Check out the Developmental Milestones from birth to 5 years of age and Warning Signs of a communication disorder (ASHA).

Speech-Language Developmental Milestones

Birth – 3 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Startles to loud sounds.
  • Quiets or smiles when spoken to.
  • Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying.
  • Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound.

Talking

  • Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing).
  • Cries differently for different needs.
  • Smiles when sees you.

4 – 6 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Moves eyes in direction of sounds.
  • Responds to changes in tone of your voice.
  • Notices toys that make sounds.
  • Pays attention to music.

Talking

  • Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p,b, and m.
  • Chuckles and laughs.
  • Vocalizes excitement and displeasure.
  • Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you.

 

6 Months – 12 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.
  • Turns and looks in direction of sounds.
  • Listens when spoken to.
  • Recognizes words for common items like cup, shoe, juice.
  • Begins to respond to requests (“Come here,” “Want more?”).

Talking

  • Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as “tata upup bibibibibi.”
  • Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention.
  • Uses gestures to communicate (e.g. waving, holding arms to be picked up).
  • Imitates different speech sounds.
  • Has one or two words (Hi, dog, dada, mama) around first birthday, although sounds may not be clear.

 

12 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Responds to their name.
  • Understands simple directions with gestures.

Talking

  • Uses a variety of sounds.
  • Plays social games like “peek-a-boo.”

 

15 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Plays with different toys.
  • Understands simple directions.

Talking

  • Uses a variety of sounds and gestures to communicate.
  • Uses some simple words to communicate.

 

18 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Understands several body parts.
  • Attempts to imitate words you say.

Talking

  • Uses at least 10–20 words.

 

24 Months

Hearing and Understanding

  • Follows simple commands and understands simple questions (“roll the ball,” “kiss the baby,” “Where’s your shoe?”).
  • Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.
  • Points to pictures in a book when named.

Talking

  • Says more words every month.
  • Uses at least 50 words.
  • Puts two words together (“more cookie,” “no juice,” “mommy book”).
  • Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

 

2 to 3 Years

Hearing and Understanding

  • Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop,” “in-on,” “big-little,” “up-down”).
  • Follows two requests (“Get the book and put it on the table”).
  • Combines three or more words into sentences.
  • Understands simple questions.
  • Recognizes at least two colors.
  • Understands descriptive concepts.

Talking

  • Has a word for almost everything.
  • Uses two or three-words to talk about and ask for things.
  • Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds.
  • Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.
  • Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.
  • Asks why?
  • May stutter on words or sounds.

 

3 to 4 Years

Hearing and Understanding

  • Hears you when you call from another room.
  • Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members.
  • Understands words for some colors like red, blue, and green.
  • Understands words for some shapes like circle and square.
  • Understands words for family like brother, grandmother, and aunt.

Talking

  • Talks about activities at school or at friends’ homes.
  • Talks about what happened during the day. Uses about 4 sentences at a time.
  • People outside of the family usually understand child’s speech.
  • Answers simple “who?” , “what?”, and “where?” questions.
  • Asks when and how questions.
  • Says rhyming words like hat-cat.

4 to 5 Years

Hearing and Understanding

  • Understands words for order such as firstnext, and last.
  • Understands words for time like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
  • Follows longer directions such as “Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then pick a book to read.”
  • Follows classroom directions such as “Look at the pictures. Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat.”
  • Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.

Talking

  • Says all speech sounds in a word. May make mistakes on sounds that are harder to say such as l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th.
  • Responds to “What did you say?”
  • Talks without repeating sounds or words most of the time.
  • Names letters and numbers.
  • Uses sentences that have more than 1 action word like “jump, play, and get.” May make some mistakes such as “Zach gots 2 video games, but I got one.”
  • Tells a short story.
  • Keeps a conversation going.
  • Talks in different ways depending on the listener and place. May use short sentences with younger children or talk louder outside than inside.

Compiled from www.asha.org, “How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?”

Here are some of the common warning signs of a communication disorder by age range:

Birth to 6 Months

  • Developmental or medical problems.
  • Lack of response to sound.
  • Lack of interest in speech.
  • Limited eye contact.
  • Very limited vocalizations.
  • Difficulties with attachment.
  • Lack of interest in socializing.
  • Feeding problems.

 

6 to 12 Months 

  • Limited sound production, lack of variety or amount.
  • Groping oral movements when attempting to make or imitate sounds.
  • Oral-motor problems such as excessive drooling, trouble with solid foods, intolerance to touch in and around the mouth.
  • Lack of interest in sound-making toys, radios, T.V., music, voices.
  • Developmental or medical problems.
  • Lack of response to sound.
  • Lack of interest in speech.
  • Limited eye contact.
  • Feeding problems.
  • Very limited vocalizations.
  • Difficulties with attachment.
  • Lack of interest in socializing.

 

12 to 18 Months

  • Easily distractible.
  • Does not understand any words or directions.
  • Limited sound production, lack of variety or amount.
  • Oral groping movements when attempting to make or imitate sounds.
  • Oral-motor problems such as excessive drooling, trouble with solid foods, intolerance to touch in and around the mouth.
  • Lack of interest in sound-making toys, radios, T.V., music, voices.

 

18 to 24 Months

  • Not using words some of the time to communicate.
  • No interest in imitation.
  • Won’t play games.
  • No jargon.
  • Grunting and pointing as primary means of communication.
  • Easily distractible.
  • Does not understand any words or directions.
  • Limited sound production, lack of variety or amount.

 

2 to 3 Years Old

  • Not combining words.
  • Must be told and retold to carry out simple directions (not just non-compliance).
  • Using only nouns.
  • Poor eye contact.
  • No rapid increase in number of words understood and used.
  • Does not tolerate sitting for listening activity/looking at books, etc.

3 to 4 Years Old

  • Not speaking in full sentences (not necessarily correct grammar, but nice variety of word types).
  • Not using “I” to refer to self.
  • Cannot relate experiences, even in simple telegraphic sentences.