Speech & Language Milestones

Children may need to see a speech-language pathologist if they haven’t met communication milestones. Some things to look for would be: difficulty repeating sounds, not saying new words, lack of joint attention and difficulty understanding common vocabulary. Speech norms are based on age, culture and language. See how your child is developing by looking at the speech & language milestones chart.

Birth-3 Months

  • Startles at loud sounds. 

  • Cries when hungry or uncomfortable

  • Turns head towards voice

  • Makes cooing sounds

  • Cries change for different needs

  • Smiles at people

3-6 Months

  • Laughs out loud

  • Briefly stops when name is called

  • Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure

  • Imitates sounds

  • makes noise when spoken to

6-9 Months

  • Responds to the gestures of like “up, goodbye”

  • Produces 3 or more consonants

  • Moves body to music

  • Uses word for parent or caregiver

  • Pitch and intonation change

9-12 Months

  • Follows simple spoken commands ie (Give sock)

  • Responds to “where” questions

  • Can point to 5 or more familiar people or things

  • Spontaneously says familiar greetings and farewells

  • Briefly stops activity when told no

1.5-2 years

  • Names familiar characters from tv or books

  • Uses two word phrases (eg. more milk)

  • Can point to 15 or more common items when named

  • Knows the names of at least 2 playmates

  • Can point to at least 6 body parts

2-2.5 years

  • Identifies common objects by their use

  • Uses three or more words to make a sentence

  • Understands negatives ( Which one is not)

  • Uses some regular plurals

2.5-3 years

  • Understands big and little

  • Can describe what they are doing

  • Responds to “who” questions

  • Understands “beside” and “under”

3-3.5 years

  • Names primary colors

  • Can say full name

  • Can answer questions when told a short story

  • Uses contractions

  • Uses regular past tense forms

  • Uses pronouns

3.5-4 years

  • Uses facial expressions and body language to show emotions

  • Understands passive sentences

  • Makes statements about cause and effect

  • Can define at least 5 simple words

  • Can tell how simple objects are used

4-4.5 years

  • Identifies rhyming words

  • Completes simple verbal analogies

  • Can say similarities between objects

  • Uses possessives

  • Uses sentences of five or more words.

4.5-5 years

  • Responds to questions involving time

  • Generates complex sentences

  • Tells familiar stories without picture cues

  • Can give at least three descriptive words that characterize an object

  • Participates in group discussion

5-6 years

  • Uses irregular plurals

  • Knows what you do in each season

  • Tells simple jokes

  • Identifies left and right on their body

  • Uses “yesterday” and “tomorrow”

  • Can identify at least 3 units of currency

“Quiet people have the loudest minds.”

- Stephen Hawking

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Have questions about your child’s development?

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