DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Birth to 3 Months:

Speech

• Startles at loud sounds

• Seems to recognize your voice and is soothed when hears your voice

• Makes cooing sounds

• Cries change for different needs

• Smiles at people

• Quiets or smiles when you talk

Occupations

• Lifts head 45 degrees while in prone (lying on tummy)

• Opens and closes hands

• Follows a toy with eyes from side to side

• Brings hands together toward middle of body

• Attempts to reach for toy

• Grasps a small toy placed in hand

• Breastfeeds or drinks from a bottle without choking, coughing or gagging

4 to 6 months:

Speech

• Responds to changes in your tone of voice.

• Notices toys that make sounds.

• Pays attention to music.

• Coos and babbles when playing alone or with you.

• Makes speech-like babbling sounds, like pa, ba, and mi.

• Giggles and laughs.

• Makes sounds when happy or upset.

• Moves her eyes in the direction of sounds.

Occupations

• Hits at dangling toys with hands

• Lifts head to 90 degrees while in prone (lying on tummy)

• Raises entire chest when on stomach and bears weight on hands

• Rolls back to belly (both to right and left sides)

• Begins to sit using hands for support

• Transfers toys from hand to hand

• Reaches with increased control for a toy

• Shakes and bangs toys

• Eats small amounts of pureed baby food

7 months to 1 year:

Speech

• Looks when you point.

• Turns when you call her name.

• Understands words for common items and people—words like cup, truck, juice, and daddy.

• Starts to respond to simple words and phrases, like “No,” “Come here,” and “Want more?”

• Plays games with you, like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.

• Listens to songs and stories for a short time.

• Babbles long strings of sounds, like mimi upup babababa.

• Uses sounds and gestures to get and keep attention.

• Points to objects and shows them to others.

• Uses gestures like waving bye, reaching for “up,” and shaking his head no.

• Imitates different speech sounds.

• Says 1 or 2 words, like hi, dog, dada, mama, or uh-oh. This will happen around his first birthday, but sounds may not be clear.

• Turns and looks in the direction of sounds.

Occupations

• Turns and looks in the direction of sounds.Sustained sitting without using their arms for support

• Crawls on hands and knees with stomach off the floor (9 months)

• Feeds self finger foods (8 months+)

• Moves into sitting position independently

• Eats mashed table food

• Sits well to play

• Imitates simple play such as “peek a boo”

• Pulls self up to stand using furniture

• Eats a variety of soft, chopped table food

• Drinks from a sippy cup independently

• Stacks 2 blocks

• Walks well with infrequent falls

• Squats to pick up an object and stands up again without falling

One to Two Years:

Speech

• Follows 1-part directions, like "Roll the ball" or "Kiss the baby."

• Responds to simple questions, like “Who’s that?” or “Where’s your shoe?”

• Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.

• Points to pictures in a book when you name them.

• Uses a lot of new words.

• Uses p, b, m, h, and w in words.

• Starts to name pictures in books.

• Asks questions, like “What's that?”, “Who’s that?”, and “Where’s kitty?”

• Puts 2 words together, like "more apple," "no bed," and "mommy book."

Occupations

• Puts 2 words together, like "more apple," "no bed," and "mommy book."

• Pulls off socks and shoes

• Cooperates with dressing (helps to pull off clothing; extends arms and legs to assist with dressing)

• Scribbles on paper

• Stands alone

• Walking (1-2 steps alone)

• Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up small objects

• Throws/kicks balls

• Eats a variety of solid foods

• Snips with scissors

• Imitates horizontal, vertical lines and circular marks

• Removes elastic waist pants Builds at least a 6 block tower

• Pushes, pulls or carries toys while walking (18 months)

Two Years to Three Years:

Speech

• Understands new words quickly.

• Has a word for almost everything.

• Talks about things that are not in the room.

• Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n in words.

• Uses words like in, on, and under.

• Uses two- or three- words to talk about and ask for things.

• People who know your child can understand him.

• Asks “Why?”

• Understands opposites, like go–stop, big–little, and up–down.

• Follows 2-part directions, like "Get the spoon and put it on the table."

Occupations

• Understands opposites, like go–stop, big–little, and up–down.

• Snips with scissors

• Imitates horizontal, vertical lines and circular marks

• Removes elastic waist pants

• Builds at least a 6 block tower

• Pedals a tricycle

• Catches a large ball thrown gently from very close

• Runs well without falling (2.5 years)

• Drinks from an open cup

Three to Four Years :

Speech

• Understands words for some colors, like red, blue, and green.

• Understands words for some shapes, like circle and square.

• Understands words for family, like brother, grandmother, and aunt.

• Answers simple who, what, and where questions.

• Says rhyming words, like hat–cat.

• Uses pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they.

• Uses some plural words, like toys, birds, and buses.

• Most people understand what your child says.

• Asks when and how questions.

• Puts 4 words together. May make some mistakes, like “I goed to school.”

• Talks about what happened during the day. Uses about 4 sentences at a time.

• Responds when you call from another room.

Occupations

• Responds when you call from another room.

• Cuts straight lines

• Copies vertical, horizontal lines and circles

• Buttons large buttons

• Throws tennis ball 5-7 feet overhand with one hand

• Catches large ball thrown from 5 feet away

• Static tripod grasp (held with thumb, index and middle fingers while hand moves as a unit)

Four to Five Years :

Speech

• Understands words for time, like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

• Follows longer directions, like “Put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, and then pick out a book.”

• Follows classroom directions, like “Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat.”

• Hears and understands most of what she hears at home and in school.

• Says all speech sounds in words. May make mistakes on sounds that are harder to say, like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and th.

• Responds to “What did you say?”

• Talks without repeating sounds or words most of the time.

• Names letters and numbers.

• Uses sentences that have more than 1 action word, like jump, play, and get. May make some mistakes, like “Zach gots 2 video games, but I got one.”

• Tells a short story.

• Keeps a conversation going.

• Talks in different ways, depending on the listener and place. Your child may use short sentences with younger children. He may talk louder outside than inside.

• Understands words for order, like first, next, and last.

Occupations

• Cuts out a circle

• Zips jacket

• Copies intersecting lines, diagonal lines, simple shapes, some letters and numbers

• Balances on one foot for 10 seconds or longer

• Prints name from memory

• Colors within the lines

• Draws a person with at least 6 or more different parts

• Cuts out a square