Mrs Speechie P

Mrs Speechie P Hi- My name is Andi Putt and I am a pediatric speech language pathologist, autism evaluation specialist, & disabilities advocate.
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Welcome parents, & professionals!

While this is alarming on so many levels, let’s talk about how this upcoming executive order will impact the disability ...
08/18/2025

While this is alarming on so many levels, let’s talk about how this upcoming executive order will impact the disability community.

While also recognizing that this impacts way more than disabled people. See Trump’s post on last slide.

Did you know it’s very common for two siblings to both be Autistic, but for only one to have a diagnosis? This often occ...
08/18/2025

Did you know it’s very common for two siblings to both be Autistic, but for only one to have a diagnosis?

This often occurs because one child (in this case, sibling B) has clear differences and needs, while the other has differences that are either subtle, or, in *many* cases, explained by another diagnosis such as ADHD.

In this example, sibling A was diagnosed with Autism at 9 after sibling B was diagnosed at 3. Sibling A was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at 6- but Autism wasn’t considered because “he’s so social”. But turns out, he’s AuDHD and dyslexic.

Current research on siblings is kind of all over the place, but we do know that heritability of Autism is estimated to be 80%. Many siblings of Autistic kids go undiagnosed until later ages, or go undiagnosed their whole life. (Current research suggests siblings have a 1 in 3 or 37% chance of also being Autistic by school age). We do know the incidence of Autism is increasing as we know more about it, so as the general incidence of autism continues to rise to reflect accurate numbers, it would make sense for siblings incidence numbers to rise as well (a fancy way of me saying I think sibling incidence is higher 😘).

We wouldn’t tell parents to “wait and see” for sooooo many things, yet we do it for speech and developmental delays all ...
08/17/2025

We wouldn’t tell parents to “wait and see” for sooooo many things, yet we do it for speech and developmental delays all the time!

ALL kids deserve access to communication support and should never be left to struggle or “figure it out on their own” for long periods of time. Would you make *anyone* else struggle without access to communication? Would you be okay if you had no means of communication for a year or two? It’s not okay for young kids either!

Now, I WILL say, a professional, in the area of the delay (speech pathologist, occupational or physical therapy may recommend waiting for a shorter time-frame (certainly never YEARS), based off a specific child’s profile. This is completely different from people saying “wait until 3”.

Telling parents to “wait” can result in a child struggling without support, frustrations for child and parent, more frequent tantrums or meltdowns, longer therapy durations when the parent finally does seek support (more $$), and lots of parent guilt once they realize “wait and see” was bad advice. Evaluations don’t always result in therapy, but they do put professional eyes on the child and should result in recommendations for parents to support their child at home AND a timeframe for when they can/should re-evaluate.

Parenting advice on the internet can be helpful- and it can also be harmful! Everytime I see a “my child is 2/3 and not ...
08/15/2025

Parenting advice on the internet can be helpful- and it can also be harmful! Everytime I see a “my child is 2/3 and not speaking” post, I TRY to avoid it but usually just can’t help myself.

And… even when I DO comment with facts, who is the parent going to listen to? The person who says everything is “fine” continue on, or the person who says get an evaluation? (Hint: it’s often not me. 😆)

Let’s look at some comments I’ve seen recently and my unfiltered thoughts about them!

Let’s play a round of Autism Bingo! (For fun yall, this is not a diagnostic tool, but can still give you helpful insight...
08/14/2025

Let’s play a round of Autism Bingo! (For fun yall, this is not a diagnostic tool, but can still give you helpful insights!)

As always, Autism is a constellation of traits and not just one or two things. I DID plan out this bingo mat to where if you (or your child) has a bingo, it means they have traits across multiple areas and at the very least should prompt you to consider an evaluation. That does not mean that all people who get bingos are Autistic.

Also for fun, I filled it out for me (yellow) and my son (blue). It was cool to see how much we have in common and also surprising that I think his Autism is more obvious than mine and yet I still got 3 bingos.

If you wanna participate, fill yours out and tag me!

To whoever needs to hear this. Especially at the beginning of the school year. Give Autistic kids (people) the benefit o...
08/12/2025

To whoever needs to hear this. Especially at the beginning of the school year.

Give Autistic kids (people) the benefit of the doubt! And before you @ me- yes, Autistic people CAN be manipulative. It’s not that we can’t. This is more about trusting us when we say or otherwise communicate “it’s too loud,” “I’m dysregulated and need a break,” “I’m nearing burn-out,” etc.

After school collapse is huge for many Autistic kids - and is most commonly a result of masking at school. These kids ha...
08/12/2025

After school collapse is huge for many Autistic kids - and is most commonly a result of masking at school. These kids have an educational need for support because it means they AREN’T regulated a significant portion of their day- meaning they also aren’t at an optimum capacity for learning.

Sound familiar to you? Swipe to the last two slides for tips to support!

Does Autism have a look? Sometimes it does- it’s very possible to look at a person and see they are clearly disabled (sl...
07/30/2025

Does Autism have a look?

Sometimes it does- it’s very possible to look at a person and see they are clearly disabled (slide 4). And these tend to be the examples people hold in their minds about what Autism is.

BUT- that’s not how Autism looks or is experienced by everyone. Many people have very subtle traits and/or mask or hide their differences (slide 2). It’s also super common for people to embrace their authentic selves and be called “quirky” resulting in their needs for support to go dismissed slide 3)!

But Autistic people can be any of these- or a mix of these, and still be Autistic.

It’s waaaaay too common for adults to shut down self-advocacy in both disabled kids and adults. And it’s often seen in p...
07/29/2025

It’s waaaaay too common for adults to shut down self-advocacy in both disabled kids and adults. And it’s often seen in professions meant to support communication. This post is here to remind you to continue to *listen* rather than react.

And before you @ me, yes, there are times when adults will still say no. Affirming support does not mean no boundaries or a free-for-all.

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Mrs Speechie P

Mrs Speechie P is a blog designed to share information about speech and language development to parents of children with delays and/or disabilities, Speech Language Pathologists, and Educators. I have a passion for early intervention and parent education/involvement in intervention.