Before the Words™ Guided System
Help your child communicate using the moments you already have.
No screens for your child. No flashcards. No ‘say it.’ A guided system from speech-language pathologist Kim Koch, M.S., CCC-SLP, for parents of toddlers who understand more than they can say.
This is for you if…
- You've chosen real toys and real routines over apps, tablets, and learning shows.
- Your child reaches, points, pulls you, or makes sounds, but isn't saying many words yet.
- You've heard “just talk to your child more” and thought, “I do. Now what?”
- You're waiting on an evaluation or services and don't want to just wait.
What changes for your family
You'll understand their signals.
Know what the reaching, looking, and sounds mean, and how to answer them.
Everyday moments become practice.
Breakfast, bath, diapers, and bedtime turn into communication moments, without adding anything to your day.
You'll know what comes next.
No guessing. You'll know the next reachable step for your child.
The pathway
- 1Connect
- 2Communicate
- 3Copy
- 4Vocalize
- 5Sound
- 6Speech Movement
- 7Approximate
- 8Words
Your child starts wherever they are today. Gestures, signs, pictures, AAC, and sounds all count as communication.
The screen is for you, not your child.
The Guided System lives on your phone so you can plan in two minutes during nap time or after bedtime. Then you put it down. The time with your child stays screen-free: real toys, real routines, and your face across from theirs.
What families say
We are now about a year into therapy, and honestly, his speech is almost unrecognizable compared to where he was last year.
Our daughter is happier and more outgoing now that she has more words and she is able to be understood!
Mrs. Kim took the time to empower both my husband and me, equipping us with practical strategies, techniques, and gestural cues to use at home.
One simple path
Start free, grow at your pace
Step 1 · Free
Communication Starting Point™ Finder
Find where your child is right now.
Take the free FinderStep 2 · $14
Quick-Start Kit
Five tools you can use at snack or bath time today.
Get the Quick-Start KitBought an earlier step? Reach out through the Contact page and your purchase will be applied toward the next edition — you never pay twice.
Prefer printables only? See the $67 Printable Toolkit and $37 Bridge Toolkit
Meet Kim
Kim Koch, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with 30+ years of experience helping young children find their voices. She created the Connection Before Correction approach so parents can support communication in the moments they already share.
“Waiting for services is not the same as waiting to help.”