ABA for Nonspeaking Kids · Communication-First

Every child has a voice.
Our job is to find it.

Speech isn’t the only path to communication. We build on what your child already does — gestures, sounds, signs, pictures, an AAC device — and expand it. We do not try to “make” your child speak.

Schedule a Free Consult Call (888) 989-5011
4
Communication paths supported
2–18
Ages we serve
$0
For most families with insurance
Total communication
Sign.
Picture.
Voice.
Whatever works
First word, first sign,
first tap on a screen
Our approach

Communication is the goal — not just speech.

If your child is nonspeaking, the urgent question isn’t “when will they talk?” It’s “how can they tell us what they need, right now?” That’s where we start.

Research from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is clear: using AAC and sign does not slow down spoken language — it usually supports it.

Start where your child is

We watch what your child already does to communicate — leading you by the hand, pointing, vocalizing — and shape it into something more powerful.

Multi-modal by default

Speech, sign, pictures, an AAC app on a tablet — we use whatever combination helps your child be understood today, not in six months.

Reinforce real wants

When a child uses any method to ask for juice and gets juice, communication becomes powerful. That’s the loop we build, over and over.

Pair with an SLP

If your child already has a speech-language pathologist, we coordinate. Same vocabulary, same device, same icon set — no contradictions across providers.

Less frustration, faster

Many families see meltdowns drop within weeks once a child has a reliable way to request, refuse, and comment. Communication reduces behavior.

Parents are part of it

Whatever system we use in session, we teach you to use at home. Communication has to travel beyond the therapy room or it won’t stick.

The four communication paths

Four paths to a first message.

There is no single “right” system. The right one is the one your child uses, willingly, to tell you something. Here’s how we evaluate each.

High-tech

AAC devices & speech-generating apps

Augmentative and Alternative Communication runs on a dedicated device or an iPad app like Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, or LAMP Words for Life. Your child taps icons; the device speaks. We model the device constantly — not just when we want them to ask for something — so they learn the whole language, not just request buttons.

Best when · Fine motor is intact and the family wants robust language
Picture-based

PECS — Picture Exchange

The Picture Exchange Communication System teaches your child to hand a picture card to another person to make a request. It starts with one picture and one item, then grows into full sentence strips. It’s low-tech, no battery, and powerful because it builds the social side of communication — you have to give the card to someone.

Best when · A child needs the social step explicitly taught
Manual signs

Sign language & key-word signing

Sign is portable, always available, and faster to deliver than a device tap. We typically start with 5–10 high-value signs — more, all done, help, eat, drink, open — and add as the child uses them. We don’t require perfect form; an approximation that’s recognizable and consistent counts as a real word.

Best when · A child can imitate hand movements and needs speed
Verbal Behavior

Verbal Behavior & vocal shaping

For children who are starting to vocalize, we use Skinner’s Verbal Behavior framework — teaching mands (requests), tacts (labels), echoics (sound imitations), and intraverbals (back-and-forth answers) as separate skills. We pair vocal attempts with reinforcement, never withhold what a child needs because they didn’t say it “correctly.”

Best when · Spontaneous sounds are emerging and we want to shape them

Most kids we work with use two or more of these at the same time. A child might sign “more,” tap “cookie” on a device, and vocalize “uh!” — and all three count. That’s total communication, and it’s the standard we aim for.

One conversation at a time

A child who can ask for what they need is a different child.

That’s the moment families remember — the first real request, the first “all done,” the first time their child stopped crying because they had a word instead. We’d love to help you get there.

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The first 90 days

What the first three months actually look like.

Most families want to know: what will we see? Here’s the honest pacing for a nonspeaking child starting ABA with us.

01
Weeks 1–3

Pairing & assessment

We don’t demand anything at first. Your child’s BCBA and therapist learn what they love, what they avoid, and what they already do to communicate. A communication assessment (often the VB-MAPP) maps current skills.

02
Weeks 4–8

First reliable requests

We pick the communication path with the highest odds of success and we drill it — favorite foods, favorite toys, “help,” “all done.” The goal isn’t variety yet; it’s reliability. One word, used a hundred times a day, beats fifty words used once.

03
Weeks 9–12

Expansion & carryover

New vocabulary, two-icon or two-sign combinations, and parent coaching at home. We start to see communication outside the therapy room — with siblings, with grandparents, at the grocery store. That’s when it’s real.

Worries we hear every week

The fears parents bring — and the truth.

The fear

“If she uses a device, she’ll never talk.”

What research shows

The opposite, in study after study. Children who use AAC are more likely to develop spoken language — not less — because the device gives them a successful experience of communicating that motivates more attempts.

The fear

“He’s too young for a device.”

What we’ve seen

Toddlers can absolutely use AAC. We’ve introduced devices as young as two. The earlier a child has any reliable way to communicate, the less frustration shapes their personality.

The fear

“Sign will confuse her.”

The reality

Bilingual kids do fine. Hearing kids who sign do fine. Adding sign doesn’t crowd out speech — it gives her something to use until speech catches up.

The fear

“ABA will try to force him to talk.”

How we work

Not here. We don’t withhold a snack until a child says the word “snack.” If he signs it, taps it on a device, or hands us the picture, that’s communication and we honor it. Speech is a path, not a finish line.

Frequently asked

Questions parents ask on the first call.

My child has never said a word. Is ABA even the right place to start?

Yes — ABA is one of the few therapies that works directly on functional communication for nonspeaking children, no matter where they’re starting. We pair with a speech-language pathologist whenever possible, and we coordinate so we’re reinforcing the same words and the same device.

How do you decide which communication system to use?

We start with a communication assessment — usually the VB-MAPP — plus interviews with you about what your child does at home. We look at fine motor, imitation, attention to people versus objects, and what already gets results. The system we recommend is the one your child can use successfully today and grow into tomorrow. Most kids end up using two or more side-by-side.

If we already have an SLP and an AAC device, how does ABA fit in?

Beautifully. SLPs often work in 30–60 minute sessions and build the system; ABA gives you 15–30 hours a week of structured practice using that exact system in real-life contexts. We ask for the SLP’s notes, mirror their vocabulary, and meet with them when they’re willing. We never overwrite their work.

Will my child be forced to make eye contact or sit at a table?

No. Modern ABA teaches communication in natural environments — on the floor, during play, at snack time. Eye contact isn’t a goal we drill for its own sake; it’s a byproduct of caring about the person you’re talking to, which we build through reinforcement, not pressure.

How long until we see progress?

Honest answer: it varies. Many families see a first reliable request — sign, picture, or icon — within 4 to 8 weeks. Carryover at home usually follows by month three once we’ve trained you. Spoken-word progress, when it comes, is on its own timeline. We track everything in the parent portal so you see exactly what’s changing.

Ready when you are

Let’s find your child’s voice.

Tell us a bit about your child and we’ll set up a free consult with a BCBA. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing, what’s already been tried, and what a communication-first plan would look like.

Schedule a Free Consult Call (888) 989-5011

Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM