BEFORE THEY SPEAK

In early childhood, development begins long before it is clearly seen.

Before words are spoken, children are already watching, listening, responding, reaching, imitating, resisting, connecting, and learning how the world answers them. These early moments shape how a child begins to communicate, regulate, relate, and move toward language.

Before They Speak helps families, caregivers, professionals and institutions see the invisible bridge forming beneath everyday interactions. With clarity, warmth, and professional insight, Colleen Becton invites parents, grandparents, educators, and early childhood professionals to notice what is happening before speech becomes obvious-and why those moments matter.

This book is not about fear, pressure, or rushing a child. It is about awareness. It helps readers understand the quiet foundations of early communication: attention, connection, imitation, turn-taking, emotional safety, sound play, and the small exchanges that prepare a child for language and learning.

Written from the perspective of a bilingual speech-language pathologist with decades of experience supporting infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and families, Before They Speak brings developmental insight into clear, accessible language. It gives caregivers a way to look at everyday routines-feeding, playing, comforting, waiting, responding, and speaking-with new understanding.

This is a book for the adult who wonders what to do in the moments before a child can fully explain, ask, answer, or express. It is for the caregiver who wants to support communication without turning childhood into a checklist. It is for families and professionals who understand that the earliest years are not empty waiting years. They are forming years.

Before They Speak is an invitation to slow down, look closely, and recognize the power of the early bridge between child and caregiver.

Because before they speak, they are already learning how communication feels.