Hi to whoever reads this! We have had a very stressful 2 years (haven’t we all). Whilst in lockdown my my DH and I worried constantly about our then 20month old DD who showed little to no signs of talking. We couldn’t get hold of professional to discuss it and whenever I googled anything I found very few positive posts about the whole thing. So I wanted to share a little about our experience to offer reassurance to other parents going through the same thing. Developmentally she was typical with everything else. But encouraging speech was painful it felt like one step forward and 3 back. We knew the understanding was there because she could follow instructions and would mimic our behaviour (she’s incredibly observant!). After a very delayed 2 year check we got a speech therapy referral, it took nearly 8 months to get an appointment. By the time she was assessed, just before her 3rd birthday she had started to put 2/3 words together and was potty trained. The speech therapist gave us information sheets and specific ways of engaging, most of which I had been trying for months before hand. That was in July, since then she has gone from strength to strength and the last couple of months, last 2 weeks even we have seen a massive leap. She still doesn’t answer certain questions but other times information just pours out of her. She recalls things that happened months ago when she had almost no speech. Our DD has been this mute little sponge taking in every experience she has ever had, she just wasn’t ready to talk about it! And some days she is still quiet, others I can’t shut her up 😂. She counts, names colours, sings the alphabet and role plays with her toys and us. Is every syllable crystal clear , not all the time. Does her speech become slurred when she tired? Yes it does! But she can do it. I know that there will be many people experiencing what we have and that wait times for appointments are very long as services try to catch up. But if you are in my position please try not to worry, I know it’s easier said than done. So many people tried to tell me that children develop at their own pace and it really is true. Try not to listen to people who make negative comments and have faith that your child will talk in their own time. I have talked constantly to her, leaving pauses for answers she didn’t give and it has finally paid off. I hope this post stops someone in their tracks and stops them falling into a dark hole in the middle of the night. I would like to note that I completely understand there are at times very serious causes for speech delay and I am not trying to undermine that or suggest that parents not pursue professional guidances. I just wanted to say there is hopefully light at the end of the tunnel. For us 3 was the magic number and so much started to click into place 😊. If you are looking for help and someone to talk to I found I Can incredibly helpful and had a brilliant over the phone discussion with one of their therapists, all free of charge.