Speech Therapy Makes eye contact with adult Alerts to sound and turns head to voice Recognizes own name Responds to “no” half of the time Smiles in response to people or voices Takes turns vocalizing Vocalizes excitement and displeasure Physical Therapy Follows a moving object Props up head and chest for a long time Sits with support Rolls from front to back Shifts weight between arms when on stomach Occupational Therapy Tracks an object from midline to each side, when lying on back Looks at hands for a short amount of time (~3 seconds) Closes finger in tight grasp Grasps rattle, other other objects and toys Holds a small toy for 30 seconds Extends arms up toward toy, when lying on back Moves small toy a small amount while holding it Picks up a small toy Grasps and holds small block

Speech Therapy Imitates gestures, facial expressions, and sounds Responds to “no” most of the time Vocalizes two syllable combinations (ex: “dada”) Uses a variety of different consonants and vowels when babbling Responds to simple requests (ex: “Come here”) Moves toward or searches for named family member Physical Therapy Pulls to stand Sits independently Rolls from front to back, and back to front Belly crawls Occupational Therapy Brings hands together to hold object, when sitting Picks up 2 small blocks, holding both Transfers small object to other hand Bangs cup or other objects on table Crumples paper

Speech Therapy Plays “peek-a-boo” with adult Waves “hi” and “bye” Shows toys to others Attends to speaker and pictures Identifies some body parts Recognizes the name of common objects Understands simple actions Imitates non-speech sounds (ex: animals), simple syllables (ex: “boo”), and familiar words Says 1-2 words independently Physical Therapy Begins self-feeding Can stand alone Searches for hidden toys Occupational Therapy Closes hands together Removes socks independently Puts 3-7 small objects into open cup Grasps objects using thumb and 1st & 2nd fingers

Speech Therapy Initiates turn-taking routines and games Maintains attention to pictures Follows 1-step commands Identifies body parts and clothing items Tries to sing with familiar song Use exclamatory expressions (ex: “Uh oh”) and social words (ex: “hi/bye”) Answers questions with one word Has close to 50 words by 18 months Physical Therapy Stands and begins to walk unassisted Sits on a small chair Reaches for objects Occupational Therapy Opens book Stirs spoon in cup Puts 1 shape (or puzzle piece) into the correct hole Makes at least 1 scribble on paper Picks up 2 small blocks with 1 hand Stacks 2-3 blocks Places at least 2 shapes (or puzzle piece) into the correct hole Holds marker with thumb and 1st finger

Speech Therapy Uses two toys together in pretend play Follow commands such as “Sit down”, “Come here”, etc. Identifies and names familiar objects and pictures Understands meaning of action words Follows 2-step commands Uses 2-word phrases Uses vocalizations AND gestures to request items Uses own name Uses and understands some simple pronouns Physical Therapy Jumps off bottom step Walks up and down stairs with assistance Begins to run more coordinated Occupational Therapy Turns pages in a book Stacks 4-6 blocks Places at least 3 shapes (or puzzle piece) into the correct hole Draws a vertical line (up/down)

Speech Therapy Follows 2-step commands Plays with other children Understands simple colors and size Understands simple prepositions (ex: on, in, under) Answers “who, what, where” questions Uses 2- and 3- word phrases Sings songs Speech is mostly understood (50% by age two, 75% by age three) Physical Therapy Runs well Goes up and down stairs one at a time Begins to catch a ball Occupational Therapy Removes a screw-on lid from bottle Stacks up to 10 blocks Cuts paper Draws a horizontal line (side-to-side) Folds paper Strings beads Builds a bridge using blocks Draws a circle

