Developmental Milestones
The following milestones are average ages that a child would be able to complete a specific task. If you have concerns about your child’s development, consult your pediatrician. A speech therapy evaluation may be appropriate.
9 months:
- Babbling.
- Turns head to look at the direction sound is coming from.
- Responds/attends to noisy toys/music.
12 months:
- Able to say 1-3 words consistently.
- Imitates a variety of sounds such as p, b, m, and vowels (a, e, i, o, u).
- Enjoys and participates in games such as peek-a-boo.
- Understand simple requests ex: “come here”.
- Responds to name being called.
2 years:
- Combines 2- words ex: “more please”.
- Uses a variety of expressive language (approximately 50 words at minimum).
- Identifies simple body parts and pictures.
- Understands simple 1-step directions using “on, in, up etc.”.
- Interacts or attends to simple songs, stories and rhymes.
3 years:
- Responds to yes/no questions.
- Begins to follow 2-step directions.
- Continues to learn and use new expressive vocabulary (200-500 words).
- Uses 3-4 word phrases.
- Begins asking who, what, where questions.
4 years:
- Begin recognizing different colors.
- Follow 2-3 step directions.
- Using approximately 1000 words.
- Using more complex, 4 word phrases.
5 years:
- Understands and able to follow 3-step directions.
- Expressive vocabulary of approximately 1500-1600 words.
- Communicates with 100% intelligibility.
- Uses 4-5 word sentences.
- Understands and appropriately answers “WH” who, what, where, when, why, and how questions.