Bethany Corrigan
speech-and-language therapist
Practical; turns advice into games
Late Talker
A long waiting list, conflicting advice from family and the internet, and nursery starting in nine months.
Planned · not started yet
Relationships, parenting & family Family duty Living with uncertainty Competing advice Family home Warm Tense
The premise
A long waiting list, conflicting advice from family and the internet, and nursery starting in nine months. Noah’s parents learn how language develops and what actually helps, while managing their guilt and their different instincts about whether to worry.
The protagonist
Fiona and Dele Achterhof-Bello — Parents of Noah, two and a half, who says only a few words
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Dr Kofi Ansah-Mill
paediatrician
Careful; rules things out before naming them
Ruth Penhallow
early-years teacher
Upbeat; has seen many late talkers catch up
How the story moves
Nine months to nursery; the parents’ guilt and disagreement are the human thread, resolved by acting together rather than by a perfect outcome.
What readers take away
- Language milestones as ranges, not deadlines
- Receptive versus expressive language
- Why hearing checks come first
- How a speech-and-language assessment works
- Evidence-based strategies for home
- Speech development in bilingual homes
- When delay may signal something more
- Working with nursery staff
- Use “OWL” (observe, wait, listen) style responsive techniques
- Reduce screen time without conflict
- Use signing and gestures to support speech
- Prepare a child for a hearing test
The books
- 1The first words Planned
- 2The assessment Planned
- 3Talking time Planned
- 4Nursery Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.