Is your child talking less than other kids their age?
In Austin, you can get a free speech evaluation. ECI helps if your child is under 3, and your public school district helps from age 3. Below you’ll find who to call, what happens next and simple ways to practice at home while you wait.
If something on this list worries you, you don’t need to wait and see. You can ask for a free evaluation right away.
An evaluation is a check of how your child talks and understands words. It usually happens through play, often with a speech therapist.
ECI is Texas’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers up to 36 months. You can call ECI yourself, without a doctor’s referral.
Your public school district evaluates children from age 3 for free, even before they start school. If you live in Austin ISD, send a short written request to its special education office.
A university clinic for children and adults with speech, language or hearing needs. Call to ask about an appointment, fees and wait times.
These services are run independently of Speech Blubs.
Watch and respond together.Getting an appointment can take time. Speech Blubs gives you short activities to do together: your child watches other kids say words and make sounds, then tries too.
Pick a topic your child loves, like animals or snacks.
Watch together and pause. Give your child time to look, point or say a word.
Use the word later, at snack time or in a book.
ShannonMom of three autistic sonsIt's just really been a joy to see how much fun he has using the app.
AnaMom of a 2-year-oldIt's definitely one of my favorite apps right now for my little one.
LezlieMom of a toddlerHe looks forward to it every day because we get to take a fun picture.
NoelleMom, sister of a speech therapistMy sister is an SLP, and she actually told us to download this app for my kid.
KaterinaMom and educatorI started looking for something that was research-backed and supported by professionals.
MimiMomIt has so many different resources to help your child with their first words up to learning how to build sentences.
Father of a 23-month-oldWhen I tell her it's time to play her game, she runs and gets up on the couch to play.
LindsayMom of a 2-year-oldThey agreed that we could be doing some more practice at home.
ChristinaMom of EdenWe aren't completely there, but we're closer than we ever have been.
MikeDad of a toddlerGail responds really well to seeing kids his age or a little bit older doing things that he's doing.
If your child sees a therapist, ask which activities fit.
The app content is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Swedish, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Romanian. You can switch the language in the app menu. Read the language FAQ.
Use a walk, a book, or a snack as a reason to talk together. Follow what interests your child.
A large public park on West Slaughter Lane, good for a short nature walk.
Name something your child notices with a short phrase, such as “big tree.” Pause for their response.
A nearby Austin Public Library branch in southwest Austin, with picture books to borrow.
Choose a picture your child likes and talk about it together. Connect it to a toy at home.
Offer two familiar toys or foods and name each one. Give your child time to respond. Follow a look, gesture, sound, or word.
Opening hours change, so check the website before you go.
Short answers about free help, costs and the app.
The evaluation is free: through ECI under age 3, or through your public school district from age 3. School speech services are free if your child qualifies. ECI therapy costs depend on family size and income, and no family is turned away because they can’t pay. Find free help.
Texas Medicaid covers speech therapy for children when it’s medically necessary. Private plans differ, so call the number on your insurance card and ask about pediatric speech therapy. Find free help.
Not for ECI or the school district: you can contact them yourself. The school district must answer a written request for an evaluation in writing within 15 school days. Texas Medicaid and many insurance plans need a referral from your child’s doctor. Find free help.
Many 2-year-olds put two words together, like “more milk.” If your child doesn’t yet, it’s a good time to ask ECI for a free evaluation. You don’t need to wait and see. Find free help.
No. It gives you short activities to practice together at home. A speech therapist evaluates your child and plans the therapy. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is available in English and Spanish, plus 11 more languages. You can switch the language in the app menu. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is a subscription. You’ll see the current price and any trial in the quiz before you pay. Choose your child’s age.
Start with the quiz to learn about the app for your child.
In Circle C Ranch, you can ask for a free speech evaluation through ECI or your public school district. The metropolitan park on West Slaughter Lane and the Hampton Branch library are good places to practice talking.
If your child is under 3, call ECI, Texas’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers. Austin has more than one ECI program. Yours depends on your ZIP code, so search with your own ZIP on the Texas HHS website. You can call yourself, and the evaluation is free. From age 3, write to your public school district and ask for a free evaluation. The district must answer in writing within 15 school days. Texas Medicaid covers speech therapy for children when it’s medically necessary.
Circle C Ranch at Slaughter Creek Metropolitan Park is a public park on West Slaughter Lane. Pick a small part of the park for a short walk. Let your child choose where to stop and what to look at. Name what they find in two words, like “big rock” or “bird sings”. Then wait for their answer. A short walk with a few good stops is plenty.
Hampton Branch at Oak Hill is a nearby Austin Public Library branch in southwest Austin. You can reserve a nature book online and pick it up together. At home, read a favorite page about rocks, birds or bugs. Point and name: “look, a bug”. Let your child point to the next thing. Reading the same page many times is fine, and it helps the words stick.
We last checked these details in October 2026.
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