Speech, Language, Hearing

Is your child talking the talk?

What should your child be doing when it comes to speech, language and hearing development? According to the Pediatric Therapies at Cool Springs, here are some things you should expect to see at each developmental milestone:

0-6 month, does your child:

Localize to sound by turning head

Listen when spoken to

Quiet or smile when spoken to

Move his eyes in the direction of sounds

Respond to changes in the tone of your voice

Vocalize in response to speech

Make cooing and gurgling sounds  when playing

Babble different sounds-i.e.p,b,m

Repeat the same sounds

Use his voice to express same sounds

Use a different cry to express different needs

Protest with sounds or gestures when desired object is removed

Use sounds or gestures to indicate want

Pay attention to toys that make noise and music

Mouth objects

7-12 Months, does your child: 

Turn and look in the direction of sound

Listen when spoken

Use gestures to communicate- i.e. wave, hold arms up

Imitate different sound

Babble repetitive syllables such as baba, upup, tata

Understand "no" and  "not

Use speech sounds vs. only crying to get attention

Enjoy games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-ca

Respond to simple questions- i.e. where's your nose

Understands and respond to his own name

Have an expressive vocabulary of at least 1-3 words

Understands simple commands and request

Have one or two words- i.e. mama, dada, dog, thought sounds may not be clear

13-18 months, does your child:

Use speech to get attention

Produce mostly unintelligible speech

Use jargon to fill in gaps in fluency

Recognize pictures

Combine gestures and vocalizations

Label objects

Omit some initial and almost all final consonants

Point to things desired

Follow simple one-step commands

Follow simple commands more independently

Verbally protest

Use the word "no"

Use adult-like intonation patterns

Greet others

Take turns

Use adult-like intonation patterns

Receptively identify 1-3 body parts

Use object appropriately in play

Have an expressive vocabulary of 3-20+ words

19-24 month, does your child:

Use words more frequently than jargon

Know 5+ body parts

Start to combine nouns and verbs in 2-word phrases

Begin to use pronouns

Have speech that is 25-50% intelligible to strangers

Enjoy listening to stories

Says his/her name

Point to pictures in books upon request

Have a receptive vocabulary of 300+ words

Use "my" to declare ownership

Have an expressive vocabulary of 50-100+ words

Answer "what's this" question

Use negation in phrases- i.e. no milk

Takes turns during verbal interactions

Ask for objects by name

Indicate possession- i.e. daddy car

2-3 years, does your child:

Have speech that is 70-80% intelligible to strangers

Have mastery of sounds-i.e. p,b,m,n,h,w,t,d

Use 3-4 word phase

Answer yes/no question

Name objects when function is given

Use "no" in combination with other words

State first and last name when asked

Talk to self during play

Verbalize toileting needs before, during or after act

Understands most things said to him/her

Understands a variety of who, what, where questions

Understands action in pictures

Understands simple size, quantity and spacial concepts

Follow simple 2- step commands

Understand simple time concepts

Match similar objects

Enjoy listening to short stories, songs and rhymes

Have an expressive vocabulary of 50-250+ words

3-4 year, does your child:

Unfamiliar listeners usually understand child's speech

Have mastery of 50% of consonants and blends

Use at least 4-5 word sentences

Follow 2 and 3-step commands

Ask and answer simple who, what, why question

Identify common shapes

Engage in long conversations

Understand object functions

Have improved grammar, but still with some errors

Follow 2 and 3-step commands

Identify colors and categories of objects in pictures

Make an effort to count objects

Understand differences in meaning-i.e. stop/go

Use contractions and conjunctions in speech

Use is, am, and are in sentences appropriately

Manipulate adults and peers using language

Talks about activities at school or friends' houses

Have a 1,200-2,000+ word receptive vocabulary

Have an 800-1,500+ word expressive vocabulary

4-5 year, does your child:

Answer simple questions about a short story

Hear and understand most of what is said to him/her

Use sentences with lots of detail and descriptors

Tell stories that stick to the topic

Communicate easily with other children and adults

Use sounds correctly except for maybe l,s,r,v,z,ch,sh,th

Say rhyming words

Name some letters and numbers

Use the same grammar as the rest of the family

For more information about Pediatric Therapies at Cool Springs visit their website at:  http://www.pediatrictherapies.com

For more information about our program, please visit our website at:

http://www.hollytreechildcare.com