Therapy waitlists are 18+ months — what helped while you waited?
Posted May 10, 2026
We got the diagnosis. We got the recommendations. Then we got the waitlists: 14 months for OT, 18 months for speech, "call back in spring" for the developmental pediatrician follow-up.
I know we are not alone in this. Half this community could write the same paragraph.
What we've been doing in the gap:
- Free / low-cost early intervention through the school district (in the U.S., this is sometimes Part C for under 3, or special-ed preschool from 3+).
- Parent-coaching models — some clinics offer a few sessions of "here's what to work on at home" rather than full therapy.
- Low-tech AAC at home (picture cards, simple choice boards) before formal SLP guidance.
- Books written by autistic adults, which honestly reframed our parenting more than any therapist did in the first year.
- Other parents. This community, basically.
What helped your family during the wait? Did any "free" or community resources turn out to be more valuable than the eventual paid services? And how did you stay sane when the system itself felt like it was working against you?