Speech and Language Goals by Age

All children develop skills at different paces. Here are average milestones:

By 12 months:

• Says first meaningful word (usually coincides with a clear index finger point)
• Begins to associate a word with a meaningful object like “mama”, “bye bye”
• Starts to point at objects and people
• Imitates sounds and some words

By 18 months:

• Has a 20 word vocabulary
• Can refer to himself by name
• Uses items with its intended function (e.g. tries to talk on the telephone or bang a drum)
• Begins to use words like “mine” and “hi”

By 24 months:

• Has a 200-300 word vocabulary
• Uses 2 word sentences (e.g. “want juice”)
• Can name common objects
• Roll plays and imitates (e.g. may pretend to be mommy vacuuming)
• Likes to have the attention on him/her
• Can feed himself with a spoon
• Gives a toy when asked

By 3 years:

• Has a 900-1000 word vocabulary
• Can use 3 word phrases
• Plays make-believe
• Talks about events happening in the present
• Takes turns
• Will bring toys to adults and peers to play with
• Asking questions like “What’s that?”
• Matches some colors and understands concepts such as “big” and “little”

By 4 years:

• Has a 1500 word vocabulary
• Uses more complex sentences
• Can name colors and numbers up to 5 with relative ease
• Can follow some directions with prepositions
• Can recount a story

By 5 years:

• Can talk about feelings
• Has over 2000 word vocabulary
• Can follow multistep directions
• Has very accurate grammar
• Enjoys playing with peers in groups
• Asks higher level wh- questions like “why” and “who”
• Is able to make up imaginative stories

By 6 years and over:

• Retains instructions
• Reading comprehension, such as grasping the “main idea” of a story or being able to guess what might happen next in the story
• Defines words without repeating verbatim
• Uses correct sentence structure, including use of proper tenses and plurals
• Reads fluently
• Can explain what he/she has read
• Maintains a conversation, and can answer and ask questions to his/her speaking partner
• Verbally sequences daily events
• Gives details
• Follows school-related directions
• Keeps up and pays attention in school

Pronunciation Goals by Age

Age levels when specific sounds should be achieved: