Every child develops their abilities to communicate at their own pace. Developmental milestones may appear before or after the typical age-ranges depending on the child. While some delays are common, others may be reason for concern and require specialized intervention as early as possible. The question then becomes, how do you know when to seek out a professional speech and language evaluation?
At Milestone Therapy Group, we believe the first step to helping children with speech and language delays and disorders is early identification followed by suitable intervention.
Below is a brief overview of typical communicative milestones to look for at every stage of your child’s growth. If you feel that your child is falling behind on their speech and language development based off of these milestones, it may be time to seek out a speech evaluation with Milestone Therapy Group.
At 12 to 15 months
– Responds to a person’s presence with smiles or waves
– Follows simple spoken commands
– Speaks their first words
– Gestures or points to communicate
– Attempts to imitate words
At 18 to 24 months
– Speaks about 50 words
– Can identify familiar items including pets, toys and body parts
– Begins combining words into 2-3 word phrases
– Answers simple yes/no questions with a head shake or words
At 2 years
– Answers simple “what” and “where” questions
– Begins combining words into 3-4 word phrases
– Uses over 100 words
– Begins using descriptive words
At 3 years
– Can follow simple 2 step directions
– Uses sentences of 3 or more words
– Asking ‘what’ and ‘where’ questions
– Responds to ‘who’ questions
– Sequences recent events
– Uses over 300 words
At 4 years
– Frequently uses full sentences to communicate.
– Understands the function of objects
– Uses personal pronouns
– Answers questions about quantity
At 5 years
– Follows three part instructions
– Understands concepts related to time
– Tells simple stories complete with a beginning middle and end
– Uses verb tenses correctly
– Learns to read
We hope this article helps to familiarize you with the milestones of language development in children. If you feel that your child may be falling behind in acquisition of these language skills, contact us at Milestone Therapy Group. Our licensed and qualified speech therapist has helped countless children to increase their speech and language skills . Please feel free to book a consultation or speech evaluation with our therapists. Whether you have concerns about your child’s progression through these milestones or are looking to improve your child’s functional communication, we at Milestone Therapy Group are here to provide you and your child with the tools to communicate.
