vocalize

EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION

What can I try with my child today?

Created by a speech-language pathologist (SLP), Vocalize shows you what to say and do during play and daily routines. Start with a five-minute activity you can lead at home.

For parents of late talkers, children with autism and children building early communication skills.

Try a free 3-minute activityExplore the free starter week

FREE ACTIVITY · NO SIGN-IN

3 minutes, or less if needed

Join their toy-car moment

Watch where your child moves their car. Use your own car beside them without taking theirs.

“Your car goes over the bridge.”

You can read and try this example without a child profile.

A child points toward a toy track while her father plays beside her with his own car. A communication tablet is beside the child.

HOW A WEEK WORKS

Choose a plan for your week

Vocalize narrows the library to something you can actually use, then helps you keep what worked.

  1. 1

    Choose a small plan for the week

    In My Week, choose your focus, time and routine. Keep one caregiver strategy and three activities to choose from.

  2. 2

    Try it away from the screen

    Get the materials, exact caregiver steps, example words and adjustments. Then try a demonstration, shared play or an everyday routine.

  3. 3

    Remember what worked

    Save your own experience and, if you want, what would help next time. Your weekly reflection stays private.

  4. 4

    Decide what to try next

    Return to your saved week. Repeat it, replace an option or choose another focus. The app does not advance your child through a score.

INSIDE YOUR FAMILY PROGRAM

A plan for today. A place to return tomorrow

Each activity brings together a purpose, clear steps, words to try and ways to adjust. Choose the amount of guidance that helps you.

Time that fits your day

Choose a brief moment or a step-by-step 5-, 10- or 15-minute plan. Longer plans include setup, a break and time to reflect.

Specific help as you practice

See what to do and say, what to notice, and what to try if your child needs something easier or different.

Lessons that explain the purpose

Understand why you are modeling a word, leaving a pause or building on a message, with examples you can use.

Practice you can print

Every activity and lesson has a downloadable companion. Use it offline while you play or practice.

Pick up where you left off

Save an unfinished activity and return to it later. Revisit a favorite or choose another activity that fits the time you have today.

A connected learning path

Find a starting point and build on what helps. Start in any phase and revisit it whenever you like.

Explore the learning areas and sample materials

Six flexible phases

  1. Connect through play
  2. Express wants and needs
  3. Take turns and notice things together
  4. Build words and sentences
  5. Share stories and ideas
  6. Use familiar skills in new situations

These are learning areas for parents, not age levels or tests to pass. Start with a family priority and revisit any area. Stories and communication with different people can belong in every area.

See the guidance you'll use

Excerpts from a current activity and parent lesson, plus a page from the printable library.

vocalize Activity guide

ABOUT 5 MINUTES · STOP EARLIER IF NEEDED

Follow their little world

1. Notice what catches their interest

Sit nearby at a comfortable distance. Watch what your child does with the toy. Give them room to choose the activity.

“You found the car.”
Make this moment smaller

Sit nearby and share one comment about what they enjoy. That is enough today.

vocalize Parent lesson

3-MINUTE PARENT LESSON

Show a message without making it a test

A model is an example you provide. It is different from an instruction to repeat.

One thing to try

Pick a useful message that fits what is happening, such as go, stop, help or funny.

As your car rolls, say “Go!” and pause to see what your child does next.
vocalize Printable page
The printable word-card guide: choose a purpose, add a personal word, show the meaning and let the message work.
51 word ideas: parent model cards. Enlarge this guide page.

Start with one activity. The full library stays available when you want another routine, time option or related lesson.

See the complete printable-library counts
Activity companions
454
Lesson companions
162
Additional practice sets
50

650+ printables, including one companion for each of the 454 activities and 162 lessons, plus 50 additional practice sets. These are resources, not page counts; each can contain several pages. Letter and A4 are paper-size options, not extra resources. Print only what helps today.

See the five caregiver steps: Notice, Model, Pause, Respond, Build

FIVE FLEXIBLE CAREGIVER ACTIONS

Notice. Model. Pause. Respond. Build

Join an interest or introduce an activity. Choose a step to see what to do and say.

1 · NOTICE

Find a shared starting point

Join an interest or introduce an activity. Notice comfort, attention and what your child may be communicating.

Keep in mind: Eye contact, pointing, speech and sitting still are not entry requirements. If a message or need is already clear, respond now.

AN EVERYDAY EXAMPLE

Your child hands you a closed book. Say ‘Shall we open it?’ and watch what they do next.

Respond to needs now. Help, breaks and familiar communication tools stay available. Skip a step, repeat, simplify or finish when that fits.

