How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?

The development of communication skills begins in infancy, before the emergence of the
first word. Any speech or language problem is likely to have a significant effect on the child's
social and academic skills and behavior. The earlier a child's speech and language
problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get
worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with
reading, writing, schoolwork, and interpersonal relationships.

• Birth to One Year

• One to Two Years
• Two to Three Years
• Three to Four Years
• Four to Five Years

This information represents, on average, the age by which most monolingual speaking
children will accomplish the listed milestones. Children typically do not master all items in a
category until they reach the upper age in each age range. Just because your child has not
accomplished one skill within an age range does not mean the child has a disorder.
However, if you have answered no to the majority of items in an age range, seek the advice
of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist7 .

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 Birth to One Year

Hearing and Understanding Talking

Birth–3 Months Birth–3 Months

• Startles to loud sounds • Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing)

• Quiets or smiles when spoken to • Cries differently for different needs
• Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if • Smiles when sees you
crying
• Increases or decreases sucking behavior in
response to sound

4–6 Months 4–6 Months

• Moves eyes in direction of sounds • Babbling sounds more speech-like with many
• Responds to changes in tone of your voice different sounds, including p, b and m
• Notices toys that make sounds • Chuckles and laughs
• Pays attention to music • Vocalizes excitement and displeasure
• Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and
when playing with you

7 Months–1 Year 7 Months–1 Year

• Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a- • Babbling has both long and short groups of
cake sounds such as "tata upup bibibibi"
• Turns and looks in direction of sounds • Uses speech or noncrying sounds to get and
• Listens when spoken to keep attention
• Recognizes words for common items like • Uses gestures to communicate (waving,
"cup", "shoe", "book", or "juice" holding arms to be picked up)
• Begins to respond to requests (e.g. "Come • Imitates different speech sounds
here" or "Want more?") • Has one or two words (hi, dog, dada, mama)
around first birthday, although sounds may
not be clear

What should my child be able to do?

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What can I do to help?
• Check your child's ability to hear, and pay attention to ear problems and infections,
especially when they keep occurring.
• Reinforce your baby's communication attempts by looking at him or her, speaking,
and imitating his or her vocalizations.
• Repeat his or her laughter and facial expressions.
• Teach your baby to imitate actions, such as peekaboo, clapping, blowing kisses, pat-
a-cake, itsy bitsy spider, and waving bye-bye. These games teach turn taking that is
needed for conversation.
• Talk while you are doing things, such as dressing, bathing, and feeding (e.g.,
"Mommy is washing Sam's hair"; "Sam is eating carrots"; "Oh, these carrots are
good!").
• Talk about where you are going, what you will do once you get there, and who and
what you'll see (e.g., "Sam is going to Grandma's house. Grandma has a dog. Sam
will pet the dog.").
• Teach animal sounds (e.g., "A cow says 'moo'").
• Communicate with your child in the language you are most comfortable using.

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 One to Two Years

Hearing and Understanding Talking

• Points to a few body parts when asked. • Says more words every month.
• Follows simple commands and understands • Uses some one- or two- word questions
simple questions ("Roll the ball," "Kiss the ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's
baby," "Where's your shoe?"). that?").
• Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes. • Puts two words together ("more cookie," "no
• Points to pictures in a book when named. juice," "mommy book").
• Uses many different consonant sounds at the
beginning of words.

What should my child be able to do?

What can I do to help?
• Talk while doing things and going places. When taking a walk in the stroller, for
example, point to familiar objects (e.g., cars, trees, and birds) and say their names. "I
see a dog. The dog says 'woof.' This is a big dog. This dog is brown."
• Use simple but grammatical speech that is easy for your child to imitate.
• Take a sound walk around your house or in the baby's room. Introduce him/her to
Timmy Clock, who says "t-t-t-t." Listen to the clock as it ticks. Find Mad Kitty Cat who
bites her lip and says "f-f-f-f" or Vinnie Airplane who bites his lip, turns his voice
motor on and says "v-v-v-v." These sounds will be old friends when your child is
introduced to phonics in preschool and kindergarten.
• Make bath time "sound playtime" as well. You are eye-level with your child. Play with
Peter Tugboat, who says "p-p-p-p." Let your child feel the air of sounds as you make
them. Blow bubbles and make the sound "b-b-b-b." Feel the motor in your throat on
this sound. Engines on toys can make a wonderful "rrr-rrr-rrr" sound.
• Expand on words. For example, if your child says "car," you respond by saying,
"You're right! That is a big red car."
• Continue to find time to read to your child every day. Try to find books with large
pictures and one or two words or a simple phrase or sentence on each page. When
reading to your child, take time to name and describe the pictures on each page.

