Moments vs Milestones- Language

As parents and caregivers, we are always watching to see what our child will do next! When trying to decide if we think our child needs speech/language therapy, we must consider if our child has “moments” of displaying a skill rarely, or if they have truly met their language milestones on a consistent basis.

Some (not all) language milestones are listed here:

• 12 months old

  • Child has first true word

• 18 months old

  • Child is combining words and gestures

  • Your child is getting closer to 50 words (e.g., labeling pictures in a book)

• 2 years old

  • Using two word phrases (e.g., “more milk”)

    • Child needs to have 50 words to do this

• 3 years old

  • Child is asking “why”

  • Child is putting three words together to talk about things or to request

• 4 years old

  • Most people can understand your child

  • Your child is using sentences to communicate about experience (e.g., their day at school)

• 5 years old

  • Your child can tell a short story

  • Child can maintain a conversation

  • Child can use sentences with more than one action (e.g., sleep, eat, jump)

If you are reading through these milestones and have questions or are seeing “red flags” regarding your child’s language development, reach out to a Speech-Language Pathologist today to get their opinion on your child’s language skills!

Reference: “How Does Your Child Hear and Talk? Speech, Language, and Hearing Developmental Milestones from Birth to 5 Years.” Speech, Language, and Hearing Developmental Milestones From Birth to 5 Years, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart/.