Speech & Language
Select the age of your child to see the milestones:
Downloads:
Hearing & Understanding
(7 months - 1 year)
- Turns and looks in the direction of sounds
- Listens when spoken to
- Recognizes words for common items like “cup”, “shoe”, “juice”
- Responds to name
- Begins to respond to simple requests (“come here”, “want more”)
- Smiles when smiled at and can follow eye gaze
Talking & Play Skills
(7 months - 1 year)
- Babbling with both long and short groups of sounds “tata upup bibibibib”
- Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention
- Imitates different speech sounds
- Has 1 or 2 words (bye-bye, dad, mama)
- Enjoys games like peak-a-boo and pat-a-cake
- Joint attention
- Reacts to emotions
Hearing & Understanding
(1 - 2 years)
- Points to a few body parts
- Follows 1-2 step directions and understands simple questions (“roll the ball”, “kiss the baby”, “go get your shoes”)
- Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes
- Points to pictures in a book when named
Talking & Play Skills
(1 - 2 years)
- Says more words every month, sometimes every day
- Uses some 1-2 word questions (where kitty? go bye-bye?)
- Puts 2 words together (more cookie, no juice, mommy book)
- Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words
- Points to objects to get others engaged (joint attention)
- Plays near other children, begins to imitate
- Greets others, takes turns
- Brings objects to adult, requests action with words/ gestures
Hearing & Understanding
(2 - 3 years)
- Hears when you call from another room
- Answers simple “who?”, “what?”, & “where?” questions
- Follows 2-step directions
- Understands concepts “inside”, “under”, “on top”
- Points to 5-6 body parts when asked
Talking & Play Skills
(2 - 3 years)
- Has a word for almost everything (50-200 words)
- Uses 2-3 words to talk about and ask for things
- Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time
- Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them
- Acts out simple themes from own experience
- Talks to self during play
Hearing & Understanding
(3 - 4 years)
- Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop”, “in-on”, “big-little”, “up-down”)
- Follows 2 step, related directions (“Get the book and put it on the table”)
- Understands action words (“jump, run, wash”) and descriptive words (“big, wet, little”)
- Matches objects to pictures
Talking & Play Skills
(3 - 4 years)
- Talks about activities completed earlier from school or home
- People outside the family understand the child’s speech
- Uses sentences that have 4 or more words
- Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words
- Cooperative play begins
- Begins to share and show empathy and emotions
- Able to maintain a topic
Hearing & Understanding
(4 - 5 years)
- Pays attention to short stories and answers simple questions
- Hears and understands most of what is said in school
- Understands spatial concepts (under, in back of, in front of)
- Makes inferences from pictures and stories
- Understands and can produce rhyming words
Talking & Play Skills
(4 - 5 years)
- Says most sounds correctly except l, s, r, v, z, j, ch, sh, th.
- Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family
- Uses sentences that give lots of details (I like to read by books)
- Tells stories that stick to topic
- Communicates easily with other children and adults
- Understand that other people have thoughts
