Speech and Language Milestones

Speech & Language Milestones 
 
All Children develop at different rates. However, the following are GENERAL guidelines that children typically reach by the age noted.
 
A one year old infant typically:
  • Enjoys participating in social games such as peek-a-boo and pat-cake
  • Recognizes words for common objects
  • Listens when spoken to
  • Turns towards speaker
  • Imitates different speech sounds
  • Makes sounds to call for attention
  • Uses gestures to communicate (waving to greet, holding arms to be picked up)
  • Follows simple 1-step directions ("come here" to "Clap your hands"
  • Uses ten words ("baba',for bottle, "Mama"), although they may not be pronounced clearly
  • Responds to "give me" while holding an object
  • Points to two action words
  • Imitates 3 animal sounds 

 A two year old child typically:

  •  Identifies a few body parts on themselves or others
  • Enjoys songs and rhymes
  • Attends to simple stories
  • Uses all vowel sounds
  • Points to pictures when describes
  • Follows 2-step commands ("Get the ball and throw it")
  • Understands basic questions ("where's your hat?"
  • Asks 1-2 words that represent different ideas together ("More cookie", "Go out", "No juice")
  • Has about a 50 word vocabulary
  • Understands the concept of "one"
  • Uses own name to refer to self

A three year old typically:

  •  Attends to stories for longer periods of time
  • Is understood by familiar listeners 75% of the time
  • Requests objects by naming them
  • Understands opposites ("go/stop", "in/on", big/little", "up/down")
  • Follows three step related directions ("get the crayon, come to the table and color")
  • Uses 3 word phrases (on the average) to express wants and needs (i.e., "Baby eat apple")
  • Responds to and asks Wh-questions (i.e., who, what, where, when)
  • States his or her gender 

A four to five year old child typically:

  • Recalls events about activities at school or at a friend's house
  • Uses sentences that, on the average, have four to five words
  • Enjoys playing imaginative play