Early Language Milestones for Young Children

While every child learns to speak at his or her own pace, general milestones can serve as a guide to normal speech and language development.  These milestones can also be a guide for parents, teachers, doctors, and therapist to identify delays as early as possible.

By the end of three months, a child might:

• Smile when you appear
• Startle upon hearing loud sounds
• Make "cooing" sounds
• Quiet or smile when spoken to
• Seem to recognize your voice
• Cry differently for different needs

 
By the end of six months, a child might:

• Make gurgling sounds when playing with you or left alone
• Babble and make a variety of sounds
• Use his or her voice to express pleasure and displeasure
• Move his or her eyes in the direction of sounds
• Respond to changes in the tone of your voice
• Notice that some toys make sounds
• Pay attention to music

 
By the end of 12 months, a child might:

• Try imitating words
• Say a few words, such as "dada," "mama" and "uh-oh"
• Understand simple instructions, such as "Come here"
• Recognize words for common items, such as shoe
• Turn and look in the direction of sounds
• Respond to "no"                                                                                                                                                    

By the end of 18 months, a child might:

• Point to an object or picture when it's named
• Recognize names of familiar people, objects and body parts
• Follow simple directions accompanied by gestures
• Say as many as 15 words

 
By the end of 24 months, a child might:

• Use simple phrases, such as "more milk"
• Point and identify items in a picture
• Ask one- to two-word questions, such as "Go bye-bye?"
• Follow simple commands without the help of gestures
• Follow 2-step related directions
• Speak at least 50 words

When to check with the doctor or seek an evaluation with a speech pathologist
Parents should speak with the child's doctor if he or she hasn't mastered most of the speech and language development milestones for his or her age or if the family is concerned about any aspect of the child's development.  The sooner a child receives early intervention services (like speech pathology), the quicker the delay can be resolved.  This typically leads to shorter time periods that speech therapy is needed.  Speech delays occur for many reasons, including hearing loss and developmental disorders.  A speech pathologists will be able to do a full evaluation of your child’s language skills; however, many insurance companies will require a doctor referral and/or a hearing test to see if there is a medical reason behind the delayed speech.
​
When you are with the child, take every possible opportunity to talk to him.  Explain to her what you are doing and where you are going.  Ask questions about his day, even if he may not understand all of the vocabulary yet.   Sing songs and read together.  Teach the child to imitate actions, such as clapping, and to say animal sounds.  Practice counting.  Show the child that you're pleased when he or she speaks. Listen the child's sounds and repeat them back to him or her.  These steps can encourage speech and language development.