development spans from birth to age 5, a time when we should exhaust all avenues to facilitate language connections. It’s important to note, however, that language development doesn’t halt at age 5; it’s just that progress beyond this age might be slower and could demand more effort, time, and resources. Generally, in early interventions, the emphasis often leans heavily towards Speech Therapy for children that are speech delayed. However, after Michael’s first year of speech therapy, it became clear that what he truly needed was Language Therapy. While the methods used in both therapies can appear similar, their focal points differ: speech therapy aims to enhance articulation and fluency, whereas language therapy concentrates on developing the comprehension and expressive use of language. This video is an example of the integration of both speech and language skills, but it’s important to note that in the previous 3 years of Michael’s journey, our primary focus was on nurturing his ‘language’ abilities — not speech. 👑 More 🎥 on Speech therapy and Language therapy on the IG Subscribers’ Page. #parenting #autism #signlanguage #ASL #nonspeaking #nonverbal #inspiration #motivation #autismawareness #autismjourney #neurodivergent #familygoals #lifestyle #workhard #entrepreneurlife #cars #sahara #jeep