Milestones

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones

Articulation/Speech

  • Uses sentence-like intonations (jargon)
  • Some echolalia
  • Uses most vowels and consonants in jargon
  • Omits final consonants and some initial consonants
  • Basically unintelligible with exception of a few words
  • Words produced with consonant vowel-structure (bo/boat) emerge
  • Accurately imitates some words

Receptive Language

  • Follows simple one-step commands
  • Points to recognized objects (emerging nomination)
  • Begins to claim certain objects (emerging possession)
  • Points to one to three body parts on command
  • Identifies 2 or more objects or pictures from a group
  • Perceives others emotions
  • Recognizes own name
  • Understands “no”
  • Waves good-bye

Expressive Language

  • Uses 3 to 20 words
  • Vocalizes with gestures
  • Says “all gone” (emerging negation)
  • Answers question, “what’s this?”
  • Asks for “more” (emerging recurrence)
  • Imitates familiar words
  • Makes some environmental noises, familiar animals and machines
  • 50% of utterances are nouns
  • Average length of responses are 1 to 2 words

Play

  • Solitary or onlooker play – self play
  • Continual walking activities
  • Begins running – stiff and awkward
  • Scribbles spontaneously with crayon
  • Can remove mittens, socks, hat
  • Puts object in and out of containers
  • Can figure out ways to overcoming some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places)
  • Imitates many things (sweeping, combing hair – self-use)
  • Pulls toys; carries or hugs doll, teddy bear
  • Very rapid shifts in attention-especially expressed by gross motor shifts

Social Skills/Pragmatics

  • Bring objects to show an adult
  • Requests objects by pointing, vocalizing, or using word approximation
  • Solicits another’s attention vocally, physically and possibly with a word (“mommy”)
  • Gesturally request action/assistance (may give back wind-up toy to request activation)
  • Says “bye” and possibly a few conversational words such as “hi”, “thank-you” and “please”
  • Protests by saying “no,” shaking head, moving away, frowning or pushing objects away
  • Comments on object/action by directing listener’s attention to it
  • Acknowledges another’s speech by eye contact, vocally responding or repeating a word
  • Teases, scolds and warns using gestures plus a vocalization or word approximation

Articulation/Speech

  • Words increase in frequency,jargon almost gone by 2 years
  • Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase
  • Improvement in intelligibility – approximately 65% intelligible
  • Appearance of words produced with consonant – vowel – consonant structure (hot)

Receptive Language

  • Comprehends approximately 300 words
  • Follows simple two-step commands
  • Listens as pictures are named
  • Listens to simple stories – especially likes ones heard before
  • Points to five body parts on self or doll
  • Responds approximately to yes/no questions (head shake)
  • Object permanence fully acquired (knows something is there even when they cannot see it)
  • Discriminates food from other objects (unwraps candy before eating it)
  • Imitates only events that are present to the senses, not those from past experiences

Expressive Language

  • Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
  • Uses names of most familiar objects
  • Produces animal sounds or uses its name
  • Verbalizes toilet needs – may verbalize before, during or after act (closer to 2 years)
  • Identifies and names five or more pictures
  • Says own name on request – refers to self with full name
  • Verbalizes “no”
  • Verbalizes immediate experiences
  • Combines 2 words into phrases (~2 years) in noun Verb or noun+adjective form

Grammer and Syntax

  • Begins to use some verbs and adjectives
  • Follows directions using one or two spatial concepts (in/on)
  • Negation used in form of “no” (no bed)
  • Possessive emerging (daddy car)
  • Refers to self with pronoun and name (me Tommy)
  • 33% utterances are nouns

Play

  • Parallel play begins – will play near others but not with them
  • Talks to self as he/she plays
  • Little social give-and-take – little interest in what others say or do buy hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair or kicking
  • Does not ask for help; likes rapid shifts of attention
  • Transports blocks in a wagon rather that just building
  • Relates action to object or another person – washes, feeds combs doll in addition to self

Social Skills/Pragmatics

  • Names objects in front of others
  • Says “what’s that” to elicit attention
  • Begins to express commands, indicate possession and express problems
  • Much verbal turn-taking

Articulation/Speech

  • Approximately 50 – 70% intelligible
  • May omit final consonants; reduces consonant blends; substitutes one consonant for another

Receptive Language

  • Comprehends approximately 500 words
  • Listens to a 5 to 10 minute story
  • Carries out a series of two related commands
  • Identifies actions in pictures
  • Has concepts “one and “all”

Expressive Language

  • Uses approximately 50 – 200 intelligible words
  • Names 6 objects by use
  • Repeats two numbers correctly
  • Answers “where” questions
  • Answers “what” questions
  • Answers “what do you hear with?” meaning that they understand the function of body parts?

