Typical Speech and Language Development
Birth - 2 years
People are always asking me about developmental norms. I decided to write a brief post about typical development. This post focuses on birth to 2 years of age (click here to see 2-3 years). It is important to remember that each child develops uniquely and the following information is just a general guideline. If you have concerns about your child's speech and language development, talk to your child's doctor or contact an ASHA certified and licensed Speech Language Pathologist in your area!
Birth-1 year: The first year of your child's life is exciting for both of you!
Here is what is typical for this age:
By one month old your baby should startle to sounds and also quiet when they hear voices. They communicate needs by crying at this stage.
By three months old your baby should respond to their mother's voice and smile at others. They should also demonstrate different cries for different needs. Your baby may also be vocalizing (vowel sounds) in response to someone talking to them.
By 6 months old your child should be clearly vocalizing when they are happy and when they are not!!! You should hear babbling with early developing sounds such as m, p, b, and they may be imitating sounds too! You will also notice them moving their eyes towards sounds and responding to tone of voice. They start really laughing by this age!
By 8 months old you will begin to hear your baby attempt to echo adult speech and try to imitate intonation. They will enjoy games such as peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. They will also turn to the direction of a sound they heard.
By 12 months your baby should respond to their name and follow simple requests. They will recognize common functional words such as "juice" and "blanket." They may start to speak one or more words and use gestures as pointing or showing (waving 'bye bye, reaching up to be picked up, ect...)
1-2 years: Growing and growing!
At this age, children start to show what they know. You will see them beginning to point to body parts when named, follow simple commands (bring me your shoe, roll the ball ect..), listen and participate in stories and songs, and point to common objects in books/pictures when asked to.
You will notice them starting to say new words every month, they will begin to put some 2 word phrases together (what's that, my ball, more juice ect..) You will notice a variety of consonants at the beginning of
words. Always model language for your little one! See more at http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/12.htm http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart.htm Images by www.smartysymbols.com