I am an SLP (speech-language pathologist) and I help parents whose children have difficulty speaking or do not speak at all to understand the mistakes they are making when trying to encourage their child's speech. Today, I want to talk to you about the normal milestones for speech development, discuss the first essential steps parents should take to encourage speech at home, and also go over common mistakes you often make when trying to get your child to talk on your own. I will tell you about one habit of parents that slows down children's speech every day. I will give a brief guide to starting speech, and you will hear the main secret to success at the end.