Speech and Hearing Developmental Milestones

At two months: 
Be quieted by a familiar, friendly voice
Startle, cry, or wake to loud sounds
Smile back to parents
Make cooing and gurgling sounds


At four months:
Babble, coo, laugh and squeal
Recognize and respond to parents voices
Smile socially
Be able to comfort himself
Enjoy rattles and other sound makers


At six months:
Turn and look at new sounds
React to loud, angry, or friendly voices
Recognize familiar faces
Imitate facial expressions or tongue movements of speaker
Make lots of different consonant and vowel sounds

At nine months:
Respond to his name and pat image of self in mirror
Understand routine words when accompanied by gesture
May imitate bye-bye, ma-ma, da-da and other reduplicated syllables
Play peek-a-boo
Find toys hidden under cloth
Enjoy dumping out and picking up toys


At twelve months:
Use jargon (babbling that sounds like real speech)
Use conversational tone of voice
Respond to his name
Wave bye-bye
Point to familiar objects or family members when asked Where is _____?
Give a toy on request

At eighteen months:
Enjoy nursery rhymes and songs (pat-a-cake)
Discriminate among many sounds and associate it with object (ringing-phone,
horn-train)
Feed self finger foods
Identify sound coming from another room or outside
Enjoy being read to
Use 10-20 words including names of family members
Recognize pictures of familiar people and objects
Point to facial features on request 
(show me your nose....)
Combine two words (all gone, 
go bye-bye)

At two years:
Say names of family members and toys
Use his own name
Use simple, short sentences (2-3words)
Listen for the meaning of words, not just sounds
Understand simple questions and follow commands
Identify and names 10-15 body parts
Uses action words
Understand and use possessive words
Carry on conversation with self or dolls
Ask simple questions
Stay focused on one activity for 10 minutes

At two and a half years:
Give first name when asked
Begin using appropriate verb tenses
Understand some time concepts
Understand 3 or more prepositions
(in, on, under or beside)
Match 3-4 colors
Use words to get adult attention
(watch me)
Like to hear same story repeated
Know big and little

At three years:
Use 3-4 word sentences
Name colors
Follow simple commands (Put the block under the chair.)
Tell a story or relate ideas
Sing songs
Consistently produce these sounds: m, n, ng, p, f, h, w, t, and d
Stay on task for 15 minutes

At four years:
Recognize and name colors and shapes
Use sentences of 4-5 words
Use past tense correctly
Begin to use complex sentences
Ask complex questions
Speak in a moderate voice (neither too loud, nor too soft)
Count to 5

At five years:
Tell full name and address on request
Know opposites
Count to 10
Retell familiar story
Make up stories of his own
Use all speech sounds correctly (with the possible exceptions of: l, r, th, and z)
Use adult-like grammar and sentence structure