Hearing and Understanding Milestones

Birth - 3 Months

• Startles to loud sounds.
• Quiets or smiles when spoken to.
• Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying
• Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound

4 - 6 Months

• Moves eyes in direction of sounds
• Responds to changes in tone of your voice
• Notices toys that make sounds
• Pays attention to music

7 Months - 1 Year

• Enjoys games like peek-o-boo and pat-a-cake
• Turns and looks in direction of sounds
• Listens when spoken to
• Recognizes words for common items like “cup”, “shoe”, “book”, or “juice”
• Begins to respond to requests (e.g. “Come here” or “Want more?”)

• Points to a few body parts when asked
• Follows simple commands and understands simple questions (“Roll the ball”, “Kiss the baby”, “Where’s your shoe?”)
• Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes
• Points to pictures in a book when named

2 - 3 Years

• Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop”, “in-on”, “big-little”, “up-down”)
• Follows two requests (“Get the book and put it on the table”)
• Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time

3 - 4 Years

• Hears you when call from another room
• Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members
• Answers simple, “who?”, “what?”, “where?”, and “why?” questions

4 - 5 Years

• Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about them
• Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school

Speech and Language Milestones

Birth - 3 Months

• Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing)
• Cries differently for different needs
• Smiles when sees you

4 - 6 Months

• Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p, b, and m
• Chuckles and giggles
• Vocalizes excitement and displeasure
• Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you

7 Months - 1 Year

• Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as “tata upup bibibibi”
• Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention
• Uses gestures to communication (waving, holding arms to be picked up)
• Imitates different speech sounds
• Has one or two words (hi, dog, dada, mama) around first birthday, although sounds may not be clear

1 - 2 Years

• Says more words every month
• Uses some one- or two- word questions (“Where kitty?”, “Go bye-bye?”, “What’s that?”)
• Puts two words together (“more cookie”, “no juice”, “mommy book”)
• Uses many different consonant sounds of the beginning of words

2 - 3 Years

• Has a word for almost everything
• Uses two- or three- words to talk about and ask for things
• Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds
• Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time
• Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them

3 - 4 Years

• Talks about activities at school or at friends’ homes
• People outside family usually understand child’s speech
• Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words
• Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words

4 - 5 Years

• Uses sentences that give lots of details (“The biggest peach is mine”)
• Tells stories that stick to topic
• Communicates easily with other children and adults
• Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th
• Says rhyming words
• Names some letters and numbers
• Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family