Let’s start with a universal understanding—parenting is hard, no matter the circumstances. Every parent faces criticism of their parenting decisions: breast or bottle, cloth or disposable, working- or stay-at-home caregivers, screen time or no screen time; you get the idea. But certain circumstances, especially those that we can’t choose (e.g., parent mental health, prematurity, socio-economic disadvantage, childhood disorders) can add to the pressures, stresses, and challenges of parenthood.  

SLPs need to know how those challenges affect development, so we turn to science, which answers a lot of specific questions for us. But when we take off our science goggles and look…