Age-Appropriate Speech Development Timeline

If your child has an autism diagnosis, the multidisciplinary team of professionals at Springtide Child Development Center can help. We are a personalized autism therapy center designed to help children with autism reach their greatest potential. Therefore, we offer speech and ABA therapies together under one roof. Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to enhance the learning experience while encouraging children to reach new speech and developmental milestones more efficiently.

Speech Development Timeline

We know you want what’s best for your child, and ensuring that they are developing at a healthy rate is always of the utmost importance. It’s natural to worry when you suspect that your child may be speech delayed, but it is also important to note that every child is unique. While every child learns to communicate at their own pace, there are general milestones that can serve as a guide to help parents, doctors and healthcare providers know when a child may need some extra attention.

Birth to 3 Months

By three months, your baby’s hearing and communication may have developed to include the following:

• Reaction to loud sounds
• Smiling when you appear
• Smiling or quiet when spoken to
• Recognizing your voice
• Making coos and pleasure sounds
• Cries that sound different for different needs

4 to 6 Months

By six months, your baby’s communication skills may have further developed to where they might:

• Respond to changes in tone of voices
• Notice toys that make sounds
• Laugh
• Babble when happy or exciting
• Make gurgling noises when alone or during playtime
• Pay attention to music

7 Months to 1 Year

By the time your baby reaches one year, they may:

• Attempt to imitate speech sounds
• Say a few words to label a person, such as “mama” or “dada”
• Answer simple questions nonverbally
• Have a vocabulary of four to six words
• Recognize words for commonly-used items

1 to 2 Years

At the age of two, your toddler may:

• Enjoy simple stories or songs
• Follow simple commands and understand simple questions
• Communicate by putting two words together
• Learn new words on a regular basis

2 to 3 Years

By the time they are three years old, your toddler may:

• Have a word for almost everything in their daily life
• Use two to three-word phrases
• Speak in a way that is understood by family members and close friends

3 to 4 Years

At four years old, your child may:

• Answer simple questions
• Use sentences with four or more words
• Speak easily without having to repeat themselves
• Hear you when called from another room
• Talk about activities at school or with friends

4 to 5 Years

By the time they are five years old, your child may have developed the ability to:

• Hear and understand most of what is said to them
• Use complex sentences that provide many details
• Tell stories that stay on topic
• Communicate easily with other children and adults
• Pay attention to stories and answer questions about what they heard
• Use words that rhyme
• Use adult grammar
• Name some letters and numbers

What Should I Do If My Child Isn’t Meeting These Milestones?

Every child learns at their own pace, so if your child isn’t meeting these milestones, it is not always cause for concern. In fact, some children may grow up to be late bloomers and have no major communication issues at any point in their lives. However, if you are concerned about your child struggling with any of these milestones, it’s always a good idea to check in with their pediatrician.

If your pediatrician believes your child may have autism, they may recommend consulting a speech-language pathologist to help your child along the way. 

Contact Springtide Child Development Center

If you are interested in helping your child with autism reach their greatest potential, contact us today to learn how Springtide Development Center can provide your child with the best possible care and speech programs.