For parents of kids with speech delays & autism

The gut-first roadmap that helped Chelsea’s nonverbal twins find their words.

Six Months to Speech is a six-month coaching program that walks your family through diet, detox, and gut repair step by step, with live coaches who have done it with their own kids.

Join Chelsea’s free live training Meet the team

Live every Tuesday, 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. Free.

Chelsea Juels, founder of Six Months to Speech

What the program is

Not another therapy. The foundation under all of them.

Speech and behavior are hard to move when a child’s gut is inflamed. We help you calm it, clear it, and rebuild it, one stage at a time, alongside the therapies you already use.

A staged, six-month plan

Three stages in order: calm the inflammation, detox and repair, rebuild. You always know what this week is for.

Live coaching every week

Stage calls Monday through Wednesday with coaches who came through the program as parents, plus an all-stage Q&A with Chelsea every Thursday.

Support for you, too

Mindset calls with a licensed family therapist and a private community of parents doing the same work.

The roadmap

What the six months look like

Monday · Week 1

Orientation + Stage 1 begins

Meet your coach live. Remove the biggest irritants, swap household toxins, add the Stage 1 staples. Some families notice calmer days within the first week.

Stage 1 · Foundation

Calm the inflammation

Diet, environment, and the first supplements. Sleep and meltdowns usually shift first. Many families see their first big shifts here.

Stage 2 · Detox & repair

Clear what’s blocking progress

Pathogens, parasites, heavy-metal load. Engagement and play open up — this is where Brenda’s twins played together for the first time.

Stage 3 · Rebuild

Rebuild the gut — and the brain gets fed

Microbiome restoration, nutrient repletion. This is where speech accelerates and therapies start “suddenly” working.

Every week, all 6 months

Live calls, community, and Chelsea’s Q&A

Ten-plus live calls a week across stages, an Erin mindset call for you, and a Thursday all-stage Q&A with Chelsea.

Real families

In their own words

Parents inside the program, sharing what changed. Every family is different, and results vary.

Kayla — Elijah’s story

Kayla & Elijah

1 year, 3 months in

BeforeNonverbal at 2. Not sleeping through the night. Chronic constipation.

After100+ words, sings, asks for specific foods, sleeps through the night.

“Your only regret will be that you didn’t start sooner.”

Amanda — Boston’s story

Amanda & Boston

1 year in

BeforeRegressed at 15 months. Lost words, eye contact fading.

AfterOne year in: words, eye contact and connection back.

“He’s a completely different child.”

Kasey — Isaiah’s story

Kasey & Isaiah (5½)

Ongoing

BeforeSelf-injury, heavy stimming, no speech.

AfterAttempting speech, signing, eye contact. Walks the store holding the cart.

“Grateful for Chelsea and her courage to speak up for us moms.”

Lauren M.

Son — from 12 words to 80+ in 3.5 months

Before12 words, rarely repeated. Hadn’t said “momma” in a long time.

After · 3.5 months in80+ words, singing, pointing, 2-word phrases. Met 2 of 3 speech goals early.

Read Lauren’s words

“When we first started this program end of May, my son had 12 words. If he said a new word one time, I counted it but they were said very few and far between. I can say that over the last 3.5 months, he now has over 80 words, has been singing songs, he is pointing, and has said some 2-word phrases. He has been saying "momma" which I hadn't heard in so long which was so nice to finally hear. Overall he seems more engaged in everything around him. Family members have commented on the positive changes. He has met 2/3 goals with his speech therapist before their six-month evaluation.”

Jackie V.

James (6) & Mark (8) — both previously nonverbal. ABA hours reduced 70%.

BeforeJames (6) and Mark (8) both considered nonverbal — only scripted TV phrases.

After · OngoingJames conversational and singing. ABA hours cut 70%. Pediatrician: “he’s talking now.”

Read Jackie’s words

“James is now quite conversational. He is singing! We discovered he has a beautiful voice. He was considered "nonverbal" before — even though he had words he could not effectively communicate, he would just utter out things he memorized from TV. That is not happening anymore and he is just talking and it gets better each week. Both boys are getting reduced hours at ABA because they are meeting their goals rather quickly. James is having his hours reduced by 70%. We saw our pediatrician and she said "he's talking now." He actually talked to her for the first time.”

Jenna

Cam — 50+ new words, counting, alphabet after 15 months

BeforeCried most days, no words, irregular bowel movements.

After · 15 months in50+ words, colors, shapes, alphabet, counts to 20. Regular BMs by month 9.

Read Jenna’s words

“He has learned about 50 words in the past 6 months. He consistently says his colors, shapes, & alphabet. He can count to 10 (20 on a good day). He can count backwards from 10 too! It took about 9 months to get regular healthy bowel movements and 15 months to get consistent words. I had many moments where I wanted to give up & I cried most days, worrying if he would ever speak. Don't give up, & keep going. It's worth it!”

Carly S.

Xander (6.5) — first conversation + first hug with sister

BeforeNever had a back-and-forth exchange. Never hugged his sister.

After · Age 6.5First conversation (“I love you” / “ya”) and first hug — wouldn’t let go.

