Speech Happens
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association provides milestones by age, which are provided below to aid families and professionals in identifying signs of a communication disorder. For more specific information regarding speech and language development, please contact us.
One to Two Years:
• Points to a few body parts when asked.
• 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.
• Says more words every month.
• Uses some one- or two- word questions ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's that?").
• Puts two words together ("more cookie," "no juice," "mommy book").
• Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
• 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.
• Says more words every month.
• Uses some one- or two- word questions ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's that?").
• Puts two words together ("more cookie," "no juice," "mommy book").
• Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Two to Three Years:
• Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," "in-on," "big-little," "up- down").
• Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table").
• Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time
• 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
• Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table").
• Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time
• 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
Three to Four Years:
• 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
• 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
• Uses pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they
• Uses some plural words, like toys, birds, and buses
• Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words.
• Understands words for some shapes, like circle and square
• Understands words for family, like brother, grandmother, and aunt
• 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
• Uses pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they
• Uses some plural words, like toys, birds, and buses
• Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words.
Four to Five Years:
• Understands words for order, like first, next, and last.
• Understands words for time, like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
• Follows longer directions, like "Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then pick out a book."
• Follows classroom directions, like "Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat."
• Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.
• Says all speech sounds in words. May make mistakes on sounds that are harder to say, like 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.
• Tells a short story.
• Keeps a conversation going.
• Talks in different ways depending on the listener and place.
• Understands words for time, like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
• Follows longer directions, like "Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then pick out a book."
• Follows classroom directions, like "Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat."
• Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.
• Says all speech sounds in words. May make mistakes on sounds that are harder to say, like 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.
• Tells a short story.
• Keeps a conversation going.
• Talks in different ways depending on the listener and place.
