| Age | Receptive Skills | Expressive Skills |
|---|
| Birth | Turns to source of sound Shows preference for voices Shows interest in faces | Cries |
| 2 to 4 months | | Coos Takes turns cooing |
| 6 months | Responds to name | Babbles |
| 9 months | Understands verbal routines (wave bye-bye) | Points Says ma-ma, da-da |
| 12 months | Follows a verbal command | Uses jargon Says first words |
| 15 months | Points to body parts by name | Learns words slowly |
| 18 to 24 months | Understands sentences | Learns words quickly Uses two-word phrases |
| 24 to 36 months | Follows two-step commands Answer questions | Phrases 50% intelligible Builds three- (or more) word sentences Asks “what” questions |
| 36 to 48 months | Understands much of what is said | Asks “why” questions Sentences 75% intelligible Masters the early acquired speech sounds: m, b, y, n, w, d, p, and h |
| 48 to 60 months | Understands much of what is said, commensurate with cognitive level | Creates well-formed sentences Tells stories 100% intelligible |
| 6 years | | Pronounces most speech sounds correctly; may have difficulty with sh, th as in think, s, z, th as in the, l, r, and the s in treasure |
| 7 years | | Pronounces speech sounds correctly, including consonant blends such as sp, tr, bl |
