I can no longer go into the therapy room with my kid. If I’m there, he’s done. Forget walking. Forget tasting new foods. And you can definitely forget using his communication skills. When he spots me, he thinks the work day is done. He can sit back and relax because I should instinctively know what he needs. And he’s right. I usually do know what he wants to say before he says it. But letting him off the hook so that he does not use his words is doing him an injustice. He needs a voice that can speak a universal language so the world can listen in too. In honor of free speech, here are five easy ways to get your kid to talk to you in ways that everyone can understand. Click the picture to read my article in Parenting Special Needs Magazine.