Read Carly’s words

“I think I just had my first ever conversation with Xander. I said "do you know how much I love you?" And he said "uh luh luh" which we think means "I love you" and then I said "you love me?" And he said "ya." Wow. That was my first back and forth with my 6.5 year old. And then, for the first time ever, he hugged his sister. And then he wouldn't let go of her!!!”

Heather T.

Nixon — from iPad-dependent to exploring, 35 new foods

BeforeiPad required for every outing. Meltdowns at every transition. Very limited diet.

After · Since summerToys, puzzles, books, parallel play. No iPad on outings. 35 new foods.

Read Heather’s words

“Nixon has never really been big into toys. Since summer he has been playing with a TON of different toys — looking at books, wanting to try puzzles, matching, and lots of sensory stuff. Also doing parallel play with his little sister. We are officially NOT taking his iPad with us when we go on outings anymore. For as long as I can remember, bringing his iPad was the only way we could actually have an outing. Transitions have always led to meltdowns — this week I haven't used the timer at all. I counted my list of new foods and it's at 35!!”

Brenda A.

Lucia & twin — first time playing together, Stage 2

BeforeTwins barely interacted.

After · Stage 2Taking turns, passing a ball, laughing together for the first time.

Read Brenda’s words

“One of my biggest goals while going through this program is to see my twins become friends. There's been more interaction between them but not like today — today, for the first time they were taking turns, passing the ball to each other, laughing. I'm in tears. We've been cruising through Stage 2, don't give up moms. Just when I think we're not seeing any more improvement this happens.”

Most of this team started as a parent looking for answers.

Credentials matter. Having lived it matters too. You get both.

Chelsea Juels

Founder & Program Creator

School psychologist whose own nonverbal autistic twins went from no words to 100+ in six months once she healed their gut. She built 6MTS so other parents get the roadmap she had to piece together herself.

M.S. School PsychologyCertified Nutritional Therapist (Autism)Detox & Gut Health Specialist

Amanda Dyer

Lead Coach · Stages 1 & 2

Came through the program as a mom. Her son Boston regressed at 15 months. After a year on the protocol his words, eye contact and connection came back.

Program GraduateLead Coach

Isra Ahmad

Coach · Stages 1 & 3

Came through the program with two children. Deen (10) was nonverbal for years and is now discharged from OT. Julia (4) is potty trained and speaking in sentences.

Program Graduate

Erin Rynders, LMFT

Mindset Coach

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with 25 years in practice. Runs the parent mindset calls: the guilt, the grief, the marriage strain, the burnout, with real clinical tools.

LMFT25 Years in Practice

Brianna Evans

Program Manager

Came through the program as a mom. Her son Julian went from refusing whole foods to new textures, clapping, and following directions. She makes sure nothing falls through the cracks for families.

Program Graduate

Matt Juels

Co-Founder · Operations

Chelsea’s husband and dad to their twins, who were both nonverbal. He was there for every step of the twins’ gut-healing journey, and now runs the business side of Six Months to Speech so the coaches can focus on families.

Dad of TwinsMBAM.A.Co-Founder

Andrew Aidman

Brand Manager

A former special education teacher. He looks after how Six Months to Speech shows up online, so parents get clear, honest information about the program.

Former Special Education Teacher

Shaylee, Bridget & Lindsey

Enrollment Team

The people you talk to before joining. Their job is to understand your child, answer every question, and tell you honestly if this is the right fit.

Shaylee is an autism mom with 10+ years of gut health research and 6+ years alongside functional medicine physicians. Bridget is a former Physician Assistant who spent 4 years specialized in GI, 2 of them at Mayo Clinic.

A note from Chelsea

I was the school psychologist in the IEP meeting telling parents their child qualified for services. I know what it feels like to be handed a label and a therapy schedule and nothing else.

When it was my own twins, both nonverbal and both autistic, I healed their gut first. Six months later they had over 100 words, and everything else started working after that.

This program is that roadmap, with coaches who’ve walked it beside you every week. If you want to understand the approach before anything else, start with my free live training.

— Chelsea

Questions

Common questions

What is Six Months to Speech?

A six-month group coaching program for families of children with speech delays and autism. You follow a staged plan (diet, detox, gut repair) with live coaching calls every week, a private parent community, and a mindset coach for you. It’s built by Chelsea Juels, a school psychologist and certified nutritional therapist who used this approach with her own twins.

We already went gluten- and dairy-free. Why would this be different?

Because GF/CF is step one. It removes two irritants but doesn’t heal the gut lining, rebalance the microbiome, or clear the toxic load behind the inflammation. Most families who tell us “we tried diet” never got to the Stage 2 or 3 work.

My child is 6, 8, 10. Is it too late?

No. Earlier is easier, but the gut can heal at any age. Families in the program have seen changes in children from toddlers to pre-teens. The free training covers what pace to expect.

Is this instead of speech therapy or ABA?

No. Keep your therapies. This is the foundation work that helps them land. Several families have reported therapy goals being met faster once the gut work started.

Is this medical advice?

No. Six Months to Speech is an educational coaching program. It does not diagnose or treat any condition, and it works alongside your child’s doctors and therapists.

How do I start?

Join Chelsea’s free live training. Chelsea walks through the whole approach, and at the end you can apply if it feels right for your family. No cost, no pressure.

Free resources

Not ready for a program? Start here, free.

Everything below is free. Take what helps.

Free live training