How Jeaneen Tang Uses “Play Dumb and Sabotage” to Unlock Child Language Development

In this insightful episode of the Authors On Mission podcast, hosted by Danielle Hutchinson, author and speech therapist Jeaneen Tang sits down to share the inspiration behind her book Play Dumb and Sabotage. Drawing from her personal journey as both a therapist and a parent of a child with special needs, Jeaneen introduces practical strategies that help children naturally practice and strengthen their language skills.

Her approach—rooted in “playing dumb” and strategic sabotage—encourages parents and educators to create opportunities for communication by under-anticipating needs, asking absurd questions, and setting up situations that prompt children to respond.

✨ In this episode, you’ll gain practical tips such as:

1. 📝 Adding pauses to give children time to respond
2. 📚 Slowing down speech to help kids process language more effectively
3. 👏 Breaking words into syllables to improve intelligibility
4. 💡 Observing reactions before immediately responding to encourage natural interaction

Jeaneen also shares her plans for developing online courses tailored to parents, educators, and therapists, making her methods more accessible to diverse audiences.

👉 Whether you are a parent, caregiver, or professional working with children, this conversation offers creative strategies to support language growth in everyday life.

🎙️ Check out more amazing author journey stories in Authors On Mission podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12U5nbvPkcgC83VK9j4lPM?si=6ddaaa0c8a034436

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/authors-on-mission/id1585639049

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@authorsonmission

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