The Hidden Skills That Spark Speech: What Every Parent of Toddlers and Young Children Should Know

“Helping Your Child Build the Foundation for Lifelong Communication, Blog #1” 

By: Marisa Spencer, Speech-Languae Pathologist, Clinic Director, Bay Ridge Speech Therapy

When parents first come to speech therapy, they’re often focused on helping their child say more words — and that’s an understandable and excellent goal. But before we work on vocabulary or sentence-building, we may need to start by building something even more important: the motivation to connect.

At Bay Ridge Speech Therapy, one of the first things we look for is a child’s ability to share attention and show intent to communicate — two key foundational skills that support all future language development.

What Is Joint Attention?

Joint attention is when your child and another person (like a parent or therapist) are both focusing on the same thing — like pointing to a toy and then looking at you to see your reaction. It’s how children learn that communication is about sharing experiences.

What Is Intent to Communicate?

Intent to communicate is when your child shows they want to tell you something — whether that’s reaching for a toy, pulling your hand toward something, or even making eye contact to share excitement. These are all early signs that your child is ready to engage — even before using words.

Why Motivation Matters

Dr. Stanley Greenspan, creator of the DIR/FloorTime approach, emphasized the power of intrinsic motivation — a child’s natural desire to interact, play, and explore. At our clinic, we follow your child’s lead, tapping into what excites them. Instead of using external rewards like stickers or snacks, we build communication around meaningful moments.

Whether your child is bouncing on a therapy ball, going down the slide, or water painting with our speech-language pathologists, they’re learning through play — and that’s by design. Every activity is chosen to support your child’s regulation, attention, and interaction.

How We Support Your Child

At Bay Ridge Speech Therapy, our therapists use a FloorTime-informed approach to support each child’s unique needs. Our sessions are full of fun, movement, and real-world activities — because we know that speech therapy doesn’t just happen in the clinic. It happens at home, in school, and at the park.

We’re here to help your child build communication skills that last — not just for therapy, but for life.

Concerned about your child’s speech, language, attention or other developmental skills? We are here to help. Call or schedule an appointment online at bayridgespeechtherapy.com to get real help and individualized help from professional child developmental therapists.

Author: Marisa Spencer

Speech-Language Pathologist & Clinic Director

Bay Ridge Speech Therapy