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 • Have your child point to pictures that you name.
• Ask your child to name pictures. He or she may not respond to your naming requests
at first. Just name the pictures for him or her. One day, he or she will surprise you by
coming out with the picture's name.

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 Two to Three Years
What should my child be able to do?
Hearing and Understanding Talking

• Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," • Has a word for almost everything.

"in-on," "big-little," "up-down"). • Uses two- or three- words to talk about
• Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on and ask for things.
the table"). • Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds.
• Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer • Speech is understood by familiar
periods of time listeners most of the time.
• Often asks for or directs attention to
objects by naming them.
• Asks why?
• May stutter on words or sounds

What can I do to help?

• Use clear, simple speech that is easy to imitate.
• Show your child that you are interested in what he or she says to you by repeating
what he or she has said and expanding on it. For example, if your child says, "pretty
flower," you can respond by saying, "Yes, that is a pretty flower. The flower is bright
red. It smells good too. Does Sam want to smell the flower?"
• Let your child know that what she or he has to say is important to you by asking him
or her to repeat things that you do not completely understand. For example, "I know
you want a block. Tell me again which block you want."
• Expand on your child's vocabulary. Introduce new vocabulary through reading books
that have a simple sentence on each page.
• Talk about colors (e.g., "Sam's hat is red.")
• Practice counting. Count toes and fingers. Count steps as you go down them.
• Name objects and describe the picture on each page of the book. State synonyms
for familiar words (e.g., mommy, woman, lady, grown-up, adult) and use this new
vocabulary in sentences to help your child learn it in context.
• Put objects into a bucket and have your child remove one object at a time, saying its
name. You repeat what your child says and expand upon it: "That is a comb. Sam

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 combs his hair." Take the objects from the bucket and help your child group them
into categories (e.g., clothes, food, drawing tools).
• Cut out pictures from old magazines and make a scrapbook of familiar things. Help
your child glue the pictures into the scrapbook. Practice naming the pictures, using
gestures and speech to show how you use the items.
• Look at family photos and name the people. Use simple phrases/sentences to
describe what is happening in the pictures (e.g., "Sam swims in the pool").
• Write simple appropriate phrases under the pictures. For example, "I can swim," or
"Happy birthday to Daddy." Your child will begin to understand that reading is oral
language in print.
• Ask your child questions that require a choice, rather than simply a "yes" or "no"
answer. For example, rather than asking, "Do you want milk? Do you want water?",
ask, "Would you like a glass of milk or water?" Be sure to wait for the answer, and
reinforce successful communication: "Thank you for telling mommy what you want.
Mommy will get you a glass of milk."
• Continue to sing songs, play finger games ("Where is Thumbkin?"), and tell nursery
rhymes ("Hickory Dickory Dock"). These songs and games introduce your child to
the rhythm and sounds of language.
• Strengthen your child's language comprehension skills by playing the yes-no game:
"Are you a boy?" "Is that a zebra?" "Is your name Joey?"

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 Three to Four Years
What should my child be able to do?
Hearing and Understanding Talking

• Hears you when you call from another room. • Talks about activities at school or at friends'
• Hears television or radio at the same loudness homes.
level as other family members. • Talks about what happened during the day.
• Understands words for some colors, like red, Uses about 4 sentences at a time.
blue, and green • People outside of the family usually
• Understands words for some shapes, like understand child's speech.
circle and square • Answers simple "who?", "what?", and
• Understands words for family, like brother, "where?" questions.
grandmother, and aunt • Asks when and how questions.
• Says rhyming words, like hat-cat
• Uses pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they
• Uses some plural words, like toys, birds, and
buses
• Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more
words.
• Usually talks easily without repeating
syllables or words.

What can I do to help?

• Cut out pictures from old catalogs. Then make silly pictures by gluing parts of
different pictures together in an improbable way. For example, glue a picture of a
dog to the inside of a car as if the dog is driving. Help your child explain what is silly
about the picture.
• Sort pictures and items into categories, but increase the challenge by asking your
child to point out the item that does not belong in a category. For example, a baby
does not belong with a dog, cat and mouse. Tell your child that you agree with his or
her answer because a baby is not an animal.
• Expand vocabulary and the length of your child' s utterances by reading, singing,
talking about what you are doing and where you are going, and saying rhymes.

