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Early intervention can change the trajectory of a child's life by addressing developmental concerns before they compound and affect a child's academic, social, and emotional wellbeing.

• Developmental milestones serve as guideposts for tracking a child's progress from ages 2-5
• By age 2, children should use simple two-word phrases and be understood about 50% of the time
• Age 3 milestones include longer sentences, group play, and blossoming imagination
• By age 4, children typically recognize colors and numbers and tell simple stories
• Age 5 milestones include clear speech, counting objects, and following multi-step directions
• If concerns arise, parents should trust their instincts and seek free evaluations through early intervention programs
• Children who receive speech therapy before age 3 are twice as likely to reach age-level skills by kindergarten
• Waiting until kindergarten often means more intensive, longer-lasting services and potential academic struggles
• Parents can support development through daily reading, narrating activities, and maintaining routines
• Teachers should use visual schedules, model behaviors, and maintain open communication with families

Every small step forward is a really big step for a child. Be sure to share this episode and join me next week for a brand new Tuesday Talks.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
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Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

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Your child just got an IEP… now what?
In this episode, I break down exactly what parents and teachers need to know to turn an Individualized Education Program into a real tool for student success.

You’ll learn:
✅ How to understand each section of an IEP (without all the legal jargon)
✅ Questions to ask your IEP team to get clear, actionable answers
✅ Ways to build a strong parent–teacher partnership
✅ How to track progress and adjust when things aren’t working
✅ Advocacy tips to make sure your child gets the services they deserve

Whether you’re a parent navigating this for the first time or a teacher supporting families, this episode is packed with strategies you can use right away.

🎧 Listen now and let’s turn that IEP into action!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

The first week of school is in the books — and today, I’m sitting down with my favorite 10-year-old (and special guest!) to talk all about it. 🎒  

In this fun and honest conversation, we cover: 

✅ What went well during the first week back 

✅ What didn’t go so smoothly (and how he handled it) 

✅ Goals he’s setting for himself this school year 

✅ How we’re getting back into the school groove as a family  

Whether you’re a parent looking for ideas to connect with your kids or a teacher curious about a student’s perspective, this episode is full of laughs, insights, and practical takeaways.  

💬 Parents — try these reflection questions with your own kids after school! 

💬 Teachers — share this with families to help spark conversations at home. 

📌 Listen now and get inspired to kick off the school year right!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

We celebrate our Season 2 finale reflecting on 41 weeks of educational insights spanning topics from cell phones in schools to the science of reading, classroom management to student self-accountability.

• Sharing our personal connections, including our May birthdays just days apart
• Highlighting key episodes such as classroom management, building community, and understanding the grading system
• Discussing our popular multi-part series on "letting kids fail" and its impact on child development
• Revealing how our episodes with our own children provide real, unfiltered perspectives
• Exploring our deep dive into literacy through the "Sold a Story" podcast and science of reading experts
• Announcing exciting changes for Season 3 including a shift from livestreams to weekly uploaded videos
• Previewing upcoming topics like continued focus on science of reading with special guests

Thank you to everyone who tuned in this season! We'll be back in August with Season 3. Have a fabulous summer!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

Dr. Tiff and Coach Val explore how children often listen for instructions rather than understanding, and why teaching kids to own their thinking is crucial for success. They share strategies for helping students become independent thinkers instead of passive instruction-followers.

• Students are often trained to listen for what to do rather than listening to understand
• Self-reflection is necessary for parents and teachers to recognize how they may encourage dependency
• Breaking information into smaller chunks helps students process concepts more effectively
• Building independence requires gradually reducing explicit instruction over time
• Creating a safe environment for students to acknowledge challenges builds resilience
• Celebrating when students identify difficulties rather than sheltering them from struggle
• Humanizing the teacher-student relationship creates trust that encourages independent thinking
• Starting the school year with clear expectations about student thinking sets the foundation

Share your thoughts on implementing these strategies in your classroom or home! Email us through the link in our show notes or comment on our social media.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

The digital revolution has arrived in our classrooms, and it's transforming education in ways we're only beginning to understand. From fourth graders using ChatGPT for writing assignments to China implementing mandatory AI training for kindergarteners, artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic concept – it's reshaping how our children learn right now.

Communication expert Melissa D. White joins Tuesday Talks to demystify AI in education, offering a refreshingly balanced perspective on what many educators view as either a threat or an untapped resource. White introduces us to the concept of Communication Quotient (CQ), explaining how students today need to become bilingual – fluent in both human-to-human and human-to-AI communication. "AI is a language. Coding is a language," she explains, "and the quality of your prompt determines the quality of the AI's response."

Rather than viewing AI as a shortcut that undermines critical thinking, White encourages parents and educators to teach ethical AI communication as a framework for efficiency. She outlines four key benefits of AI in education: improved cognitive development, enhanced communication skills, differentiated instruction capabilities, and more equitable learning experiences regardless of background or resources.

