Milestones related to Speech and Language: The course of children's development is mapped using a chart of developmental milestones. These milestones are behaviors that emerge over time, forming the building block for continued learning. First 3 months 4-6 months 6-12 months 12-18 months 18-24 months 2-3 years 3-4 years 4-5 years 5-6 years First 3 months Development Becomes startled at loud noises Is soothed by calm, gentle voices Likes to cuddle and enjoys being held Cries, gurgles, grunts, says "ah" Has strong muscles in cheeks and tongue Warning Signs Shows no reaction to sound 4-6 months Development Tries to "talk" to you Enjoys interacting with you and smiles at you Establishes eye contact with mother Watches your face with interest when you talk Coos and squeals for attention Has a special cry when hungry Laughs during play Repeats some sounds often Warning Signs Are any of the above behaviors absent? 6-12 months Development Babbles using a variety of sounds (i.e., baba, dada, nana) Begins to use jargon (babbling that sounds like real talking) Uses speech intentionally for the first time Uses gestures to communicate (waving bye, pointing) Tries to sing along with radio or TV Laughs and may imitate cough Protests Understands some common words when used with gestures (i.e., "bye-bye", "up", "give me" and own name) Responds to own name Understands "no" Recognizes words for common objects Warning Signs Are you concerned about your child's responsiveness or babbling? Does your child have recurrent ear infections? 12-18 months Development Uses 3-10 words, primarily nouns Expresses wants by using gestures and vocalizations Nods "yes" and shakes head for "no" Understands simple questions/statements (i.e., "Where is your nose?", "Give me…" Recognizes pictures of familiar persons Enjoys rhythm and likes to "dance" to music Plays by him/herself Warning Signs Does you child not talk at all? Is your child sociable? 18-24 months Development Says some 2 word sentences such as "more milk", "all gone", "me go" Asks for a cookie or toy Pronouns emerge (i.e., me, mine) Asks questions (i.e., "go bye-bye?" "Where mommy?") Uses 50-100+ words Understands "where is mommy/daddy?" Understands more words than can speak/say Understands 300+ words Enjoys listening to stories Follows two-step commands (e.g., "Get the ball and put it on the table.") Knows 5 body parts Speech is understood 25-50% of the time Warning Signs Does your child use more gestures than words? Are you concerned about your child's ability to talk and/or understand? 2-3 years Development Combines words in 3-4 word sentences (e.g., "Me do it.") Uses 200-300 words Uses action verbs (e.g., "go") Answers simple questions (i.e., What's your name?', "Which one is the big doll?") Can put a toy "in", "on", "under" when asked Answers simple questions about objects (e.g., "Which one do we eat with?") Understand 500-900 words Understands concepts such as one/all, on/off, big/little Speech is understood 50-70% of the time Uses consonants (p, b, m, n, h, w) correctly Warning Signs Does your child show frustration when trying to talk? Do you have difficulty understanding your child's speech? Does your child put 2 words together? 3-4 years Development Tells first and last name Tells a short story (e.g., two kids played blocks) Gives directions such as "Fix this for me." Asks many questions (i.e., "what", "where", "why") Expresses feelings (i.e., happy, sad) Consistently uses plurals, possessives, verbs Understands questions about a picture story (e.g., "Where did the dog go?") Understands 800-1500 words Follows 3-step directions Plays in groups Speech sounds are 80% intelligible Warning Signs Is your child's speech difficult to understand? Are your child's speech skills not at age level described? 4-5 years Development Describes objects and events Can show you "top", "bottom", and several colors Uses 1,000- 2,000 words Communicates easily with peers and adults Uses 8-10 word sentences Uses grammatically correct sentences Understands 2,800 words Answers questions regarding object functions (e.g., "What do you do with a spoon?") Answers complex "wh" questions Demonstrates complex role plays Shows interest in group activity Plays simple games Warning Signs Does your child use complete sentences? Does your child stutter? Does your child not seem to be able to follow directions? 5-6 years Development Vocabulary of approximately 2,000-3,000 words Uses almost all adult forms and structures, with occasional errors Tells stories, asks questions, exchanges information Tells imaginative tales and familiar stories Can answer telephone and carry on logical conversations Citations 1. Information compiled by CA Speech-Language=Hearing Association Dist. 2 Better Hearing and speech Month Committee (1997) from a variety of sources which include ASHA (1983); Shipley & McAfee (1993); Lippke, Diekey, Solmar, and Soder (1997); and Owens (1996) 2. blankees.com/baby/speech/