Subject: Speech Language Milestones, Raleigh, NC
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Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 15:54:38 -0400

SPEECH LANGUAGE & MOTOR DEVELOPMENT MILESTONES

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0-6 Months
7-12 Months
13-18 Months

19-24 Months
2-3 Years
3-4 Years

4-5 Years
5-6 Years
6-7 Years

0 to Six Months

Repeats the same sounds
Frequently coos, gurgles, and makes pleasure sounds
Uses a different cry to express different needs
Smiles when spoken to
Recognizes voices
Localizes sound by turning head
Listens to speech
Uses the phonemes /b/, /p/, and /m/ in babbling
Reaches for objects with one hand but often misses
Blows bubbles on lips
Visually tracks people and objects

7 - 12 Months

Understands 'No' and 'Hot'
Responds to simple requests
Understands and responds to own name
Listens to and imitates some sounds
Recognizes words for common items (cup, shoe, juice)
Babbles using long and short groups of sounds
Uses a song-like intonation when babbling
Imitates some adult speech sounds and intonation patterns
Uses speech rather than only crying to get attention
Listens when spoken to
Uses sound approximations
Begins to change babbling to jargon
Uses speech intentionally for the first time
Uses nouns most exclusively
Has an expressive vocabulary of 1 to 3 words
Understands simple commands
Attempts to feed self with a spoon
Attempts to imitate gestures
Drinks from a cup
Holds own bottle
LIlays ball with a partner
Enjoys games like 'peek-a-boo' and 'pat-a-cake'
Uses a primitive grasp for writing, bangs crayons rather than writes
Cooperates with dressing, puts foot out for shoe, and places arms through sleeves

13 - 18 months

Uses adult like intonation patterns
Uses echolalia (whole or partial repetition of another speaker) and jargon ( strings of unintelligible sounds with adult-like intonations)
Uses jargon to fill in gaps in fluency
Omits some initial consonants and almost all final consonants
Produces mostly unintelligible speech
Follows simple commands
Receptively identifies 1 to 3 body parts
Has an expressive vocabulary of 3 to 20 or more words
Combines gestures and vocalization
Makes requests for "more" of desired items (more juice, more
bubbles)
Points to recognized objects
Imitates gestures
Removes some clothing items (socks, hat)

19-24 Months

Uses words more frequently than jargon
Has an expressive vocabulary of 50 to 100 or more words
Has a receptive vocabulary of 300 or more words
Starts to combine nouns and verbs
Begins to use pronouns
Maintains unstable voice control
Uses appropriate intonation for questions
Is approximately 50% intelligible to strangers by 2 years old
Answers 'what's that' questions
Enjoys listening to stories
Knows 5 body parts
Accurately names a few familiar objects
Uses pull toys
Strings beads
Enjoys playing with clay
Rotates head while walking
Reaches automatically with primary concern on manipulation of object
Seats self in child's chair

2-3 Years

Speech is 50-75% intelligible
Understands 'one' and 'all'
Verbalizes toilet needs (before, during or after act)
Requests items by name
Points to pictures in a book when named
Identifies several body parts
Follows simple commands and answers simple questions
Enjoys listening to short stories, songs and rhymes
Asks 1-2 word questions
Use 3-4 word phrases
Uses some prepositions, articles, present progressive verbs (ex. walking), regular plurals, contractions, and irregular past tense forms (ex. threw)
Uses words that are general in context
Continues use of echolalia when difficulties in speech are encountered
Has a receptive vocabulary of 500-900 or more words
Has an Expressive vocabulary of 50-250 or more words (rapid growth during this period)
Exhibits multiple grammatical errors
Understands most things said to him or her
Frequently exhibits repetitions-especially starters,'I', and first syllables.
Speaks with a loud voice
Increases range of pitch
Uses vowels correctly
Consistently uses initial consonants (some are misarticulated)
Frequently omits medial consonants
Frequently omits or substitutes final consonants
Uses approximately 27 phonemes
Uses auxiliary is including the contracted form
Uses some regular past tense verbs (ex. Kicked), possessive, pronouns and imperatives (i.e. commands)
Begins developing rhythm
Turns pages one by one or two to three at a time
Folds paper roughly in half on imitation
Scribbles
Drinks from a full glass with one hand
Chews food
Undresses self

3-4 Years

Understands object functions
Understands differences in meanings (stop-go, in-on, big-little)
Follows 2- and 3- part commands
Asks and answers simple questions
Frequently asks questions and demands detail in response
Produces simple verbal analogies
Uses language to express emotion
Uses 4-5 words in a sentence
Repeats 6 to 13 syllable sentences accurately
Identifies objects by name
Manipulates adults and peers
May continue to use echolalia
Uses up to 6 words in a sentence
Uses nouns and verbs most frequently
Is conscious of past and future
Has a 1,200-2000 or more receptive vocabulary
Has a 800-1,500 or more word expressive vocabulary
Increases speech rate
Whispers
Masters 50% of consonants and blends
Speech is 80% intelligible
Sentence grammar improves, although some errors still persist
Appropriately use is, are, and am in sentences
Tells two events in chronological order
Engages in long conversations
Uses some contractions, irregular plurals (ex. Men), future tense verbs, and conjunctions
Consistently uses regular plurals, possessives and simple past tense verbs
Turns pages one at a time
Runs and plays active games with abandonment
Traces a square, copies a circle, and imitates horizontal strokes
Puts on own shoes, but not necessarily the correct foot
Uses a spoon without spilling

4-5 Years

Understands concepts of numbers up to 3
Continues understanding of spatial concepts
Recognizes 1 to 3 colors
Has receptive vocabulary of 2,800 or more words
Counts to 10 by rote
Listens to short, simple stories
Answers questions about function
Uses grammatically correct sentences
Has an expressive vocabulary of 900-2,000 or more words
Uses sentences of 4 to 8 words
Answers complex 2-part questions
Asks for word definitions
Speaks at a rate of 186 words per minute
Reduces total number of repetitions
Enjoys rhymes, rhythms and nonsense syllables
Produces consonants with 90% accuracy
Significantly reduces number of persistent sound omissions and substitutions
Frequently omits medial consonants
Speech is usually intelligible to strangers
Talks about experiences at school, at friends' homes, etc.
Accurately relays a long story
Pays attention to a story and answers simple questions about it
Uses some irregular plurals, possessive pronouns, future tense, reflexive pronouns, and comparative -er (ex. Faster) in sentences
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

5-6 years

Names 6 basic colors and 3 basic shapes
Follows instructions given to a group
Follows 3-part commands
Asks 'how' questions
Answers verbally to 'hi' and 'how are you?'
Uses past tense and future tense appropriately
Uses conjunctions
Has receptive vocabulary of approximately 13,000 words
Names opposites
Sequentially names days of the week
Counts to 30 by rote
Continues to drastically increase vocabulary
Reduces sentence length to 4-6 words
Reverses sounds occasionally
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
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

6-7 Years

Names some letters, numbers and currencies
Sequences numbers
Understands 'left' and 'right'
Uses increasingly more complex descriptions
Engages in conversations
Has a receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words
Uses a sentence length of approximately 6 words
Understands most concepts of time
Recites the alphabet
Counts to 100 by rote
Uses most morphologic markers appropriately
Uses passive voice appropriately
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

Information from: Shipley, K and McAfee, J. (1998)
Assessment in Speech Language Pathology: A Resource Manual 2nd edition.
San Diego: Singular publishing Group, Inc.

Website Links:
American Speech & Hearing Association - http://www.asha.org/

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