Here is a checklist of milestones that your child should be doing
and by certain ages (like the well baby check-ups at your
doctor's office). The following answer is quite lengthy, but
will give you examples of every developmental area including what
speech sounds should be developed by now.
Developmental Milestones Checklist:
Physical (fine-motor and gross-motor skills) The ability to use
small and large muscles effectively
Fine motor: the use of small muscle groups of the arms and hands
to eat, drink, dress, and write, etc.
Gross motor: the use of large muscle groups of the neck, trunk,
arms, and legs for ambulation, etc.
36-42 months
o builds a 9-block tower
o strings 1” beads
o stirs liquid with spoon
o draws a circle
42-48 months
o cuts paper into two pieces
48-54 months
o draws a 3-part person
o colors within lines
o cuts along a line
54-60 months
o laces shoes
o cuts along thick curved line
Typical developmental milestones in the area of gross motor
development include:
36-42 months
o catches 6-8 inch ball with arms
o throws a ball 6 feet
o jumps down from a low object
• 42-48 months
o walks up and down stairs, one foot per step, with no help
48-54 months
o catches a ball with hands
o gallops
54-60 months
o skips
o throws ball with close accuracy
Cognitive- The ability to comprehend, remember, and make sense
out of experience, including:
• attending skills
• abstract thinking or reasoning
• capacity to acquire knowledge
• problem solving skills
Typical developmental milestones in the area of cognitive
development include:
36-42 months
o recalls familiar objects or events from past experience
o rote counts from 1-10
o same and different
o classifies objects
42-48 months
o matches objects and pictures
o knows the concept of empty (“all done”)
48-54 months
o completes an open-ended sentence
o completes a puzzle of 2 to 12 pieces
54-60 months
o names shapes – circle, triangle, square
o knows difference between daytime/nighttime activities
Communication- The ability to use and comprehend language
effectively – vocabulary, grammar, and speech sounds.
Communication skills are found in hearing, symbolic play, social,
motor, and cognitive skills, including:
Preverbal Skills – the use of nonverbal behaviors such as body
movements, grimaces, and vocalizations that are unclear signals,
Pragmatics – functional communication that includes intentions
and discourse,
Receptive Language – the comprehension of linguistic and non-
linguistic communications, and
Expressive Language – the expression of language, including
phonology, syntax, and semantics.
Typical developmental milestones in the area of communication
include:
12 months
o recognizes his or her name
o understands simple instructions
o initiates familiar words, gestures, and sounds
o uses "mama", "dada", and other common nouns
18 months
o uses 10 to 20 words, including names
o recognizes pictures of familiar persons and objects
o combines two words, such as "all gone"
o uses words to make wants known, such as more and up
o points and gestures to call attention to an event and to
show wants
o follows simple commands
o imitates simple actions
o hums, may sing simple tunes
o distinguishes print from non-print
24 months
o understands simple questions and commands
o identifies body parts
o carries on conversation with self and dolls
o asks "what" and "where"
o has sentence length of two to three words
o refers to self by name
o names pictures
o uses two-word negative phrases, such as "no want"
o forms some plurals by adding "s"
o has about a 300-word vocabulary
o asks for food and drink
o stays with one activity for six to seven minutes
o knows how to interact with books (right side up, page
turning from left to right)
30 months
o has about a 450-word vocabulary
o gives first name
o uses past tense and plurals; combines some nouns and verbs
o understands simple time concepts, such as "last night"
or "tomorrow"
o refers to self as "me" rather than name
o tries to get adult attention with "watch me"
o likes to hear same story repeated
o uses "no" or "not" in speech
o answers "where" questions
o uses short sentences, such as "me do it"
o holds up fingers to tell age
o talks to other children and adults
o plays with sounds of language
36 months
o matches primary colors
o names one color
o knows night and day
o begins to understand prepositional phrases (i.e., "Please
put the block under the chair.)
