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.
• 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.
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
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.
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.