Enrolling my toddler in speech therapy resulted in fewer tantrums. All he needed was language to communicate with me.

• When my son was less than 2 years old, he had only five words in his vocabulary.
• After months in speech therapy, he can use over 100 words and communicate with us.

The temperature sinks with each stroke of the wind. I stand in the elements, shivering, as my 2-year-old lets out all of his air, "SELFFFFFF!" I step back and allow him to buckle the chest clip on his car seat; he silences himself and smiles.

Despite the shrill factor, the cold, and the painstaking amount of time it takes, the noise is music. He's communicating.

Just six months ago, he spoke fewer than five words. Meltdowns were constant. He would scream, throw himself, hit, and high-kick himself through endless rants.

I carried his flailing body out of endless situations — you know the scene — all because he couldn't tell us what he wanted.

This behavior was one of the reasons we enrolled him in speech therapy. It was first recommended by his pediatrician. Initially, we were wary. He was still young, and we figured he would learn to talk on his own. But after taking time to think about it, we realized there were zero downsides. We went all in.

Not being able to tell us what he wanted ended with screams and tears

Compromises were not an option. He is the second child, and his behavior fits the stereotype in every way.

I get it. I'm annoyed when my husband puts on yet another war movie or chooses McDonald's for the umpteenth time in a row. I tell him that. I have the ability to share my thoughts.

But for our son, before he could talk, that wasn't a choice.

Forced to go along with someone else's plan for the day, the only way to object was through screams and grunts. He was just as frustrated as I was. Much of the time, I don't even think the fits were about what took place but the lost feeling of wanting to tell something, anything.

He was a little man with big feelings and no way to discuss them with the people who made him feel safest.

He could communicate in other ways

He still found ways to communicate with us. He aced sign language and could bring me anything in sight to symbolize a need. When he was a baby, it worked great. But as he got older, with more complicated thoughts, his need to discuss grew.

After receiving a doctor referral, he started attending speech therapy once a week. It wasn't an immediate fit; his first teacher was well-intended, but her office was flush with toys, and he was too distracted to even attempt to speak.

We switched offices and found a different, more experienced provider. She was enthusiastic to work with him, and he was overwhelmingly excited for personal attention. He got to choose toys and was catered to with his own interests.

After months of therapy, our son can speak hundreds of words. He strings them together, making broken but understandable sentences. He can express how he feels and what he wants — up to five words at a time. And because of it, his fit throwing has plummeted. He still throws them occasionally — he is 2 after all — but they're less severe and further between.

He visits his speech teacher, Megan, every week. They play, based on his prompts, and he learns in the process.

His progress skyrocketed, and he enjoys the attention and is constantly asking: "See speech? See Megan?" That's a testament to how much she's loved.

Whether he's with her, playing trucks with his big brother, or just walking up to me asking the same questions a hundred times over, he's a person who just wants to be heard. Now, he has the ability to do so without screaming.

Now, if he could only achieve the dexterity to buckle his own car seat, we'd really be gaining ground.