Is Your Child’s Communication On Track?
Wondering what speech and language skills to expect as your child grows?
Explore communication milestones from birth through elementary school, learn what to look for, and discover when extra support might help.
Choose your child's age below to get started!
-
Alerts to sound.
Quiets or smiles when you talk.
Makes sounds back and forth with you.
Makes sounds that differ depending on whether they are happy or upset.
Coos, makes sounds like ooooo, aahh, and mmmmm.
Recognizes loved ones and some common objects.
Turns or looks toward voices or people talking.
-
Giggles and laughs.
Responds to facial expressions.
Looks at objects of interest and follows objects with their eyes.
Reacts to toys that make sounds, like those with bells or music.
Vocalizes during play or with objects in mouth.
Vocalizes different vowel sounds—sometimes combined with a consonant—like uuuuuummm, aaaaaaagoo, or daaaaaaaaaa.
Blows “raspberries.”
-
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.
-
By age 10 months, reaches for objects.
Points, waves, and shows or gives objects.
Imitates and initiates gestures for engaging in social interactions and playing games, like blowing kisses or playing peek-a-boo.
Tries to copy sounds that you make.
Enjoys dancing.
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.
-
Looks around when asked “where” questions—like “Where’s your blanket?”
Follows directions—like “Give me the ball,” “Hug the teddy bear,” “Come here,” or “Show me your nose.”
Points to make requests, to comment, or to get information.
Shakes head for “no” and nods head 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, or when being silly, like sticking out their tongue or making funny faces.
Uses a combination of long strings of sounds, syllables, and real words with speech-like inflection.
-
Uses and understands at least 50 different words for food, toys, animals, and body parts. Speech may not always be clear - like du for “shoe” or dah for “dog.”
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.
-
Uses word combinations often but may occasionally repeat some words or phrases, like baby – baby – baby sit down or I want – I want juice.
Tries to get your attention by saying, Look at me!
Says their name when asked.
Uses some plural words like birds or toys.
Uses –ing verbs like eating or running. Adds –ed to the end of words to talk about past actions, like looked or played.
Gives reasons for things and events, like saying that they need a coat when it’s cold outside.
Asks why and how.
Answers questions like “What do you do when you are sleepy?” or “Which one can you wear?”
Correctly produces p, b, m, h, w, d, and n in words.
Correctly produces most vowels in words.
Speech is becoming clearer but may not be understandable to unfamiliar listeners or to people who do not know your child.
-
Compares things, with words like bigger or shorter.
Tells you a story from a book or a video.
Understands and uses more location words, like inside, on, and under.
Uses words like a or the when talking, like a book or the dog.
Pretends to read alone or with others.
Recognizes signs and logos like STOP.
Pretends to write or spell and can write some letters.
Correctly produces t, k, g, f, y, and –ing in words.
Says all the syllables in a word.
Says the sounds at the beginning, middle, and end of words.
By age 4 years, your child talks smoothly. Does not repeat sounds, words, or phrases most of the time.
By age 4 years, your child speaks so that people can understand most of what they say. Child may make mistakes on sounds that are later to develop—like l, j, r, sh, ch, s, v, z, and th.
By age 4 years, your child says all sounds in a consonant cluster containing two or more consonants in a row—like the tw in tweet or the –nd in sand. May not produce all sounds correctly—for example, spway for “spray.”
-
Produces grammatically correct sentences. Sentences are longer and more complex.
Includes (1) main characters, settings, and words like and to connect information and (2) ideas to tell stories.
Uses at least one irregular plural form, like feet or men.
Understands and uses location words, like behind, beside, and between.
Uses more words for time—like yesterday and tomorrow—correctly.
Follows simple directions and rules to play games.
Locates the front of a book and its title.
Recognizes and names 10 or more letters and can usually write their own name.
Imitates reading and writing from left to right.
Blends word parts, like cup + cake = cupcake. Identifies some rhyming words, like cat and hat.
Produces most consonants correctly, and speech is understandable in conversation.
-
Listening
Follow 1–2 simple directions in a row.
Listen to and understand stories.
Follow a simple conversation
Speaking
Speak clearly enough so that most people understand what he says.
Answer simple yes/no questions.
Answer questions like, "What did you have for lunch today?"
Retell a story or talk about something he did.
Take turns talking and keep a conversation going.
Show interest in and start conversations.
Reading
Know how a book works. For example, we read from left to right and top to bottom in English.
Understand that sounds make up words.
Pick out words that rhyme, like cat and hat.
Tell you the first sound in words, like mmmm for milk.
Says the sounds for some letters, like buh for B.
Identify upper- and lowercase letters.
Recognize some words by sight.
"Read" a few picture books from memory.
Pretend to read by talking about pictures in a book.
Writing
Print her first name.
Draw a picture that tells a story. Write about the picture. Your child may write a letter or word to stand for a whole sentence or idea.
Write upper- and lowercase letters. They may not be clear or neat.
Write or type letters in no set order, like Mu zEos lx.
-
Listening
Remember what they hear.
Follow two- to three-step directions in a row.