© 1997-2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  

 • Read books that have a simple plot, and talk about the story line with your child.
Help your child to retell the story or act it out with props and dress-up clothes. Tell
him or her your favorite part of the story and ask for his or her favorite part.
• Look at family pictures, and have your child explain what is happening in each one.
• Work on comprehension skills by asking your child questions. Have him or her try to
fool you with his or her own questions. Make this game playful by pretending that
you have been fooled by some of his or her really hard questions.
• Expand on social communication and storytelling skills by "acting out" typical
scenarios (e.g., cooking food, going to sleep, or going to the doctor) with a dollhouse
and its props. Do the same type of role-playing activity when playing dress-up. As
always, ask your child to repeat what he or she has said if you do not understand it
completely. This shows that what he or she says is important to you.

© 1997-2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  

 Four to Five Years

What should my child be able to do?

Hearing and Understanding Talking

• Understands words for order, like first, • Says all speech sounds in words. May make
next, and last. mistakes on sounds that are harder to say, like l, s,
• Understands words for time, like r, v, z, ch, sh, th.
yesterday, today, and tomorrow. • Responds to "What did you say?"
• Follows longer directions, like "Put your • Talks without repeating sounds or words most of
pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then the time.
pick out a book." • Names letters and numbers.
• Follows classroom directions, like • Uses sentences that have more than 1 action word,
"Draw a circle on your paper around likejump, play, and get. May make some mistakes,
something you eat." like "Zach got 2 video games, but I got one."
• Hears and understands most of what is • Tells a short story.
said at home and in school. • Keeps a conversation going.
• Talks in different ways depending on the listener
and place. May use short sentences with younger
children or talk louder outside than inside.

What can I do to help?

• Talk about spatial relationships (first, middle, and last; right and left) and opposites
(up and down, big and little).
• Offer a description or clues and have your child identify what you are describing.
• Work on forming and explaining categories (fruits, furniture, shapes).
• Follow your child's directions as she or he explains how to do something.
• Give full attention to your child when he or she is speaking, and acknowledge,
praise, and encourage him or her afterward. Before you speak to your child, be sure
to get his or her undivided attention. Pause after speaking, allowing him or her to
respond to what you have said.

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 • Build on your child' s vocabulary. Provide definitions for new words, and use them in
context: "This vehicle is riding on the highway. It is a car. A bus is another kind of
vehicle. So are a train and an airplane."
• Encourage your child to ask for an explanation if he or she does not understand what
a word means.
• Point out things that are the same or different. Play games incorporating these
concepts that he or she will encounter later in the classroom in reading readiness.
• Sort items into categories. Now try to sort them by pointing out more subtle
differences between objects (e.g., rocks that are smooth vs. those that are rough,
heavy vs. light, big vs. small). Again, have your child identify the object that does not
belong in a given category, but now ask him or her to explain why the item does not
belong.
• Expand on social communication and narration skills (telling a story) by role-playing.
Play house, doctor, and store using dialogue, props, and dress-up clothes. Do the
same with a dollhouse and its props, acting out scenarios and making the dolls talk.
• Read stories with easy-to-follow plots. Help your child predict what will happen next
in the story. Act out the stories, and put on puppet shows of the stories. Have your
child draw a picture of a scene from the story, or of a favorite part. You can do the
same thing with videos and television shows, as these also have plots. Ask "wh"
questions (who, what, when, where, or why) and monitor his or her response.
• Expand on your child' s comprehension and expressive language skills by playing "I
Spy": "I spy something round on the wall that you use to tell the time." After your
child guesses what you have described, have him or her give you clues about
something that he or she sees.
• Give your child two-step directions (e.g., "Get your coat from the closet and put it
on"). Encourage your child to give directions to explain how he or she has done
something. For example, ask your child to explain how he made a structure out of
Lego blocks. When playing doctor, ask your child to explain what she did to give the
baby a checkup. Draw a picture, and write down your child's story as he or she tells
it. Your child will soon grasp the power of storytelling and written language.
• Play age-appropriate board games with your child (e.g., "Candyland" or "Chutes and
Ladders").
• Have your child help you plan and discuss daily activities. For example, have him or
her make a shopping list for the grocery store, or help you plan his or her birthday
party. Ask his or her opinion: "What do you think your cousin would like for his
birthday? What kind of fruit do we need to buy at the store?"

© 1997-2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  

  

© 1997-2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association