Building Early Connections: Finding Your Village in Prince George’s County

Hey there, families! If you’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately trying to navigate your child’s communication journey, I want you to take a deep breath. You are absolutely not alone.

Back in April, the Prince George’s County Department of Health and the County Council sponsored a wonderful series called Early Connections. This initiative was beautifully designed to help families recognize the early signs of autism and connect with support, strategies, and resources as early as possible.

I had the opportunity to attend the event at the Hyattsville Library, and my notebook was overflowing! I learned about so many incredible parent supports for young children in general, but especially for our neurodivergent families.

The Reality of the Journey

As an early intervention speech-language pathologist and small business owner here in the county, my heart is always focused on sharing community resources. I know how heavy the road can feel. You are trying to understand your child’s unique communication style, advocate for educational accommodations, and adjust your own expectations for the future—all while managing the daily grind of work, family, and life that everyone else is juggling, too.

Because I want to make sure you get all the information I collected, this is part one of a three-part blog series dedicated to sharing what I learned at the Early Connections fair. My genuine hope is that these resources give you a path toward compassionate, family-friendly support.

📌 Special Note: While I am excited to share these local organizations to give you a helpful starting point, please note that I do not have direct personal experience with them, and listing them does not mean a formal endorsement.

Local Resources to Explore

Here are four community resources highlighted at the fair that focus on diagnostic support, behavioral health, and therapy:

• High Quality Care: https://www.highqualitycareinc.com/intervention-intake

  This is a fantastic place to start if you are looking for answers. Supported by Prince George's County, they offer a free comprehensive early detection and developmental assessment intake form for children ages 0–5 residing in the county. This authorized program helps families access the evaluations and diagnoses needed to kickstart therapeutic services.

• Renoxx Caregivers: https://www.renoxxcaregivers.com/home-and-community-based-provider-our-aba-program

• If your child is on the Maryland Medical Assistance Autism Waiver, Renoxx is a licensed provider for the Home and Community-Based Program. They focus on personalized support to promote independence and improve quality of life for the whole family.

• Global Pediatric Center: https://www.globalpediacenter.com/

  A multidisciplinary center offering compassionate, comprehensive care. They bring together occupational therapy, speech therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA), and diagnostic services under one roof.

• AprilMay: https://www.amayinc.com/aso-benefits

  A pediatric mental and behavioral health provider committed to helping youth and families thrive within their community through a wide range of supportive services and activities.

A Simple Strategy for Home: "Parallel Talking"

While you look into these local resources, you can boost your child's communication today using a simple speech strategy called Parallel Talking.

Think of yourself as a sports commentator for your child's life. Instead of asking them a bunch of questions (like "What are you building?"), simply describe what they are doing in real-time using short sentences.

If they are playing with blocks, you might say: "Wow, you are building a big tower! Pushing the blue block. Uh oh, it’s falling!"

This maps language directly onto what your child is seeing and feeling in the moment, supporting both their receptive language (understanding words) and expressive language (using words). It takes the pressure off them to perform and fills their environment with rich, meaningful speech.

Let's Connect!

Finding the right path takes time, and every small step counts. If you are looking for personalized, family-centered speech therapy right here in Prince George's County and Montgomery County to help unlock your toddler's communication style, I would love to chat. Reach out today to see how we can partner together to help your little one thrive!

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will dive into local parent support groups and family advocacy resources. You've got this!