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.
A parent in our program shared how her son went from word regression and heavy stimming to pointing, playing, eating new foods, and eventually around 50 new words over about six months of dietary changes. Results vary by child, but her story shows steady, small wins adding up over time. She credits consistency and community support for helping her keep going on hard days.
| Where they started | Where they are now |
|---|---|
| Her son had regressed, losing words and colors he'd said back in May, with increased stimming, and was limited in the foods he'd eat. His mom began a meat, broth, veggie, and minimal fruit diet, cutting out GF bread, fries, and most fruit. | Six months in, he has learned about 50 new words, consistently says his colors, shapes, and the alphabet, counts to 10 (sometimes 20) and backwards from 10, and said "I love you" for the first time. His mom is still hoping to hear full sentences next. |
After nearly two weeks off GF bread/fries/chips and most fruit, his mom noticed less stimming, more pointing, and he hit potty and swing milestones. By day 28 of the diet, he said his colors again and clapped with excitement, plus picked up a book he hadn't touched in months and said 'peek-a-boo.'
“Stimming is a lot less. He’s been pointing & seems calmer, but also moodier at the same time haha.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He ate homemade beef meatballs for the first time, became fascinated by the alphabet, tried a banana muffin after two months grain/nut/GF-flour free, and seemed more engaged and excited opening a birthday gift compared to the year before.
“Never thought I’d see the day. [My son]’s eating my homemade beef meatballs.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He rode the horsey all by himself, a simple but meaningful milestone for his mom to witness.
“My child went on the horsey all by himself.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He said 'monkey' for the first time while looking at a picture, and later repeated 'squeeze' back to his mom during their hugging routine.
“This morning he looks at me & goes “squeeeeeze”!” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He learned receptive words for 'brush' and 'bath,' started playing tag and initiating play with his sibling, said words he hadn't said in months, and identified several words on flashcards again.
“Started identifying words on flashcards again. He’s still so picky with when he wants to say them, but tonight I heard: doll, house, cup, moon, bear, horse, gorilla.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He and his sibling were loving playing together, he began using the word 'up' correctly, and he identified a full new set of flashcard words.
“They have been LOVING playing together & I didn’t know if I would ever see this.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
He waved for the first time ever, started scrubbing himself in the bath, and began counting to 10 and backwards from 10, consistently identifying words and the alphabet.
“omg [my child] waved today!!!! 1st time ever!!!!!!!! I am crying.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Looking back over six months, he had learned about 50 new words, consistently said colors, shapes, and the alphabet, counted to 10 or 20, and counted backwards from 10. He also said 'I love you' to his mom for the first time.
“He has learned about 50 words in the past 6 months. He also consistently says his colors, shapes, & alphabet.” (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 17, 2026.
For this mom, she noticed less stimming and some returning words within the first few weeks, but she's said it took many months of consistency to get to around 50 new words. Every child is different and results vary, so there's no set timeline. If you want to understand the approach behind stories like this, our free live training walks through how families get started.
The posts we have don't go into detail about therapies, so we can't speak to that here. What we can share is her focus on food changes and the progress she tracked month to month. If you're curious how nutrition fits alongside everything else your child is doing, that's exactly what we cover in the free live training.
It's really common for parents in our community to describe a regression before they start seeing new wins, and it can feel scary and discouraging. This mom cried many days and almost gave up, but kept going and started seeing small changes add up. Results vary for every child, so if you're in that hard spot right now, our free live training is a good next step to learn more.
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