Resources for Families
Developmental milestones, sensory guides, and information for students and volunteers.
Speech & Language Milestones
A guide to typical communication development from birth through age 5.
0–6 Months
- Reacts to sounds and voices
- Coos and makes vowel sounds
- Smiles in response to faces
- Cries differently for different needs
6–12 Months
- Babbles with consonant sounds (ba, da, ma)
- Responds to their name
- Waves bye-bye and plays pat-a-cake
- Says first word(s) around 12 months
12–18 Months
- Uses 5–20 words consistently
- Points to request and show
- Follows simple one-step directions
- Imitates new words
18–24 Months
- Has at least 50 words
- Begins combining 2 words ("more juice", "go bye")
- Asks simple questions ("What's that?")
- Strangers understand about 50% of speech
2–3 Years
- Uses 3–4 word sentences
- Vocabulary of 200–1,000+ words
- Follows 2-step directions
- Strangers understand about 75% of speech
3–4 Years
- Tells simple stories
- Most speech understood by strangers
- Uses past tense and plurals
- Asks "why", "who", and "when" questions
4–5 Years
- Speaks in 5–6 word sentences
- Retells stories accurately
- Pronounces most sounds correctly
- Understands most of what is said to them
* Milestones are general guidelines. Development varies across children. If you have concerns about your child's development, contact our team for a screening.
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