YOUR CHILD’S SPEECH-LANGUAGE MILESTONES
DURING THE FIRST FOUR YEARS
• Quiets if crying when
you speak.

• A djusts cries to different
types of needs.

• Responds to loud sounds.

• M akes soft, gentle “cooing”
sounds when content.

• Seems to recognize your
voice when you speak.

Many children need speech therapy to address
communication disorders. Each year, according
to the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders, approximately 7%
of U.S. children will demonstrate a disorder
related to speech or communication. These could
be functional disorders with no known cause
or organic disorders, which are the result of a
diagnosed medical reason.

Speech sound disorders
• Moves eyes in the direction
of sounds.

• B abbles sounds such as
“ba,” “pa” and “mi.”
• Observes that objects
make sounds.

• E ngages in vocalizations
during play.

• Responds to changes in your
tone of voice.

• Giggles and laughs.

• Recognizes simple words
such as “mommy” and “truck.”
• B abbles in long word strings
(“bababababa”) with a variety
of consonant sounds.

• Responds to his or her name
and directions (“come here”).

• Enjoys playing peek-a-boo
and pat-a-cake.

• Listens to simple rhymes
and stories.

• H as a speaking vocabulary of
approximately 10 to 20 words.

• Points to objects you name
(“where’s your shoe?”).

• U ses “p,” “b,” “h,” “m” and
“w” in words.

• Processes simple directions
(“get the book and give
it to me”).

• C onstructs two- to three-
word sentences adults can
understand 75% of the time.

• Understands new words.

• H as a speaking vocabulary of
about 150 to 200 words.

• U ses “d,” “f,” “g,” “k,” “n,” “t” and
“y” in words.

• Responds to increasingly
complex tasks and questions.

32 Washington FAMILY JULY 2021
Sources: American Speech
Language-Hearing Association;
Children’s Hospital Colorado;
Small Talk, LLC
• S ays one or two words
(“doggie” or “ma-ma”)
around the first birthday.

• A sks simple questions
(“what’s that?”).

• Recognizes words for colors,
shapes and family members.

Just as there are age-appropriate milestones for
motor skills like walking and running, speech
skills also emerge on a predictable timeline. (See
sidebar.) Some letter sounds, such as “m” or “b,”
are easier for little lips to pronounce, while “r” or
“th” develop later.

“When children are younger, substituting
difficult sounds for easier ones is normal,” says
Diana Letwinsky, a public school speech-language
pathologist in Maryland. “Parents can support
their child’s typical speech sound development
• D emonstrates intonation for
different sound combinations.

• Follows simple directions (“roll
the ball”).

• Comprehends oral directions.

3-4 YEARS
TALKING • S ays approximately 1,000
words; uses four- to six-word
sentences. • A rticulates sufficiently for
adults to understand what
the child is saying.

• U ses “ch,” “l,” “s,” “sh” and
“z” in words.

ANDREAOBZEROVA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
2-3 YEARS
12-20 MONTHS
7 MONTHS-1 YEAR
4-6 MONTHS
BIRTH-3 MONTHS
HEARING & UNDERSTANDING
COMMON SPEECH DISORDERS IN
YOUNG CHILDREN