Resources for Parents
There is so much stuff on the internet, it’s hard to know what to trust. We’ve done the legwork for you and gathered our favorite resources for parents into one place!
Our favorite reference books
It Takes Two to Talk (Weitzman, 2017)
Why we love it: This practical guide is written for parents and caregivers of children with language delays. It has great pictures and pairs nicely with the strategies that we use in therapy. It’s available in English, Spanish, French, Danish, and Dutch.
More Than Words (Sussman, 2012)
Why we love it: Another gem from the same organization that developed It Takes Two to Talk, this practical guide is designed for parents and caregivers of children with autism or social communication disorders. It’s long, but it has lots of great pictures and practical strategies.
Parenting books
The Whole Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind (Siegel & Bryson, 2012)
Parenting the Strong-Willed Child (Forehand & Long, 2010)
Raising Your Spirited Child (Kurcinka, 2015)
Children’s books
Journey (Becker, 2013)
Why we love it: Aaron Becker’s Journey is the first in a trilogy of wordless picture books. We love wordless books for building story-telling, perspective-taking, and problem-solving skills. Check out the other books in his trilogy, and explore other wordless picture books, such as Chalk (Thomson, 2010) and Mercer Mayer’s Frog series.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Martin Jr. & Carle, 1996)
Why we love it: A tried and true classic, Brown Bear and Carle’s other treasured children’s books are fun and colorful, with lots of great opportunities for new vocabulary.
Ada Twist, Scientist (Beaty, 2016)
Why we love it: This book has it all; it’s a humorous story that just might bring you to tears. Beaty writes about a strong-willed little scientist who asks endless questions and parents who don’t know how best to help their daughter. Ada Twist, Scientist and Beaty’s other Questioneers books are winners.
Website resources
Northwestern University’s Early Intervention Research Group
Why we love it: Aside from being spearheaded by the incomparable Dr. Megan York Roberts, a professor at Northwestern University’s Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program, the Early Intervention Research Group has great handouts and lists of awesome resources.
The Hanen Center
Why we love it: The developers of our two favorite books also have publicly available articles and handouts for parents who want to dig deeper.
American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
Why we love it: The national certifying body of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) has a slew of research-based information organized by concern.
Our favorite toys
Click on the image to view
