ASL, picture boards & AAC devices
If your child isn't speaking yet — start here. Six signs will change your life. More. Help. Eat. Drink. Stop. Play. That's it. Learn them together. Practice them every day. You have no idea how many meltdowns are happening simply because your child cannot tell you what they need. Give them a way to say it and watch what changes.
Go to the dollar store. Print pictures. Get some velcro. That's all you need. A picture board gives your child a way to point to what they want, what they feel, what they need. It's not a step backward — it's a bridge. Every child who finds their voice started somewhere. This is somewhere.
You do not have to wait until your child is "ready" — there are no prerequisites for AAC, and it can start right alongside signs and pictures. AAC devices are life changing. Proloquo2Go. LAMP Words for Life. These aren't just apps — they're a full voice for a child who hasn't found theirs yet. Talk to your speech therapist. Push for it if you have to. Every child deserves to be heard.
Ask a question. Then wait. Ten full seconds before you repeat yourself. I know it feels like forever. But your child may be processing — not ignoring you. And this is important — don't talk for them. Let them find the words themselves. Let them try. Be patient. The more you speak for them the less they practice speaking for themselves. Step in only when they truly need you. Every time they get there on their own — that's a win.
Short sentences. One direction at a time. Literal words. "Put your shoes on" — not "Can you start getting ready?" They hear exactly what you say. Say exactly what you mean. And when they get it right — celebrate it like it's the biggest thing that happened all day. Because for them, it might be.
Bloom learns your child from what you share, then answers your hardest questions for them — not with generic advice.
Talk to Bloom about Finding Their Voice →