Speech and Hearing Milestones
BIRTH - 3 MONTHS
Understanding/Hearing:
At the baby seems to startle at loud sounds, smiles or get quiet when you talk, and appears to recognize your voice.
Expression:
The baby makes cooing sounds, cries when hungry or wet, and also smiles at people.
4- 6 MONTHS
Understanding/Hearing:
You will notice that the baby moves her eyes in the direction of sounds, responds to changes in your tone of voice, and alerts to toys that make sounds. The baby notices and pays attention to music.
Expression
The baby coos and babbles while playing alone or with caregiver/parent. The baby also makes speech-like babbling sounds, such as pa, and mi. He/she giggles and laughs, and makes sounds when happy or upset.
7 months - 1 year
Understanding/Hearing:
At this age, you will see that the child can do the following:
Play games such as peek-a-boo with you.
Look in the direction of sounds.
Looks when you call her name.
Understands words for common items and people such as car, juice, mama and cup.
The child will begin to respond to simple words and phrases, like “No,” “Come here,” and “Want more?”
Listens to songs and stories for a short time.
Expression:
A child can babble long strings of sounds, like mimi upup babababa.
Get attention by using sounds
Point to objects and shows them to others.
Uses gestures like waving bye, reaching for “up,” and shaking his head no.
Imitates speech sounds. Around his or her first birthday, she says 1 or 2 words, like hi, dog, dada, mama, or uh-oh. Sounds may not be clear.
2-3 Years
Understanding/Hearing:
Understands opposites, like go–stop, big–little, and up–down.
Follows 2-part directions, like "Get the spoon and put it on the table."
Understands new words quickly.
Expression:
Has a word for almost everything.
Talks about things that are not in the room.
Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n in words.
Uses words like in, on, and under.
Uses two- or three- words to talk about and ask for things.
People who know your child can understand him.
Asks “Why?”
Puts 3 words together to talk about things. May repeat some words and sounds.
3 - 4 Years
Understanding/Hearing:
Responds when you call from another room.
Understands words for some colors, like red, blue, and green.
Understands words for some shapes, like circle and square.
Understands words for family, like brother, grandmother,
and aunt.
​
Expression:
Answers simple who, what, and where questions.
Says rhyming words, like hat–cat.
Uses pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they.
Uses some plural words, like toys, birds, and buses.
Most people understand what your child says.
Asks when and how questions.
Puts 4 words together. May make some mistakes, like “I goed to school.”
Talks about what happened during the day. Uses about 4 sentences at a time.
4 to 5 Years
Understanding/Hearing:
Understands words for order, like first, next, and last.
Understands words for time, like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Follows longer directions, like “Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then pick out a book.”
Follows classroom directions, like “Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat.”
Hears and understands most of what she hears at home and in school.
​Expression:
Says all speech sounds in words. May make mistakes on sounds that are harder to say, like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and th.
Names letters and numbers.
Uses sentences that have more than 1 action word, like jump, play, and get. May make some mistakes, like “Zach gots 2 video games, but I got one.”
Tells a short story.
Keeps a conversation going.
Talks in different ways, depending on the listener and place. Your child may use short sentences with younger children. He may talk louder outside than inside.