Language Sounds and Milestones

One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is about their child's speech. They worry that the child is not speaking soon enough, that she doesn't  have enough words, that the sounds aren't clear. Its important to remember that each child is unique and therefore time when they'll master a sound, a word or a grammatical principle will be different for each of them. The milestones of communication development are the same....the time in a child's life when he or she will achieve these milestones may differ slightly. 

Knowing what the milestones are will help you as a parent be aware of your Little Billy (who is different than Sally Jo's baby girl down the street) and how widdle biddle Bilwy is is developing. Its exciting when they start to babble and it turns into actions and distinct sounds. Recognizing where you child is at will help you recognize where he or she might need an additional boost of support. 

Help Me Grow has lists of communication activities appropriate for each age group. Make sure you're getting those regularly from your care coordinator. If you want to start receiving it, just call us!

Communication Milestones
Information from the Provo Early Intervention Program (PEIP)

Birth to 3 Months

Startles to loud noises

Makes throaty pleasure sounds (cooing)

Quiets to soothing voice

4 to 6 Months

Simple babbling begins

Looks in the direction of sounds

Responds to change in tone of voice

7 to 12 Months

Begins to imitate (actions and sounds)

Recognizes words for common items

Begins to use words (approx. 12 months)

12 to 18 Months

Points to body parts

Responds to simple commands/questions

Says new words each month

18 to 24 Months

Puts two words together and asks simple questions

Follows novel directions

Uses words to request and comment

24 to 36 Months

Uses 3–4 word sentences to talk about things

Speech mostly understood by strangers

Follows two-step direction

Another great resource we also got from PEIP was this chart of the norms for when individual sounds can be developed. A lot of parents like to see this so they can understand when individual sounds come in. As you can see, some sounds may finish developing up to age 8! others earlier. Its good information to know.