Speech
Milestones
- Responds to environmental sounds.
- Recognizes familiar voices.
- Smiles at familiar people.
- Coos/goos when happy.
- Distinct crying for different needs.
• Looks in the direction of sounds⠀
• Responds to tone of voice⠀
• Babbles with many different sounds (including p, b, and m)⠀
• Laughs and gurgles⠀
• Expresses excitement and displeasure.
• Looks in the direction of sounds⠀
• Listens to others’ speech⠀
• Recognizes common words⠀
• Responds to simple requests⠀
• Varies babbling⠀
• Gets attention from others without crying⠀
• Uses gestures and imitates speech sounds⠀
• Uses 1 to 2 words.
• Points to body parts when asked⠀
• Follows simple directions⠀
• Understands simple questions⠀
• Vocabulary increases every month⠀
• Puts two words together⠀
• Uses many different consonants
• Understands simple opposites (up/down, stop/go)⠀
• Follows 2-step directions⠀
• Listens to stories⠀
• Uses 2-3 word phrases⠀
• Speech is fully understood by familiar listeners⠀
• May stutter on words & sounds but is not bothered by it⠀
• Names objects⠀
• Asks “why?”
- Understands 3-4 word sentences.
- Understands family words.
- Talks about activities that happened away from home.
- Speech is mostly understandable.
- Answers simple why/how questions.
- Asks why/how questions.
- Understands basic shapes and colors.
- Uses pronouns and some plurals.
- Speaks without stuttering.
- Follows complex instructions.
- Hears and understands most of what’s said around them.
- Produces all speech sounds – may make errors on l, s, r, v, ch, sh, the.
- Names letters and numbers.
- Tells short stories.
- Maintains conversations.
- Can adapt speech to listeners (give more or less info).
Feeding Milestones
- Efficient suckle of bottle nipple.
- Open cup drinking; Can use the upper lip to clean a spoon.
- Open cup drinking; Helps adult with a spoon.
- Open cup drinking; Weans bottle feeding at around 12 months.
- Holds cup with both hands; Grabs and holds the spoon with both hands for self-feeding.
- Self-feeds a majority of foods; Chews a wide range of textures; Chews with mouth closed; Has more control of cup drinking.
- Child refines all skills.
Fine Motor Skills
Milestones
Skills that require coordination between small muscles, like those in the hands, wrists, and fingers, in coordination with their eyes.
- Place hands in the mouth; Hands become more relaxed
- Hold hands together; Move toy from one hand to the other; Hold and shake toys
- Squeeze an item with hands; Grasp toy with both hands; Use index finger to touch; Claps hands
- Feed themselves finger foods; Grab small objects with thumb and index finger; Bang things together; Hold toys with one hand.
- Scribble on paper; Eat with a spoon; Turns one page of a book; Hold crayon with fingertips & thumb (pincer grasp)
- Turn doorknob; Wash hands; Use a spoon & fork correctly; Zip & unzip clothes; Place & remove lids
- Unbutton & button clothes; Use scissors to cut paper; Trace shapes on paper
Gross Motor Skills
Milestones
Skills that require whole body movement and involve the large muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and sitting upright at the table.
- Try to stand up; Sit on their own
- Walk and run; Go up & down steps; Jump with both feet.
- Stand on one foot; Peddle a tricycle; Climb frames at the park.
- Hop on one foot; Catch a ball.
- Jump rope and skip; Well-developed gross motor skills; Skate and swim.