o practices by talking to self
o knows last name, sex, street name, and several nursery
rhymes
o tells a story or relays an idea
o has sentence length of three to four words
o has vocabulary of nearly 1,000 words
o consistently uses m, n, ng, p, f, h, and w
o draws circle and vertical line
o sings songs
o stays with one activity for eight to nine minutes
o asks and answers variety of questions
o names actions, pictures, and tells stories
o sings songs
48 months
o points to red, blue, yellow, and green
o identifies crosses, triangles, circles, and squares
o knows "next month", "next year", and "noon"
o has sentence length of four to five words
o asks "who" and "why"
o begins to use complex sentences
o correctly uses m, n, ng, p, f, h, w, y, k, b, d, and g
o stays with activity for 11 to 12 minutes
o plays with language (e.g., word substitutions)
60 months
o defines objects by use and identifies the material from
which each is made
o knows address
o identifies penny, nickel, and dime
o has sentence length of five to six words
o has vocabulary of about 2,000 words
o uses speech sounds correctly, with the possible
exceptions being y, th, j, s/z, zh, and knows common
opposites
o understands "same" and "different"
o counts ten objects
o uses future, present, and past tenses
o stays with one activity for 12 to 13 minutes
o questions for information
o identifies left and right hand on self
o uses all types of sentences
o shows interest and appreciation for printed materials
Articulation Development Norms- Age where child should have
acquired sound.
Speech sounds children should have acquired
AGE 3
/h/ as in he
/m/ as in me, lemon, ham
/n/ as in no and bunny
/p/ as in pig
/b/ as in be and bubble
/d/ as in do
AGE 4
/y/ as in yes
/w/ as in we
/f/ as in fan and muffin
/g/ as in go, tiger, big
/k/ as in car, soccer, book
/t/ as in to, button, hat
/ng/ as in ringing
/b/ as in tub
/d/ as in bed
/n/ as in man
/p/ as in up
Phonological Development Norms
Phonological Processes Example Gone by Approximately
Context sensitive voicing pig = big 3 yrs 0 mts.
Word-final de-voicing pig = pick 3 yrs 0 mts.
Final consonant deletion comb = coe 3 yrs 3 mts.
Fronting car = tar 3 yrs 6 mts.
Fronting ship = sip 3 yrs 6 mts.
Consonant harmony mine = mime 3 yrs 9 mts.
Consonant harmony kitty cat = tittytat 3 yrs. 9 mts
Weak syllable deletion elephant = efant 4 yrs. 0 mts.
potato = tato
television =tevision
banana = nana
Cluster reduction spoon = poon 4 yrs. 0 mts.
train = chain
clean = keen
Stopping /f/ fish = tish 3 yrs. 0 mts.
Stopping /s/ soap = dope 3 yrs. 0 mts.
Stopping /v/ very = berry 3 yrs. 6 mts.
Stopping /z/ zoo = doo 3 yrs. 6 mts.
Emotional- Social-emotional development is the ability to develop
and maintain interpersonal relationships and to demonstrate age-
appropriate social-emotional behaviors. Social-emotional
development assessment should include the following areas:
Adult/Caregiver Interaction – includes positive styles of
interaction and secure attachment relationships
• Peer Interaction Skills – includes positive interactions
and social relationships,
• Self-concept,
• Coping Skills,
• Social Competence – includes the effective and
appropriate use of social behaviors, and
• Functional Behavior.
Typical developmental milestones in the area of social-emotional
development (socialization) include:
36-42 months
o enjoys simple songs and games with others
o greets without reminders
o initiates activities with parents
o can attend to short stories
o enjoys simple songs and games with others
o initiates activities with parents
42-48 months
o plays cooperatively
o interacts with adults more appropriately
48-54 months
o can attend to a story for 15 minutes
o beginning cooperative play
o asks for assistance
54-60 months
o developing relationships with peers
o plays cooperatively with others
o has conversations at mealtime
o play is constructive
Adaptive - The ability to engage in age appropriate activities in
daily life skills:
• Self-care,
• Community Self-sufficiency,
• Personal/social Responsibility, and
• Social Adjustment.
Typical developmental milestones in the area of adaptive
development for socialization include:
36-42 months
o attends to a learning task or story in a small group
o focuses his/her attention on one task while being aware
of, but not distracted by, another activity
o uses napkin, with reminders
o uses straw
o puts on jacket, shirt, pants
o snaps and unsnaps
o sleeps through the night without wetting the bed
o indicates needs for toilet
o toilets and attempts to wipe
o opens bottle
o uses fork in fist to feed
42-48 months
o demonstrates caution and avoids common dangers
o eats well with fork and spoon
o uses toilet independently when told
o washes and dries hands
o unbuttons and buttons
o unbuckles belt
48-54 months
o puts on socks
o dresses and undresses self except for laces and back
buttons
o puts shoes on correctly
o zips
o laces shoes
o buckles belt
o brushes teeth
54-60 months
o washes and dries face
o wipes self independently
o threads belt
o spreads food with knife
o uses fork, knife, and spoon competently
o ties shoes
o brushes and combs hair
o blows nose