Parents' and children's names have been changed to protect their privacy. The quotes below are the parent's own words from our private community, lightly trimmed.
Over about six months, a parent in our program saw her son move from pointing to himself for the first time to showing more eye contact, functional gestures, trying new foods, sitting calmly for a haircut, starting school, and playing independently and safely at the park. Results vary by family, and this story reflects one parent's own posts in our community.
| Where they started | Where they are now |
|---|---|
| In the first post, the parent described her son pointing to his affirmations and then pointing to himself for the first time, something he had never done before, while she was just starting to track small daily wins in a journal. | By the final post, the parent shared that her son was giving eye contact to other kids at the park, smiling, navigating playground equipment, and playing appropriately, with her noting she could watch him from a distance and trust he would be safe. |
The parent had just started journaling daily wins and shared seeing her son point to his affirmations and then point to himself, something he had never done before.
“Today I saw him point to each of his affirmations which he just started doing and then he pointed to himself which he has never done” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Amid a busy season with a new baby, the parent noticed increased eye contact, signing yes, more functional gesturing, and her son gesturing to show he wanted something.
“we are noticing increased eye contact, signing “yes” and gesturing more functionally” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
The family traveled and her son shared a bed with his sister for the first time, he sat calmly through a haircut without the usual distress, and he was imitating and socializing more with his sister.
“seeing my son share a bed with his sister for the first time” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Her son began his first full week of school, adjusting to a new schedule, sitting at tables, eating lunch on a tray, and napping on a mat, all while not being upset at drop off.
“even though he can’t speak yet, I feel like fact he is not upset when we get there and walks right in says so much” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
The parent described her son showing strong eye contact at the playground, looking for her before going down the slide, and engaging in problem solving while playing independently.
“I find his eye contact is really good in these moments of waiting to see me before he goes down, or just looking for praise in doing it all by himself” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Her son picked out Halloween candy independently and took only one piece, and the parent noted his eye contact had become much more intentional.
“eye contact has been so much better and intentional- it honestly stops me in my tracks” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
In her final post, the parent shared watching her son give eye contact to other kids, smile, and navigate playground equipment safely, something she couldn't have imagined months earlier.
“giving eye contact to other kids, smiling and navigating equipment, playing appropriately was so special” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Read what parents in Six Months to Speech have reported or browse more family stories and guides.
This is one family's experience, shared by a parent in our private community in their own words. Parents' and children's names have been changed to protect their privacy. Results vary from child to child. Six Months to Speech is a coaching and education program, not medical treatment, and it does not replace care from your child's doctors or therapists.
About the author. Chelsea Juels, M.S. (@the_holistic_schoolpsych, The Holistic School Psych), is a mom of three, a Certified Nutritional Therapist with an autism focus, and holds an M.S. in School Psychology. Her twin boys were level 3 autistic and nonverbal; today they speak in full sentences. More about Chelsea.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. Talk with your child's pediatrician about any medical, feeding or diet concerns. Individual results vary. Published October 24, 2026.
The posts shared here focus on gestures, eye contact, food, and social play rather than spoken words, so we can't say whether or when speech changed. Every child's path looks different, and results vary. If you're curious how families approach this, our free live training walks through the general approach.
This particular parent shared wins over about six to seven months, from pointing to himself early on to playground confidence later. That said, every kid moves at their own pace and results vary quite a bit between families. The free live training explains how we coach parents through this process.
The parent didn't go into specifics about what led to the calmer haircut, just that she was pleasantly surprised after dreading it. We can't speak to what worked for this specific family beyond what she shared. If you want to learn more about our overall approach, we'd recommend checking out the free live training.
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