Journey Pediatric Therapy

952-204-5523

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    • Home
    • About Us
    • Our Services
      • Speech Therapy
      • Occupational Therapy
      • Physical Therapy
      • Reviews
    • Caregiver Resources
      • Speech Therapy Resources
      • OT Resources
      • PT Resources
      • FAQ
      • Patient Portal
    • Request Therapy

952-204-5523

Journey Pediatric Therapy
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Services
    • Speech Therapy
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Physical Therapy
    • Reviews
  • Caregiver Resources
    • Speech Therapy Resources
    • OT Resources
    • PT Resources
    • FAQ
    • Patient Portal
  • Request Therapy

speech therapy milestones and considerations

12 Months

2 Years Old

12 Months

Infant speech session
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18 Months

2 Years Old

12 Months

Toddler Speech session
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2 Years Old

2 Years Old

2.5- 3 Years Old

Toddler speech therapy
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2.5- 3 Years Old

2.5- 3 Years Old

2.5- 3 Years Old

Preschooler therapy session
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4 Years Old

2.5- 3 Years Old

4 Years Old

child speech and language therapy
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5 Years Old

2.5- 3 Years Old

4 Years Old

Child speech therapy
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12 Months

Infant speech therapy

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Responds to voices and sounds by looking at the individual/source
  • Responds differently based on speaker’s inflection or tone (understands anger, excitement, and happiness)
  • Recognizes labels of basic objects 
  • Recognizes own name
  • Understands simple instruction (come here)
  • Uses gestures (waves bye-bye) 

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Beginning speech sounds continue to emerge (b, p, m) 
  • Produces 1-2 meaningful words (mama, dada, no) 
  • Uses many different sound combinations
  • Uses varying inflections or pitches when babbling 
  • Indicates pleasure and displeasure through vocalizations 
  • Imitates sound combinations

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  • Coos, squeals, or shouts to attract attention
  • Laughs when playing with objects
  • Plays games with another (peek-a-boo)
  • Establishes eye contact
  • Exhibits different emotions
  • Pokes with index (pointer) finger 
  • Plays simple back and forth games (ball games)
  • Begins pretend play (drink from a cup)

Consider an Evaluation if:

  • Does not respond to his or her name
  • Does not imitate sounds or noises (animal, environmental) 
  • Has minimal eye contact
  • Doesn’t say single words like “mama” or “dada”
  • Does not respond to adult interactions and facial expressions
  • Does not actively participate in games 
  • Does not use basic gestures such as pointing, waving or shaking head 
  • Doesn’t search for things that they see you hide
  • Loses skills they once had


18 Months

Toddler therapy session

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Understands more than 50 words (labels of objects, action words) 
  • Identifies familiar objects when named 
  • Points to at least one body part 
  • Is interested in turn-taking games ( peek-a-boo) 
  • Basic pretend play (talking on the phone) 
  • Responds to simple commands (“sit down”) and understands the prepositions in/out and off/on
  • Says and shakes head “no” 

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Says 20 meaningful words and adds words monthly 
  • Uses consonant sounds including p, b, m, t, d, n, and h
  • Combines syllables together (baba, puppy)

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  • Exhibits resistance to changes in expected routines
  • Repeats actions 
  • Searches for caregiver when left alone
  • Begins to play dress up
  • Plays out daily routines 
  • Have fun playing with toys that make a noise

Consider an Evaluation if:

  • Doesn’t gain new words
  • Doesn’t have at least 6 words
  • Does not use multiple sound combinations
  • Does not babble while playing 
  • Does not respond to voices or other sounds by looking for the source
  • Does not recognize names or labels of familiar objects or own name
  • Doesn’t notice when a caregiver leaves or returns
  • Avoids or has minimal eye contact during interactions 
  • Loses skills he once had

2 years

Toddler therapy session

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Points to things in a book 
  • Follows direction
  •  Knows names of familiar people and body parts 
  • Looks for missing toys and helps put things away

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Says 200-300 meaningful word approximations – continues to add words monthly
  • Begins to combine two words together into short phrases 
  • Refers to self by name 
  •  Repeats words overheard in conversation 
  • Speech is understood 50% of the time
  • Uses negation phrases “no go” 

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  • Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games 
  • Uses social words such as greetings 
  • Talks to self during play
  • Shows defiant behavior (doing what he has been told not to) 
  • Shows pretend play with two toys (puts person in car)
  • Enjoys sensory play (e.g. playdough, moon sand, water) 

Consider an Evaluation if:

  • Does not use at least 20 meaningful words 
  • Does not use consonants such as p, b, m, t, d, n, and h
  • Does not combine syllables together
  • Does not understand at least 50 words
  • Does not show an interest in turn taking games
  • Does not play out daily routines

3 years

Child Speech Therapy session

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Comprehends vocabulary of approximately 900 words
  • Consistently follows two step directions
  • Understands the concepts “one” and “two”
  • Understands prepositions “in, off, under, out of, together, and away from”
  • Understands simple wh-questions and starting to understand hypothetical questions
  • Matches 3-4 colors 
  • Learns new words quickly; know most common object names.
  • Know their own full name.

