Speech, Language, and Communication Milestones in the First Five Years of Life

I’ll let you in on a little secret: your child began communicating with you long before they said their first word. Communication first happens with movements and sounds within the womb, and is more than words; it is sounds, noises, gestures, laughter, crying and facial expressions. All of these elements of expression communication work together to allow children and caregivers to bond and form relationships.
When your child was in utero and your stomach moved, you noticed that shift and responded by pushing back or rubbing your belly. If you tickled your baby and they laughed, you repeated the activity to encourage the same response. Each of these events are examples of communicative exchanges. In each of these moments, the child recognized and responded to your voice, facial expressions, gestures, or emotions. Communication is bigger than words and can be shared in many ways, and your child may show understanding of language in different ways as well. This bring us to a bigger question. How do you know your child is developing speech, language, and communication skills successfully through their first five years of life?
When we discuss typical development, we often speak of milestones. A developmental milestone is a specific skill (sitting up, waving, first word, etc.) children achieve, generally within a certain age range. Developmental milestones have been extensively studied and reported to best gauge an individual child’s development in an effort to identify and address potential delays. Below we have provided a checklist of some key speech and language milestones that have been outlined by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA).
Our mission at St. David’s Center is to build relationships that nurture the development of every child and family. St. David’s Center services promote and facilitate all areas of development to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. Should you be faced with concerns regarding your child’s development, our therapists can evaluate and treat a wide range of communication and language disorders.
Below is a guide for comprehension and communication milestones for your reference. Source: “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, ASHA, www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart/.
Comprehension:
Birth to three months
Four to six months
Seven months to one year old
One to two years old
Two to three years old
Three to four years old
Four to five years old
Communication
Birth to three months
Four to six months
Seven months to one year
One to two years old
Two to three years old
Three to four years old
Four to five years old