Speaking
Speak clearly so that anyone can understand him.
Answer harder yes/no questions.
Tell and retell stories that make sense.
Share her ideas using complete sentences.
Use most parts of speech, or grammar, correctly.
Ask and answer who, what, when, where, and why questions.
Stay on topic and take turns in conversation.
Give directions.
Start conversations.
Reading
Say words that rhyme.
Name all sounds in short words.
Put sounds together to make words.
Match spoken words with written words.
Point to letters, words, and sentences.
Sound out words when reading.
Read 100 common words by sight.
Read grade-level books.
Understand what he reads.
Writing
Write about her ideas.
Print clearly.
Spell words that he uses a lot.
Begin each sentence with capital letters. End sentences with periods or question marks.
Write stories, journal entries, or notes.
-
Listening
Follow 3–4 directions in a row.
Understand direction words, like here, there, over, next to, before, or later.
Answers questions about a second grade-level story.
Speaking
Speak clearly.
Answer harder yes/no questions.
Ask and answer who, what, when, where, and why questions.
Use more complex sentences.
Explain words and ideas.
Give directions with 3–4 steps.
Use words to inform, persuade, and entertain.
Stay on topic, take turns, and keep eye contact during conversations.
Start and end conversations.
Reading
Know how letters make sounds in words.
Recognize many words by sight.
Use clues when reading to figure out words.
Reread parts of a story and fix mistakes.
Find information to answer questions.
Explain important points of a story, like the main idea, characters, and plot.
Use personal experiences to guess what might happen next in a story.
Read and retell a story in the correct order.
Read grade-level stories and poetry silently and out loud smoothly.
Writing
Write clearly, with basic punctuation and capitalization
Use different sentences to write essays, poetry, or short stories.
Organize writing with a beginning, middle, and an end.
Spell words correctly that he uses a lot.
-
Listening
Pay attention in groups.
Understand grade-level information.
Speaking
Speak clearly. Know when to talk with a soft or loud voice.
Ask and answer questions.
Be a part of conversations and group discussions.
Use words related to school subjects. For example, math, science, or history words.
Stay on topic, use eye contact, and take turns in conversation.
Summarize a story.
Explain what she learned in school.
Reading
Understand phonics.
Use word analysis skills, including knowing root words, prefixes, and suffixes.
Use clues from a story to help understand what she reads.
Predict and explain what will happen next in stories. Compare stories and tell how stories are different.
Ask and answer questions about what he reads.
Use what she knows to learn about new topics.
Read grade-level books with few mistakes.
Reread and correct errors.
Writing
Plan, organize, revise, and edit.
Write stories, letters, and short reports.
Use details in writing. Spell simple words correctly. Correct most spelling without help. Use a dictionary to correct spelling.
-
Listening
Listen to and understand information.
Form opinions based on what she hears.
Listen for specific reasons, such as to learn, enjoy, or convince.
Speaking
Use words correctly in conversation.
Use language for many reasons, like asking questions, arguing, and joking.
Understand some figurative language.
Take part in group discussions.
Give correct directions to others.
Summarize ideas in his own words.
Organize information so it is clear.
Give clear speeches.
Reading
Read grade-level books smoothly and with few mistakes.
Use what he knows to understand new material.
Follow written directions.
Take brief notes.
Link what she learns in one subject to another.
Learn meanings of new words by looking at word origins, synonyms, and other meanings.
Use reference materials, like a dictionary.
Talk about the author's reason for writing a story and about the writing style.
Read and understand different types of writing.
Make inferences from texts.
Talk about what she reads in her own words.
Writing
Write stories and explanations. Write many paragraphs about the same topic.
Develop a plan for writing that includes a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Organize writing around a main idea.
Edit final copies for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
-
Listening
Listening
Listen and draw conclusions in different classes.
Speaking
Make planned speeches. She should know her audience and include information for that group.
Deliver a speech. He should keep eye contact and use gestures and a loud voice.
Take part in class discussions.
Summarize main points.
Report about information from group activities.
Reading
Read grade-level books smoothly and with few mistakes.
Learn meanings of new words by looking at word origins, synonyms, and other meanings.
Decide what information is important when reading.
Read different types of text, like fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Describe how a character and a plot develop.
Talk about poetry and what poems might mean.
Study an author's language and style.
Use reference materials to support opinions.
Writing
Write for a variety of reasons.
Use many different words when writing.
Vary sentence structure.
Revise writing to make it clearer.
Edit final copies.
Developmental information informed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 11/2026. Click here to learn more!Have Questions About Your Child's Speech or Language?
Milestones are helpful guides, not deadlines. Children communicate in different ways and develop skills at different rates. If you're noticing differences in your child's communication, or just have a question, connecting with a speech-language pathologist can help you better understand your child's strengths and support needs.
Wondering if extra support would help? You don't need to have all the answers before reaching out. We're happy to help you explore your options.
YOU KNOW YOUR CHILD. WE KNOW COMMUNICATION.
Together, we can figure out the next step.
At Infinite Limits Speech Therapy, we offer personalized, neurodiversity-affirming speech and language support for Austin-area families.