Grammer and Syntax

  • Articles “a” and “the” appear in sentences
  • Present progressive “ing” on verbs
  • Regular plural forms emerging (cat+cats)
  • Uses in/on correctly
  • Irregular past tense emerging
  • Uses some contractions in memorized form (don’t, can’t, it’s)
  • Appropriate use of at least two pronouns
  • Asks basic questions (“daddy gone?” “what’s this?”)
  • Understands concept of first- and second- person pronouns (I, you)
  • 25% of utterances are nouns, 25% are verbs
  • Combines three to four words in subject + verb + object format
  • Average response is 2 – 3 words

Play

  • Parallel play dominates
  • Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes (imaginative play)
  • Aligns three or more cubes to make a train; pushes train
  • Builds tower of six to seven blocks
  • Imitates drawing a vertical line
  • Sequences related actions in play such as preparing food for a doll, feeding it, wipes its mouth

Social Skills/Pragmatics

  • Engages in short dialogues
  • Expresses emotion
  • Uses attention-getting words, such as “hey”
  • Clarifies and ask for clarification
  • Begins to provide descriptive details

Articulation/Speech

  • Still some substitutions and distortions of consonants
  • Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d,
  • Is approximately 70-80% intelligible

Receptive Language

  • Comprehends approximately 900 words
  • Listens to a 20 minute story
  • Knows own sex and difference
  • Knows in/on/under, big/little
  • Matches colors
  • Is cautious of common dangers
  • Has complicated, sequenced routines for daily activities; objects to change

Expressive Language

  • Expresses 500 intelligible words
  • Answers 6-7 agent action questions… “What runs?”
  • Answers simple “who, why, where, how many” questions
  • Yes/no questions emerging
  • Repeats sentences of six to seven syllables accurately

Grammar/Syntax

  • Auxiliary “is/am + ing” (girl is running)
  • Uses “is” + adjective (ball is red)
  • Regular past-tense verbs appear (walk/walked)
  • Uses “s” for possession (daddy’s car)
  • Uses pronouns – I, me, you, mine (he and she are emerging)
  • Negative “not” emerging
  • Uses contracted form of “is” (he’s running)
  • Uses imperatives (commands: go get it, don’t)
  • Adverbs of location emerging (here, there)
  • Understands “est” adjective marker (biggest)
  • Comprehends third-person pronouns (he, she)
  • Average phrase 3-4 words

Play

  • Dramatization and imagination begin to encounter play
  • Imitates drawing a circle/straight line
  • Interest in combining play things
  • Plays with others in small groups
  • Names own drawing
  • Watches cartoons on TV
  • Builds tower of none blocks

Social Skills/Pragmatics

  • Engages in dialogues increasing in length
  • Expresses emotion
  • Provides descriptive details
  • Becomes interested in cooperative play

Articulation/Speech

  • Pronounces final consonants of words most of the time
  • Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d, k, g, f
  • Is approximately 80% intelligible

Receptive Language

  • Comprehends approximately 1,200 words
  • Knows “in front of” and “behind” when object with a logical front and back are used
  • Identifies hard/soft, rough/smooth
  • Identifies circle and square
  • Responds to commands involving two actions or objects
  • Can match colors
  • Knows night and day

Expressive Language

  • Uses/says approximately 800 words
  • Responds appropriately to simple “how” questions
  • Can answer two-three questions, “what do you do when you are hungry/sleepy/cold?”
  • Beginning of question asking stage, mainly asks “what” and “who” questions
  • Names 8 to 10 pictures
  • States actions “I ran”
  • Supplies the last word of a line, “the apple is on the…(tree)”
  • Counts three objects, pointing to each
  • Average sentence length is four to five words
  • Follows basic commands with prepositional phrases “Put the block under the chair”

