3MONTHS

– Responds to adult interactions

– Seeks to make eye contact with adults

– Begins to “coo” and “gurgle”

– Vocalizes to adult’s smile and talk

– Responds to stimulation in and around the mouth

6MONTHS

– Responds to sounds other than voices

– Recognizes own name

– Begins to babble consonant-vowel combinations

– Takes turns vocalizing

– Vocalizations sound more “speech like” (babbling becomes more complex with practice)

– Eats pureed foods from a small spoon

– Holds a bottle independently

9MONTHS

– Gives objects upon request

– Understands simple questions (“Want up?”)

– Looks at pictures in a book

– Much more complex vocalizations (sounds like a conversation)

– Begins to say a few words

– Cleans spoon with his/her upper lip

– Begins to self-feed using fingers

– Begins eating soft table foods

12MONTHS

– Identifies objects in the environment

– Follows one-step directions

– Says more words spontaneously

– Imitates new words

– Uses toys and objects functionally (pushes a toy, attempts to brush own hair)

– Drinks through a straw

– Bites through crunchy cookies and crackers

18MONTHS

– Produces at least fifteen words

– Uses consonants such as t, d, n, and h

– Understands 50 words

– Pretends with toys (pretends to feed a doll using a block for food)

– Moves food in his/her mouth from side to side as they chew

– Drinks out of open cup

24MONTHS

– Produces at least 50 words

– Uses two-word phrases frequently

– Follows a two-step related command (“pick up the ball and roll it to me.”)

– Pretends in two-step sequences (pretends to give a doll a drink & wipe its mouth)

– Feeds him/herself using a spoon

36MONTHS

– Produces at least 500 words

– Answers “wh” questions (“what did you eat for lunch?)

– Begins to use grammatical forms (plurals, past-tense verbs, pronouns)

– Produces all speech sounds correctly except s, z, sh, ch, j, th, l, and r

– 80% understandable

– Consumes a variety of liquids and solids

4YEARS

– Follows multi-part directions

– Begins to play rhyming games (“what rhymes with bat?)

– Can tell about experiences in the correct sequence

– Produces all speech sounds correctly except r and “th” – 100% understandable

– Eating advanced textures with minimal supervision from caregiver

5YEARS

– Has a minimum expressive vocabulary of 1500 words

– Can tell a story (includes a beginning, middle, and end)

– Defines objects by their use and can talk about their features (size, shape, composition)

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Carrer link: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=speech%20pathologist&l=Tucker%2C%20GA&vjk=c6124fda24361f78&apply=1