Speech and Language Milestones Birth to Age 5: Is My Child on Track?

One of the most common things we hear from parents is some version of this: "I wasn't sure if I was overreacting."

They noticed something. Their gut was telling them something. But they talked themselves out of it, waited a few more months, and then came to us wishing they had called sooner.

You are not overreacting. If something feels off with your child's communication, that feeling is worth paying attention to.

Communication development does not follow a single timeline, and knowing what to look for at each stage is one of the most powerful things you can do as a parent.

A note on which milestones we use

You may notice that the milestones here look different from what you have seen on the CDC website. In 2022 the CDC revised their guidelines and moved many speech and language benchmarks later. ASHA, the national credentialing body for speech-language pathologists, raised concerns about those changes and released updated milestones in 2023 grounded in current research. At Spark we follow ASHA's milestones because they give families the most accurate picture of typical development and the best chance of identifying a delay early.

Birth to 3 months

• Alerts to sound

• Quiets or smiles when you talk

• Makes sounds back and forth with you

• Makes different sounds depending on whether they are happy or upset

• Coos, makes sounds like ooooo, aahh, and mmmmm

• Recognizes familiar people and some common objects

• Turns or looks toward voices or people talking

4 to 6 months

• Giggles and laughs

• Responds to facial expressions

• Looks at objects of interest and follows them with their eyes

• Reacts to toys that make sounds

• Vocalizes during play

• Vocalizes different vowel sounds, sometimes combined with a consonant

• Blows raspberries

7 to 9 months

• Looks at you when you call their name

• Stops for a moment when you say "no"

• Babbles long strings of sounds like mamamama, upup, or babababa

• Looks for loved ones when upset

• Raises arms to be picked up

• Recognizes the names of some people and objects

• Pushes away unwanted objects

10 to 12 months

• Points, waves, and shows or gives objects

• Imitates and initiates gestures like blowing kisses or playing peek-a-boo

• Tries to copy sounds you make

• Responds to simple words and phrases like "go bye-bye" and "look at mommy"

• Says one or two words like mama, dada, hi, and bye

13 to 18 months

• Looks around when asked "where" questions like "where's your blanket?"

• Follows simple directions like "give me the ball" or "show me your nose"

• Points to make requests, to comment, or to get information

• Shakes head for no and nods for yes

• Understands and uses words for common objects, some actions, and people in their lives

• Identifies one or more body parts

• Uses gestures when excited, like clapping or giving a high-five

19 to 24 months

• Uses and understands at least 50 different words for food, toys, animals, and body parts

• Puts two or more words together, like "more water" or "go outside"

• Follows two-step directions like "get the spoon and put it on the table"

• Uses words like me, mine, and you

• Uses words to ask for help

• Uses possessives like "daddy's sock"

2 to 3 years

• Uses word combinations often, though may occasionally repeat words or phrases

• Says their name when asked

• Uses some plural words like birds or toys

• Uses -ing verbs like eating or running, and adds -ed to talk about past actions

• Gives reasons for things, like saying they need a coat when it is cold

• Asks why and how

• Correctly produces p, b, m, h, w, d, and n in words

• Speech is becoming clearer but may not always be understood by unfamiliar listeners

3 to 4 years

• Compares things using words like bigger or shorter

• Tells you a story from a book or a video

• Understands and uses location words like inside, on, and under

• Pretends to read alone or with others

• Recognizes signs and logos like STOP

• Correctly produces t, k, g, f, y, and -ing in words

• Says all the syllables in a word

• By age 4, talks smoothly most of the time and is understood by most people, though may still make mistakes on later-developing sounds like l, j, r, sh, ch, s, v, z, and th

4 to 5 years

• Produces grammatically correct sentences that are longer and more complex

• Tells stories with main characters, settings, and connecting words

• Uses irregular plural forms like feet or men

• Understands and uses location words like behind, beside, and between

• Uses time words like yesterday and tomorrow correctly

• Follows simple directions and rules to play games

• Recognizes and names 10 or more letters and can usually write their own name

• Produces most consonants correctly and speech is understandable in conversation

Signs that should not wait

Beyond specific milestones, there are certain signs that warrant a call regardless of where your child is developmentally.

Your child lost words or skills they previously had. This is one of the most important signs to act on quickly. Regression is never something to wait on.

Your child is not pointing by 12 to 14 months. Pointing to share interest, not just to request, is one of the earliest and most important communication milestones.

You find yourself constantly interpreting for your child. If you are the only one who understands what your child is saying, and even you are guessing sometimes, that is worth a conversation.

Your child seems frustrated when trying to communicate. Frequent meltdowns or shutdowns around communication, difficulty making needs known, or withdrawal from social situations can all signal that a child needs more support.

Your child is not imitating sounds, words, or actions. Imitation is foundational to language development and its absence at any age is worth evaluating.

Your child's communication feels different from same-age peers. You do not need a checklist to tell you this. Parents notice things before anyone else does, and that instinct is worth trusting.

What about "wait and see"?

We hear this a lot. A pediatrician, a family member, or a well-meaning friend says your child will catch up on their own. Sometimes that is true. But waiting also has a cost.

The research on early intervention is clear: earlier support produces better outcomes. The brain is most responsive to language learning in the first three years of life, but intervention at any age is more effective than no intervention at all. Waiting six months to see what happens is six months of potential support your child did not receive.

Getting an evaluation does not commit you to anything. It gives you information. And information helps you make better decisions for your child.

What happens in a speech evaluation at Spark

When you come to us for an evaluation, we spend time getting to know your child, not just testing them. Depending on your child's age and what they can tolerate, the evaluation may be play-based, more structured, or a combination of both. We always individualize our approach based on each child and their capacity on that day.

We observe how your child communicates, plays, and interacts. We talk with you about what you are seeing at home, because you know your child better than anyone in that room.

We will tell you what we find, what it means, and what we recommend, in plain language without jargon. If therapy is recommended, we will explain what that looks like and what to expect. If it is not, we will tell you that too.

We serve families across the New Orleans area from our Uptown location at 2620 Jena Street. If something in this post resonated with you, trust that feeling. Reach out and we will help you figure out the next step.

Sources

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2023). Communication milestones: Birth to 5 years. asha.org/public/developmental-milestones

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2023). Feeding and swallowing milestones: Birth to 3 years. asha.org/public/developmental-milestones

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2023). ASHA announces new developmental milestones for children ages birth to 5. asha.org/news/2023/asha-announces-new-developmental-milestones-for-children-ages-birth-to-5

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2024). ASHA shares new resources on developmental milestones with families. asha.org/news/2024/asha-shares-new-resources-on-developmental-milestones-with-families