This page is all about children speech and language skills. These milestones are based on research about typically-developing children but this information is not meant to diagnose a speech-language delay or disorder. There is a wide range of “normal” and even if your child is slightly delayed in a few of these areas, it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has a speech or language delay. Please contact Anderson Speech Therapy if you are concerned about your child’s speech and language skills.
/p/, /b/, /m/, /h/, /n/, /w/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /d/, /f/, “y”, /t/, “ng”, /r/, /l/
Your child’s speech should be understood by a stranger 90%-100% of the time.
Your child should be using most pronouns, possessives, and verb tenses correctly.
Uses threats and promises.
Asks for the meanings of words.
Likes to complete projects.
Makes purchases at store (with adult supervision).
Asks questions for information.
Chooses own friends.
Takes more care in communicating with unfamiliar people.
Engages in cooperative play, such as making group decisions, assigning roles, and playing fairly.
Announces topic shifts.
Follow three-step directions.
Answer why, how, when questions.
Produces the following speech sounds /p/, /b/, /m/, /h/, /n/, /w/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /d/, /f/, “y”, /t/, “ng”, /r/, /l/, “ch”, “sh”, “j”, voiceless “th” (like in “thumb”).
Your child’s speech should be understood by a stranger 90%-100% of the time.
Your child should be using most pronouns, possessives, and verb tenses correctly.
Uses threats and promises.
Asks for the meanings of words.
Likes to complete projects.
Makes purchases at store (with adult supervision).
Asks questions for information.
Chooses own friends.
Takes more care in communicating with unfamiliar people.
Engages in cooperative play, such as making group decisions, assigning roles, and playing fairly.
Announces topic shifts.
Follow three-step directions.
Answer why, how, when questions.
By this age, your child should be able to consistently make all English speech sounds correctly.
Your child’s speech should be understood by a stranger almost all of the time.
Identifies letters, words, and sentences.
Has a sight word vocabulary of 100 words.
Understands what is read.
Creates rhyming words.
Reads grade-level material fluently.
Expresses ideas through writing.
Prints clearly.
Spells frequently-used words correctly.
Begins sentences with capital letters and attempts to use punctuation.
Writes a variety of stories, journal entries, or notes.