SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
Every child develops at his/her own rate. The information below outlines the ages at which most children will reach language milestones. Please contact our speech-language pathologists for additional information.

Birth to 3 months
- The child makes cooing sounds
- The child has different cries for different needs
- The child smiles at you
- The child is startled due to loud sounds
- The child is soothed/calmed by a familiar voice
4 to 6 months
- The child babbles and makes different sounds
- The child makes sounds back to you when you talk
- The child enjoys games like peek-a-boo
- The child turn his/her eyes toward a sound source
- The child responds to music or toys that make noise
7 to12 months
- The child should wave hi/bye
- The child responds to his/her name
- The child lets you know what he/she wants using sounds, and actions like pointing
- The child begins to follow simple directions ( e.g., Where is your nose?)
- The child localizes sound by turning his/her head toward the sound
- The child pays attention when spoken to
By 12 to 18 months
- The child should use common words and start to put words together
- The child enjoys listening to storybooks
- The child points to body parts or pictures in a book when asked
- The child looks at your face when talking to you
By 18 to 24 months
- The child understands more words than he/she can say
- The child says two words frequently (e.g., More juice)
- The child asks simple questions (e.g., What’s that?)
- The child takes turns in a conversation
2 to 3 years
- The child should use sentences of three or more words most of the time
- The child understands different concepts (e.g., in-on; up-down)
- The child follows two-part directions (e.g., take the book and put it on the table)
- The child answers simple questions (e.g., Where is the car?)
- The child participates in short conversations
3 to 4 years
- The child should tell a short story or talk about daily activities
- The child talks in sentences with adult-like grammar
- The child generally speaks clearly so people understand him/her
- The child hears you when you call to them from another room
- The child listens to the television at the same volume as others
- The child answers a variety of questions
4 to 5 years
- The child should tell a short story or talk about daily activities
- The child talks in sentences with adult-like grammar
- The child generally speaks clearly so people understand him/her
- The child hears you when you call to them from another room
- The child listens to the television at the same volume as others
- The child answers a variety of questions