Development of Speech and Language
Every child develops at a different rate, but most go through the same stages. Listed below are the average ages of some important language and comprehension milestones as developed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Please note that like with any developmental timeline, these stages may be quite varied and perhaps met in a different order. A child who accomplishes these milestones differently may not necessarily have a developmental delay or speech disorder (and a child who hits these stages early is not necessarily a prodigy!).
- birth to 3 months
- startles to loud sounds
- smiles when spoken to
- responds to pleasure with 'cooing' noises
- 4 months to 6 months
- notices and pays attention to sounds and music
- shifts eyes in direction of sounds
- makes babbling noises that resemble speech
- 7 months to 1 year
- recognizes basic familiar words such as cup or ball
- imitates different speech sounds
- produces first words such as bye-bye or mama
- 1 year to 2 years
- listens to simple stories
- identifies pictures by name when directed (point to the cow, e.g.)
- speaks two-word sentences such as more juice or where daddy?
- 2 years to 3 years
- understands differences in meaning for basic words (up-down or in-out)
- produces three-word sentences
- can name most objects
- 3 years to 4 years
- understands questions
- talks about events
- speech is understood by most people
- 4 years to 5 years
- pays attention and responds to stories and questions
- speaks clearly
- tells detailed, ordered stories
Problems can arise at any stage of development, as well as much later in life. They can be the result of a congenital defect, a developmental disorder, or an injury. If a problem is suspected, an assessment should be made by an SLP who can diagnose and treat communication disorders.
Read more about this topic: Speech And Language Pathology In School Settings
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