At one point or another, almost every parent will wonder if their child’s development is on track with their age group. Rest assured, you are not alone. The good news is there are now more options than ever to make sure your child gets the support they need – where they need it – for continued development.  Enablr’s expert and experienced therapists can help!

Speech pathologists work with children on both speech and language skills. Speech refers to a child’s ability to appropriately form sounds or words typical of their age group. Language refers to how a child understands and uses language to relate to others and the world around them.

Please see our two “tools” below to see where your child currently stands.

Language Milestones:

0-3 Months

• Smiles at people

• Responses to sounds

• Makes cooing and babbling sounds

3-6 Months 

• Makes gurgling sounds when playing with you or left alone

• Babbles, increasing the variety of sounds

• Uses his or her voice to express pleasure and displeasure

6-9 Months 

• Smiles when you appear

• Makes speech like babbling sounds that include puh, ba, mi, da, and stringing vowel sounds together

• Cries different ways to show hunger, pain, or tiredness

• Responds to name

• Take turns with parents while “talking” and making sounds

9-12 Months 

• Understands “no”

• Copies sounds and gestures of others

• Points at things with finger

• Makes different sounds sounds that are closer to words like “Mamama”, “upup”, and “bababa”

12-18 Months 

• Uses simple gestures to communicate like waving “bye” or shaking head “no”

• Responses to simple requests like “give me”

• Changes tone when talking.  Use exclamations like “uh-oh!”

• Tries to repeat words

• Starts to use a few single words

18-24 Months 

• Says several single words and starts to put two words together into a phrase

• Points to show what he/she wants or to show interest in something

• Plays simple pretend games like feeding a baby

• Uses words or phrases to question

2-3 Years 

• Says at least 50 words, adds new word regularly

• Uses two to four words to talk about and ask for things.

• Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.

• Follows simple 2 step directions like “pick up the toy and put it in the box”

• Plays and talks with other children

Speech Milestones:

It is important to note that this information depicts a general range of development, and should only be used as a guide. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s speech development, we recommend that you contact a pediatrician or speech-language pathologist.

Enablr Therapy providers are knowledgeable and gifted at working with kids of all ages and abilities. We provide in-person therapy services in the Nashville Metro area and live video therapy sessions for clients throughout the states of Tennessee. To learn more how Enablr Therapy works with kids, visit our therapy services page.

References:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Speech Sound Disorders. Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Speech-Sound-Disorders/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Early Identification of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders.  Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/public/early-identification-of-speech-language-and-hearing-disorders/

Center for Disease Control (n.d.). Milestone Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/Checklists-with-Tips_Reader_508.pdf