Language Milestones from Newborn to 12 months: Startled by loud noises Turns head to look in the direction of sounds Smiles when spoken to Engaging in vocal play Begins responding to different vocal intonations Using reduplicated and variegated babbling Responding to name (between 8-12 months) Responds to "no" Recognizes some familiar words and phrases Beginning to demonstrate joint attention Beginning to make gestures and vocalizations for intentional communication By their 1st birthday, most children have one to two words
12 to 24 months: Knows several body parts Can follow simple one step directions Can identify common objects you label (e.g. correctly points when asked, "Where is the dog?") Using 2 words together Adding new words to their expressive vocabulary each month Using several different consonant sounds
2 years to 3 Years: Is able to label most objects in their environment and use words to express their basic wants and needs Combining two and three words when talking or asking questions Can use the following consonant sounds in their speech: n, d, t, k, g, f Is able to be understood by familiar listeners most of the time Increasing their vocabulary monthly with new words
3 years to 4 years: Can talk about activities that happened in the recent past (at a friend's house or school) Answers simple comprehension questions (who? what? where?) Starting to use some plural words Using sentences with 4+ words Beginning to say rhyming words Using some pronouns Understands words for some colors, shapes, and family members Using multiple sentences to tell about an event or activity Asking "when" and "how" questions
4 years to 5 years: Understands words for order (e.g. first, second), time (yesterday, today) Can follow directions with 2 or more steps Hears and understands most of what is said at home Saying most consonant sounds. Errors are still typical with the following sounds:l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th Can maintain a conversation topic Names letters and numbers Tells short stories Using sentences that have more than one action word