Responsive play, structured teaching and your family’s language

WHY VOCALIZE EXISTS

Know what to say. Know how to respond

Vocalize combines clinical experience with evidence-based communication strategies, including techniques used in milieu teaching: modeling useful language and building on your child's message during everyday play and routines. Parents can see what to say, what to do and how to adjust.

How our approach works

Responsive play and structured teaching

Follow your child's interest or introduce a shared activity. Model a useful word, repeat it naturally, pause and respond to their message. Clear steps, choices and positive encouragement help you teach while respecting your child's communication, comfort and right to say no.

Use your family's language when you practice

The app instructions and downloads are in English. Use your family's languages and dialects when trying communication ideas in play and daily routines.

Explore three illustrated interaction examples

ILLUSTRATED INTERACTION EXAMPLES

See the words and the response

Fictional examples for your own preparation. Explore a child's possible response and what the adult does next, then try one idea in a familiar routine.

A father plays beside a child with separate toy cars; a communication tablet is within the child's reach.

Join, model and leave space

Prepare: Use two large, age-safe toy cars. Keep the child's car and familiar communication supports available.

Notice: The child rolls their car over a bridge. You bring your own car nearby without taking theirs.

Model and act: You say ‘Go’ as your car rolls. If the child uses AAC, also point to or select go on their familiar board or device as you say it.

Leave space: Stop adding words and leave room for a contribution. Keep playing or helping when needed; do not wait for a particular response.

What happens next?

The adult responds

‘Over the bridge!’ Roll your car where they pointed. Respond to the idea without requesting a word.

Your rehearsal: Try one model with your own car, then practice being quiet while leaving everything accessible.

  • Every way of communicating counts

    Keep familiar AAC available. A gesture, sign, sound, word, action or refusal can shape what happens next.

  • No lesson screen time for your child

    The guidance is for you. Read the steps, then try them together when your child is available and willing.

Created by a licensed, experienced speech-language pathologist who has worked with more than 1,000 children.

Vocalize provides parent education and home-practice support. Individual assessment and treatment stay with your child's clinical team.

RESEARCH BEHIND PARENT-LED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

Your everyday interactions matter

Research on teaching parents responsive communication strategies shows benefits for parent–child interaction and aspects of children’s language. These studies explored specific parent-training approaches.

Support for understanding language

In a randomized trial of 97 toddlers with language delays, caregiver instruction improved children's language understanding and caregivers' use of supportive strategies. The trial excluded children with autism and did not find an overall expressive-language advantage.

Read the study: Roberts & Kaiser · Pediatrics · 2015

The two trials described here included clinician coaching for parents; the 2019 review combined varied parent-training programs. The 2015 trial also included direct work with children. Vocalize is self-guided and has not been tested in a trial.

In Vocalize, explore a parent strategy, see an example, try it in a familiar routine and reflect on what happened. Decide what to try next from there.

VOCALIZE · ENROLLMENT OPEN

One program. Two ways to pay

The same full program, with a payment option that fits your family.

Best value

Annual

$99USD per year

$8.25/month equivalent, billed as one $99 payment each year

Choose annual

Both plans renew automatically until canceled. Cancel anytime and keep access through your paid period. You can request a full refund within 14 calendar days of each annual payment. Plan details · Full refund policy.

BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Is this for us?

You can start wherever your child is with communication.

What if my child uses few or no spoken words?

Start with connection, choices or getting help. AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) includes signs, picture boards and communication devices. Gestures, sounds and speech count too. Keep your child's familiar communication tools available; the goal is a message that works.

How much time do we need?

A short, comfortable moment can be enough. The 5-, 10- and 15-minute plans include adult preparation and reflection. Split a plan, repeat a useful idea or stop early.

Can we use our family's language?

Yes. Adapt communication models into the words and natural sentences your family uses. Instructions and downloads are currently in English. English letter-and-sound worksheets need different examples for other languages.

Does my child need to use the app?

The guidance is for the adult. Read it, then try it in everyday life. Your child's own AAC or communication app stays available.

Can I try Vocalize for free?

Yes. The free starter week includes three activities, the five-step guide and printable reminder cards. No account or payment card is required. These samples stay available; they do not unlock the full paid library or turn into a charge.

Can we join yet?

Yes. The annual plan is available. The monthly plan is available. Compare the plans.

What happens when paid access ends?

Anything you downloaded or printed is yours to keep for your family’s personal practice. Family & settings remains available to export or delete your saved records. Access to the full library, saved-plan editing and other paid features ends.