How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?
By: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2005)
Children typically do not master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each age range. Just because your child has not accomplished one skill within an age range does not mean the child has a disorder. However, if your child has not accomplished the majority of items in an age range, seek the advice of a professional, such as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
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Hearing and Understanding |
Talking |
Birth-3 Months |
- Startles to loud sounds.
- Quiets or smiles when spoken to.
- Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying.
- Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound.
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- Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing).
- Cries differently for different needs.
- Smiles when sees you.
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4-6 Months |
- Moves eyes in direction of sounds.
- Responds to changes in tone of your voice.
- Notices toys that make sounds.
- Pays attention to music.
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- Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p, b and m.
- Vocalizes excitement and displeasure.
- Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you.
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7-12 Months |
- Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.
- Turns and looks in direction of sounds.
- Listens when spoken to.
- Recognizes words for common items like cup, shoe, juice.
- Begins to respond to requests ("Come here," "Want more?").
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- Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as "tata upup bibibibi."
- Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention.
- Imitates different speech sounds.
- Has 1 or 2 words (bye-bye, dada, mama) although they may not be clear.
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1-2 Years |
- Points to a few body parts when asked.
- Follows simple commands and understands simple questions ("Roll the ball," "Kiss the baby," "Where's your shoe?").
- Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.
- Points to pictures in a book when named.
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- Says more words every month.
- Uses some 1-2 word questions ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's that?").
- Puts two words together ("more cookie," "no juice," "mommy book").
- Uses many different consonant sounds of the beginning of words.
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2-3 Years |
- Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," "in-on," "big-little," "up-down").
- Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table.").
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- Has a word for almost everything.
- Uses 2-3-word "sentences" to talk about and ask for things.
- Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.
- Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.
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3-4 Years |
- Hears you when call from another room.
- Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members.
- Understands simple, "who?," "what?," "where?," "why?" questions.
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- Talks about activities at school or at friends' homes.
- People outside family usually understand child's speech.
- Uses a lot of sentences that have four or more words.
- Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.
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4-5 Years |
- Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it.
- Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.
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- Voice sounds clear like other children's.
- Uses sentences that give lots of details (e.g. "I like to read my books").
- Tells stories that stick to topic.
- Communicates easily with other children and adults.
- Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th.
- Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family.
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Where to get help
If you think your child may have a speech, language, or hearing problem, you can contact a certified professional:
- Audiologist
Audiologists are hearing care professionals who specialize in prevention, identification, and assessment of hearing and related disorders and provide treatment, rehabilitative services, and assistive devices.
- Speech-language pathologist
Speech-language pathologists help people develop their communication abilities as well as treat speech, languages, swallowing, and voice disorders. Their services include prevention, identification, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation.
ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists have completed their master's or doctoral degree and have earned ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC).
You can find a speech-language pathologist or audiologist who can help your child at:
- Public and private schools
- Colleges and universities
- Private practices
This article republished with permission of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). ©2005 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