Grammar/Syntax

  • Begins to use “is” at the beginning of a question
  • Third-person singular present tense is emerging “he runs”
  • Uses contracted forms of modals (won’t, can’t)
  • Irregular plural forms emerging (child/children)
  • Uses “are” with plural nouns (boys are running)
  • Uses “and” as conjunction
  • Regular plural forms are consistent
  • Uses is, are and am in sentences

Play

  • Begins to play cooperatively with other children
  • Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use genuinely imaginative play
  • Reenacts experienced events such as a birthday party, baking cookies
  • Uses one object to represent another (stick = phone or sword)
  • Assumes the role of another person (parent, doctor, teacher)
  • Requests permission
  • Begins using language for fantasies, jokes, teasing
  • Corrects self, repairs conversation when others do not understand
  • Corrects others
  • Early story telling emerges

Articulation/Speech

  • Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d, k, g, y, f
  • Is approximately 90% intelligible

Receptive Language

  • Understands approximately 2800 words
  • Points to red, blue, yellow and green
  • Identifies crosses, triangles, circles, and squares
  • Stays with one activity for 11-12 minutes
  • Can follow a two-part unrelated command
  • Knows most body parts
  • Understands concepts of numbers up to 3
  • Answers questions about object’s functions

Expressive Language

  • Has a spoken vocabulary of approximately 900-2000 words
  • Asks many questions although more interested in how answers fit his/her own thoughts rather than just the explanation
  • Has a sentence length of 4-8 words
  • Talks about experiences at school, at friends’ homes, etc
  • Asks “who?” and why?”
  • Begins to use complex sentences
  • Uses contractions such as “it’s a” or “there’s a”
  • Uses grammatically correct sentences
  • Uses regular past tense correctly
  • Uses plural forms correctly
  • Can relate name and address along with age and gender

Basic Motor Milestones

  • Pushes, pulls and steers wheeled toys
  • Uses toilet independently
  • Skips to music
  • Releases objects with precision
  • Draws circles, diamonds and crosses
  • Enjoys cutting and pasting

Articulation/Speech

  • Consonants mastered: m, n, w, h, ing, y, b, p, t, d, k, g, f, v, l, sh, ch, th, blends

Receptive Language

  • Has a receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words
  • Sequences numbers
  • Understands ‘left’ and ‘right’
  • Understands most concepts of time
  • Understands the meaning of most sentences

Expressive Language

  • Defines objects by there uses (“you eat with a fork”)
  • Asks ‘how’ questions
  • Answers verbally to ‘hi’ and ‘how are you?’
  • Uses past tense and future tense appropriately
  • Uses conjunctions
  • Names opposites
  • Sequentially names days of the week
  • Counts to 30 by rote
  • Counts 10 objects
  • Reduces sentence length to 4-6 words
  • Exchanges information and asks questions
  • Uses sentences with details
  • Accurately relays a story
  • Sings entire songs and recites nursery rhymes
  • Communicates easily with adults and other children
  • Uses appropriate grammar in most cases

Basic Motor Milestones

  • Prints a few capital letters
  • Builds complex structures with blocks
  • Buttons clothes, washes face and puts toys away
  • Reaches and grasps in one continuous movement
  • Catches a ball with hands
  • Makes precise marks with crayon, confining marks to a small area

Articulation/Speech

  • Consonants mastered: m, n, w, h, ing, y, b, p, t, d, k, g, f, v, l, sh, ch, th, r, s, z, r-blends, s-blends, l-blends

Receptive Language

  • Has a receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words
  • Understands ‘left’ and ‘right’
  • Engages in conversations
  • Understands most concepts of time

Expressive Language

  • Names some letters, numbers and currencies
  • Sequences numbers
  • Uses increasingly more complex descriptions
  • Uses a sentence length of approximately 6 words
  • Recites the alphabet
  • Counts to 100 by rote
  • Uses most morphologic markers appropriately
  • Uses passive voice appropriately

Basic Motor Milestones

  • Shows reduced interest in writing and drawing
  • Draws recognizable man, tree, and house
  • Uses adult like writing, but it is slow and labored
  • Draws pictures that are not proportional
  • Colors within lines
  • Indicates well established right or left handedness
  • Dresses self completely
  • Follows advanced rhythms

Sound Developmental Norms

What sounds should my child be saying?

sound developmental norms

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