If your child is in (or headed toward) a Montessori classroom and you're wondering about speech delay, here's the honest version: this isn't really about the word "Montessori." It's about whether the quiet, independent style of that classroom happens to be the wrong fit for a kid who needs more language modeling around them, and whether what you're seeing is a normal pace difference or a pattern worth acting on. The question worth asking yourself isn't "how do I get my child talking right now." It's what your child is already communicating, and what kind of access or modeling would make the next step easier for them. That reframe matters for you emotionally, but it also gives an SLP, pediatrician, early intervention team, or school team something more useful to work with than "he's behind." To figure out which one you're dealing with, watch your child across several different moments, not just one hard afternoon. Pay attention to how they gesture and point, whether they imitate or use pretend play, whether they respond to their name, how they handle frustration, any scripts they repeat, AAC use, attempts at sounds, and whether they clearly understand more than they can say back. A pattern that shows up again and again across routines tells you a lot more than any single moment does. For this week, pick one routine that already happens daily, snack time, bath time, getting dressed, whatever's reliable, and model one useful word, phrase, AAC button, or gesture inside it. Then pause long enough to actually let your child respond, in whatever form that takes. A sign, a point, an approximation, a script, a button press on a device: all of that counts as communication, and all of it deserves to be treated that way. If it starts turning into a battle, stop. Worth keeping in mind: Montessori's quieter, more independent structure can suit kids well sensorially, but that same quiet can work against a child who needs more language modeled around them, not less. If what you're noticing fits into a bigger pattern rather than a single rough stretch, it's worth asking for help sooner rather than later, whether that's a hearing check, an early intervention evaluation, a private SLP evaluation, a school-based evaluation, or a developmental assessment. Asking early isn't overreacting. It just means your child gets access to communication support sooner. For related reading, there's a topic hub on AAC for Autism, and more guidance across parent guides on the site, including pieces on childhood apraxia of speech, choosing a preschool for an autistic toddler, delayed echolalia, DTTC for apraxia, how many SLP sessions per week for apraxia, how to respond when your child echoes you, whether echolalia is bad, and PROMPT therapy. Little Words is meant as educational support for practice at home. It isn't a medical device, an AAC replacement, or a stand-in for a licensed speech-language pathologist, pediatrician, early intervention program, school team, or developmental evaluation.