Have you ever found yourself wondering
“Is my child talking enough for their age?” or “Why are other kids talking more than my child?” YOU may understand your child when others can’t, because you have learned to recognize their specific gestures and sounds. But are they on track developmentally? These questions may leave you wondering: Does my child need speech therapy?
YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE! Check out the list below of general language milestones to see if your child is on track.
Language milestones for the first 5 years:
7-12 months:
- Attends to you when called by name
- Babbles strings of sounds
- Recognizes certain people and objects
- Begins to gesture: point, wave, give or show objects
- Tries to copy sounds you make
- Says single words like “mama,” “dada,” or “bye”
13-18 months:
- Shakes head for no and nods for yes
- Follows simple directions, like “Give me the ball”
- Uses words for familiar people and common objects
- Identifies at least one body part
- Imitates actions
- Uses strings of sounds, syllables, and single words with speech-like inflection
19-24 months:
- Uses at least 50 words for familiar objects or people (speech may not be clear but consistent “word” is used to refer to object/person)
- Starts to put two words together
- Follows 2-step directions
- Uses words to ask for help instead of only gesturing or crying
2-3 years:
- Often uses 3+ word sentences
- Understands pronouns such as “me” and “her”
- Uses pronouns such as “you” and “I”
- Answers simple questions
- Begins to use plurals and past tense
- Speech is more accurate but unfamiliar people may still have trouble understanding
- Begins to use inflection when asking questions
3-4 years:
- Uses prepositions like “on” and “under”
- Says all sounds in a word (doesn’t leave off beginning, middle, or end)
- Tells you a story from a book
- Pretends to read
- By age 4, most people understand most of what is said
4-5 years
- Produces complex sentences
- Understands directions for simple games
- Uses more complex prepositions like “behind” and “between”
- Recognizes at least 10 letters and starts to write their name
- Begins accurately using time related words like “tomorrow” or “yesterday”
- Mostly understood during conversation
Help! My child is not saying all that he should based on his age! What does this mean for him? Well, this should not be ignored. Language development is the best indicator of academic acheivement as they get older. So let's address it together and get your child on the track to success! We are here to serve you!
Reach out to Premier Speech Services and let us help your child communicate! Premier Speech Services offers therapy in your own home, either in person or via telehealth.
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