Birth to 3 Months

  • Reacts to loud sounds
  • Calms down or smiles when spoken to
  • Recognizes your voice and calms down if crying
  • When feeding, starts or stops sucking in response to sound
  • Coos and makes pleasure sounds
  • Has a special way of crying for different needs
  • Smiles when he or she sees you

4 to 6 Months

  • Follows sounds with his or her eyes
  • Responds to changes in the tone of your voice
  • Notices toys that make sounds
  • Pays attention to music
  • Babbles in a speech-like way and uses many different sounds, including sounds that begin with p, b, and m
  • Laughs
  • Babbles when excited or unhappy
  • Makes gurgling sounds when alone or playing with you

7 Months to 1 Year

  • Enjoys playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
  • Turns and looks in the direction of sounds
  • Listens when spoken to
  • Understands words for common items such as “cup,” “shoe,” or “juice”
  • Responds to requests (“Come here”)
  • Babbles using long and short groups of sounds (“tata, upup, bibibi”)
  • Babbles to get and keep attention
  • Communicates using gestures such as waving or holding up arms
  • Imitates different speech sounds
  • Has one or two words (“Hi,” “dog,” “Dada,” or “Mama”) by first birthday

1 to 2 Years

  • Knows a few parts of the body and can point to them when asked
  • Follows simple commands (“Roll the ball”) and understands simple questions (“Where’s your shoe?”)
  • Enjoys simple stories, songs, and rhymes
  • Points to pictures, when named, in books
  • Acquires new words on a regular basis
  • Uses some one- or two-word questions (“Where kitty?” or “Go bye-bye?”)
  • Puts two words together (“More cookie”)
  • Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words

2 to 3 Years

  • Has a word for almost everything
  • Uses two- or three-word phrases to talk about and ask for things
  • Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds
  • Speaks in a way that is understood by family members and friends
  • Names objects to ask for them or to direct attention to them

3 to 4 Years

  • Hears you when you call from another room
  • Hears the television or radio at the same sound level as other family members
  • Answers simple “Who?” “What?” “Where?” and “Why?” questions
  • Talks about activities at daycare, preschool, or friends’ homes
  • Uses sentences with four or more words
  • Speaks easily without having to repeat syllables or words

4 to 5 Years

  • Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it
  • Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school
  • Uses sentences that give many details
  • Tells stories that stay on topic
  • Communicates easily with other children and adults
  • Says most sounds correctly except for a few (l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and th)
  • Uses rhyming words
  • Names some letters and numbers
  • Uses adult grammar

This checklist is based upon How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?, courtesy of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association.