E13 Early Communication Made Simple (Part 1): Serve and Return - The Foundation for Connection

What are the best books for children? Speech pathologist and neurodivergent mum Brittany shares practical tips for making reading fun, choosing books your child loves, and encouraging reluctant readers without pressure. Discover interactive books, graphic novels, audiobooks, child-led reading, and the “broccoli effect” in this episode of Not Just Theories.

What’s the difference between a communication milestone and an average? This episode explains why missing a communication milestone is a reason to seek assessment or professional guidance, while being outside an average does not necessarily mean something is wrong.

Learn how waiting can support early communication, giving children time to respond, initiate, and take a turn. Using Bluey’s “Hairdressers” episode, we explore the power of pausing during serve-and-return interactions.

Struggling with toddler toothbrushing? Learn how to use a flexible communication toolkit — including playfulness, choices, and emotional validation — to reduce resistance and power struggles.

A practical episode on building a communication toolkit for parenting, inspired by How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen. Learn flexible strategies for toddler behaviour, emotional regulation, and real-life communication.