Speech Therapy Understands some colors, shapes, & sizes Follows 2-step directions without gestures/pointing Uses pronouns (ex: “I, you, me,” etc. & plurals [ex: “cats”]) Asks and answers questions Says these sounds: P, B, M, N, W, H, T, D, K, G, F, Y Uses lots of 4+ word sentences Speech is more than 75% understood Takes turns ands plays with others Physical Therapy Rides a tricycle Stands and hops on one foot Kicks a ball Occupational Therapy Cuts paper into 2 pieces Laces holes Draws a cross Traces lines Holds marker with thumb and 1st finger, while other fingers are against palm Buttons and unbuttons clothes

Speech Therapy Follows classroom directions Answers “when” & “how many” questions Understands words for order (ex: “first”) & time (ex: “yesterday”) Names letters & numbers Tells a short story Speech is almost 100% understood Engages in conversation appropriately Physical Therapy Climbs Throws a ball overhanded Stands on tiptoes Occupational Therapy Draws a square Cuts out a circle and square Connects dots when drawing Folds paper in half Colors between two lines

Speech Therapy Understands opposite concepts (ex: over/under) Understands complex sentences Follows 3-step commands Retells simple stories Uses approximately 7,000 words Asks questions for information Begins to say these sounds correctly: R, L Engages in cooperative play (group decisions, playing fair, etc) Physical & Occupational Therapy Skips Kicks a ball well Dresses and undresses self

Developmental Milestones

Milestones

Each child develops at a different rate. It is still important to know if your child is meeting the milestones and norms compared to others at the same age. If an issue is caught and treated sooner rather than later, then the long-term effect of the disorder may be lower. Also, it a deficit is treated earlier, it is likely that progress will quicker than if you took the “wait and see” approach.

Here is a general guideline of developmental milestones to watch for in your child. If your child is not meeting several of these as he/she ages, then you may want to consult your child’s pediatrician and request a referral to Therapy Trails.

Don’t know if your child is meeting all the milestones? Click here to schedule a screening.

The following information was compiled from How Does Your Child Hear and Talk from American-Speech Language Hearing Association, The Early Intervention Kit by Nancy Swigert, and the Peabody Motor Development Chart by M. Rhonda Folio and Rebecca Fewell:

0-6 Monthsadmin2019-08-24T17:06:30+00:00

0-6 Months

Speech Therapy

Makes eye contact with adult
Alerts to sound and turns head to voice
Recognizes own name
Responds to “no” half of the time
Smiles in response to people or voices
Takes turns vocalizing
Vocalizes excitement and displeasure

Physical Therapy

Follows a moving object
Props up head and chest for a long time
Sits with support
Rolls from front to back
Shifts weight between arms when on stomach

Occupational Therapy

Tracks an object from midline to each side, when lying on back
Looks at hands for a short amount of time (~3 seconds)
Closes finger in tight grasp
Grasps rattle, other other objects and toys
Holds a small toy for 30 seconds
Extends arms up toward toy, when lying on back
Moves small toy a small amount while holding it
Picks up a small toy
Grasps and holds small block

6-9 Monthsadmin2019-08-24T17:19:32+00:00

6-9 Months

Speech Therapy

Imitates gestures, facial expressions, and sounds
Responds to “no” most of the time
Vocalizes two syllable combinations (ex: “dada”)
Uses a variety of different consonants and vowels when babbling
Responds to simple requests (ex: “Come here”)
Moves toward or searches for named family member

Physical Therapy

Pulls to stand
Sits independently
Rolls from front to back, and back to front
Belly crawls

Occupational Therapy

Brings hands together to hold object, when sitting
Picks up 2 small blocks, holding both
Transfers small object to other hand
Bangs cup or other objects on table
Crumples paper

9-12 Monthsadmin2019-08-24T17:23:30+00:00

9-12 Months

Speech Therapy

Plays “peek-a-boo” with adult
Waves “hi” and “bye”
Shows toys to others
Attends to speaker and pictures
Identifies some body parts
Recognizes the name of common objects
Understands simple actions
Imitates non-speech sounds (ex: animals), simple syllables (ex: “boo”), and familiar words
Says 1-2 words independently