Examine the communication milestones listed below to track your child’s speech and language development
0-3 Months
- Quiets or smiles in response to sound or voice
- Turns head towards sound or voice
- Shows interest in faces
- Makes eye contact
- Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)
- Coos and smiles
4-6 Months
- Reacts to sudden noises or sounds
- Listens and responds when spoken to
- Begins to use consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “da, da, da”
- Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings
- Notices toys that make sounds
- Uses babbling to get attention
7-9 Months
- Uses increased variety of sounds and syllable combinations in babbling
- Looks at familiar objects and people when named
- Recognizes sound of their name
- Participates in two-way communication
- Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures
- Shows recognition of commonly used words
- Simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no”
- Imitates sounds
10-12 Months
- Meaningfully uses “mama” or “dada”
- Responds to simple directions, e.g. “Come here”
- Produces long strings of gibberish (jargoning) in social communication
- Says one or two words
- Imitates speech sounds
- Babbling has sounds and rhythms of speech
- Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing
- Responds to “no”
- Begins using hand movements to communicate wants and needs, e.g. reaches to be picked up
13-18 Months
By 15 months:
- May use 5-10 words
- Combines sounds and gestures
- Imitate simple words and actions
- Consistently follows simple directions
- Shows interest in pictures
- Can identify 1-2 body parts when named
- Understands 50 words
By 18 months:
- Responds to questions
- Continues to produce speech-like babbling
- Points at familiar objects and people in pictures
- Understands “in” and “on”
- Responds to yes/no questions with head shake/nod
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
19-24 Months
By 21 months:
- Uses at least 50 words
- Consistently imitates new words
- Names objects and pictures
- Understands simple pronouns (me, you, my)
- Identifies 3-5 body parts when named
- Understands new words quickly
By 24 months:
- Begins to use 2 word phrases
- Uses simple pronoun (me, you, my)
- Understands action words
- Uses gestures and words in pretend play
- Follows 2-step related direction e.g. “Pick up your coat and bring it to me”
- Enjoys listening to stories
2-3 Years
By 30 months:
- Consistently uses 2-3 word phrases
- Uses “in” and “on”
- At least 50% of speech is understood by caregiver
- Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get your coat”
- Understands basic nouns and pronouns
- Understands “mine” and “yours”
By 36 months:
- Ask “what” and “where” questions
- Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs”
- Most speech is understood by caregiver
- Simple understanding of concepts including color, space, time
- Understands “why” questions
- Understands most simple sentences
If your child is not meeting communication milestones, trust your instincts and discuss your concerns with a healthcare provider. Don’t hesitate to schedule a screening with a speech-language pathologist – many clinics offer developmental screenings for free.