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Uses over 450 words
  •  Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats 
  •  Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences 
  • Is starting to use plurals (books), present progressive (ing), some overgeneralization of past tense –ed 
  •  Can name most familiar thing 
  • Answers and asks what/where questions
  • Frequently ask "why" and "what."

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  • Cooperates with adults in simple tasks
  • Communicates desires; orders others around
  •  Shows a wide range of emotions 
  •  Shows affection for friends without prompting 
  • Uses realistic props to play out events
  • Expands play routines
  • Begins to show sequences in play, rather than individual events

Consider an Evaluation if:

  •  Consider an evaluation if:
  • Does not use 200 meaningful words 
  • Does not combine words together
  • Is not understood 50% of the time by others  
  • Doesn’t understand simple instructions
  • Drools or has very unclear speech
  • Does not show an interest in cooperative play with other children
  • Does not show interest in simple pretend play 
  • Doesn’t make eye contact
  • Loses skills he once had

4 years

Kid's speech and language therapy

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Understand the difference between things that are the same and things that are different, such as the difference between children and grown-ups.
  • Understands number and space concepts — more, less, in, under, behind
  • Understands words for some shapes, like circle and square.
  • Recognizes primary colors
  • Follows simple commands when the objects are not in sight
  • Sorts items according to form/color/use
  • Understands first/last
  • Can follow three-step instructions, such as "Go to the sink, wash your hands, and dry them on the towel. 

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Asks what do/does/did questions and asks who/why questions
  • Uses descriptive concepts such as, long/short and heavy/light
  • Says rhyming words, like hat–cat.
  • Use sentences of 5 to 6 words.
  • Can describe something that has happened to them or tell a short story
  • Uses irregular plurals 
  • Talks about what happened during the day. Uses about 4 sentences at a time.
  • Uses pronouns our/they/their/he/she/I/you/me/me/his/her
  • Tells stories 
  • Uses past tense (ran, ate) and future tense (will go) verbs correctly 
  • Uses the sounds m/n/ng/p/f/h/w/y/k/b/d/g 
  • Unfamiliar adults understand 90-100%

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  • Talks about emotions and feelings
  •  Would rather play with other children than by himself 
  •  Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe 
  • Takes turns, shares, and cooperates
  • Expresses anger verbally rather than physically
  • Enjoys pretending and uses imagination

Consider an Evaluation if:

  • Ignores other children or doesn’t respond to people outside the family
  • Child does not use 200 meaningful words 
  • Child does not ask questions
  • The child leaves the endings off of words
  • Adults cannot understand the majority of what the child says
  • Child does not follow simple directions
  • Child does not take turns or play with others 
  • Speaks unclearly
  • Loses skills he once had

5 years

Child speech therapy

Receptive Language Milestones

  • Understand relationships between objects, such as "the girl who is playing ball" and "the boy who is jumping rope. 
  • Understands opposites
  • Understand yesterday/today, more/less, and half/whole
  • Follows three step directions without interruptions
  • Understands simple time concepts: morning, afternoon, night, day, later, after, while

Expressive Language Milestones

  • Often call people (or objects) by their relationship to others, such as "Bobby's mom" instead of "Mrs. Smith."
  • Use similarities/differences to describe objects
  • Uses comparatives/superlatives (bigger, biggest, etc.)
  •  Tells a simple story using full sentences  
  • Asks questions to get information
  • Knows address and birthday
  • (Articulation) Uses all vowels and the consonants 

Social Interaction and Play Milestones

  •   More likely to agree with rules 
  • Distinguishes right from wrong, honest from dishonest
  • Plays make-believe and dresses up
  • Seeks to play rather than be alone; friends are important
  • Wants to conform; may criticize those who do not

Consider an Evaluation if:

  • Doesn’t respond to people, or responds only superficially
  • Loses skills he once had
  • Doesn’t talk about daily activities or experiences
  • Child does not ask questions
  • Child is frequently misunderstood by adults and other children 
  • Child does not follow multiple step directions
  • Child does not seek out others to play


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