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.
This family's daughter went from engaging during a first school assessment to pointing and asking for what she wants, counting along with songs, naming colors, and bonding more with her twin sister over several months. Results like this vary by child, but this mom's story shows steady, small wins adding up over time.
| Where they started | Where they are now |
|---|---|
| Her daughter had just gone through her first school assessment, where she engaged and followed some directions but wasn't yet pointing or using words to ask for things. | Her daughter is gaining and repeating new words every day, follows directions, participates in class activities and dramatic play, identifies her colors, and is showing more affection and connection with her twin sister. |
Her daughter had her first assessment with the school psychologist and speech pathologist. She didn't show everything she could do, but she engaged, imitated, and followed some directions.
“she did engage, imitate and followed some directions. She was happy to be there.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
During a hard week of illness and assessments, her daughter came up to her mom, said a greeting, brought a book, and counted along with a song using her fingers for each number.
“She counted along, using her fingers for each number. She counted and showed the number before we turned the page.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Her daughter looked right at her mom, pointed, and clearly said a word to ask for an apple, the first time she used pointing together with a word to make a request.
“looked right at me, POINTED and clearly said APPLE.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
After a school district reassessment, her daughter's team noted she transitions well, follows directions, participates in class activities, joins playground time, parallel plays, sits during carpet time, and gains and repeats new words every day.
“They also said she gains and repeats new words every day and has made tremendous progress over the last several months.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
One of the family's biggest goals was more affection between the twins, and this month her daughter hugged her sister, who hugged her back even harder.
“today, [my daughter] hugged her sister. [Her sister] was so overcome that she hugged her even harder.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
Her daughter was following directions and identifying her colors properly, almost clearly, surprising her mom with how much progress she showed.
“she was following directions, and identified her colors properly and ALMOST clearly.” (parent in Six Months to Speech)
For the first time, the twins took turns passing a ball to each other and laughing together, a milestone toward the family's goal of the sisters becoming friends.
“today, for the first time they were taking turns, passing the ball to each other, laughing.” (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 27, 2026.
Not exactly. This mom shared small, real wins over many months, like pointing and saying a word for the first time, counting along with a song, and gaining new words at school. Every child moves at their own pace, and results vary a lot from family to family. If you want to understand the approach behind stories like this, our free live training walks through how it works.
The mom in this story mentioned it was one of her biggest goals and that it happened gradually, with more interaction over time before they had a day of hugging and taking turns together. It's a good reminder that sibling connection can take time to build. Results vary for every family, and our free live training talks more about the whole-family side of this journey.
This mom described an overwhelming week of hearing all the things her daughter couldn't do, right before her daughter showed her a new skill at home. It can help to look for small wins alongside the formal assessments. Every child's path looks different, so results vary, but you're welcome to join our free live training to learn more about the approach this family used.
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