Whether you're a parent concerned about AI "cheating" or an educator looking to harness these powerful tools, this episode provides valuable insights into navigating the digital frontier of education. Subscribe to Tuesday Talks for more thought-provoking conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping our future.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

Step into the fascinating world of how children actually learn to read with our eye-opening exploration of the science of reading. This isn't just about different teaching methods—it's about understanding the fundamental neural processes that transform squiggles on a page into meaningful language in a child's developing brain.

With special guest Ambria King, an early education advocate with 17 years of experience in various educational settings, we unpack the stark differences between traditional reading approaches and evidence-based methods. While many schools have taught children to use context clues, pictures, and inference to guess at unfamiliar words, research clearly shows that explicit phonics instruction and phonemic awareness are crucial for long-term reading success.

What makes this conversation particularly timely is that many school districts are currently caught in an awkward transition between methodologies. As King explains, "Education does not fit in a kit," yet that's exactly what many schools want—a ready-made solution they can implement without understanding the complex science behind it. This patchwork approach to reading instruction leaves many children struggling to develop the foundational skills they'll need throughout their educational journey.

For parents wondering how to support their children's reading development at home, King offers remarkably accessible strategies: create language-rich environments, play word games that focus on manipulating sounds, be mindful about how you introduce letter sounds, and critically evaluate "leveled readers" that might not match your child's current phonics skills. Most importantly, she reminds us to "give yourself grace" amid all the educational buzzwords and social media noise about reading instruction.

Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone interested in how humans acquire language, this episode offers valuable insights into one of the most important skills we'll ever learn—and how we can better support the next generation of readers.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

We continue our discussion about the literacy crisis in American schools and the problems with "cueing" methods that teach children to guess words rather than sound them out.

• A real-life example of a sixth-grade student who struggled with reading due to being taught with picture-based guessing strategies
• The critical importance of third grade as a reading benchmark and how falling behind creates a compounding problem
• How to determine if your child's school is using ineffective reading methods
• Warning terms to watch for: reading recovery, cueing, Fontas and Pinnell, and whole language
• The financial incentives for curriculum companies to sell ineffective reading programs
• How affluent parents compensate by hiring outside tutors while other children continue to struggle
• States implementing phonics-based instruction are seeing dramatic improvements in reading scores
• The connection between reading methods and spelling ability - children can't spell words they can't decode
• Companies are now changing their approach due to pressure, not because they care about children

Check out the "Sold a Story" podcast for a deeper investigation into this issue, and please share this episode with other parents and educators to raise awareness about effective reading instruction.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

America is failing its children in the most fundamental educational task: teaching them to read. This eye-opening episode dives into the revelations of the "Sold a Story" podcast, exposing how millions of children nationwide have been taught reading through methods with no scientific backing.

We unpack the controversial "cueing system" approach that encourages young readers to guess words based on pictures and context rather than sounding them out. Despite its widespread adoption through programs like Reading Recovery and Balanced Literacy, this method bypasses the essential skill of phonics—the cornerstone of reading success according to decades of research. Most troubling is how this system shifts blame to children who struggle, labeling them with reading disabilities when the real problem lies with the teaching method itself.

Whether you're a parent, educator, or concerned citizen, this episode provides essential insights into one of America's most significant educational failures. Watch how the children in your life approach unfamiliar words—are they sounding them out or guessing? The answer may reveal whether they've been sold a story that will limit their future.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting

Send us your thoughts about this week's episode!

When a Tennessee high schooler with a 3.4 GPA graduated unable to read or write and successfully sued his school district, it exposed a devastating reality in American education. How can students progress through twelve years of schooling without mastering fundamental literacy skills?

Dr. Nikki Anthony, special education advocate and dyslexia specialist, joins Coach Val and Dr. Tiff to unpack this critical issue. She explains that dyslexia – a neurological difference affecting phonological processing – often gets buried under generic "learning disabilities" classifications in schools, resulting in inadequate interventions that fail to address students' specific needs.

The conversation reveals alarming truths about how schools sometimes prioritize graduation statistics over genuine student success. While a school might proudly display "100% Graduation Rate" on its marquee, that achievement rings hollow when graduates lack essential reading skills. Dr. Anthony emphasizes that dyslexia can be identified as early as age 5.5, yet many students aren't diagnosed until third grade—if ever—costing them years of potential intervention.

Parents learning to advocate for their children will find invaluable guidance here. From recognizing early warning signs (delayed speech, letter reversals, rhyming difficulties) to navigating the complex special education system, Dr. Anthony provides a roadmap for ensuring children receive appropriate support. She stresses that parents should start with pediatricians for proper referrals, understand the evaluation process, and recognize their own expertise about their children when working with school teams.

Has your family experienced challenges with dyslexia or reading instruction? Share your story and join the conversation about how we can better serve all learners.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

New episodes every Tuesday!

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Our Words Matter Consulting