Milestones
Speech Sound Developmental Norms
by Analicia Lucas, SLP
Analicia Lucas provides pediatric speech therapy services in San Diego.
These speech sounds typically develop within these age groups, with girls generally developing sooner than boys.
1 – 3 years old: N, P, M, H, W, B
2 – 3.5 years old: K, G, D, T
2.5 – 4 years old: F, Y
3 – 7 years old: R, S, L, blends (st, pr, gl, etc.)
3.5 – 6 years old: SH, CH
3.5 – 7 years old: Z
4 – 5.5 years old: V
4 – 7 years old: J
4.5 – 7 years old: TH
6 – 8 years old: ZH (as in “treasure”)
Language Milestones
Birth – 3 months
-Responds to environmental sounds
-Recognizes familiar voices
-Smiles at familiar people
-Coos/goos when happy
-Distinct crying for different situations
4-6 months
-Looks in the direction of sounds
-Responds to tone of voice
-Babbles with many different sounds
-Laughs and gurgles
-Expresses excitement and displeasure
7 months – 1 year
-Turns and looks in direction of sounds
-Listens to others’ speech
-Recognizes common words
-Responds to simple requests
-Variegated babbling
-Gains attention without crying
-Uses gestures and imitates speech sounds
-Uses 1-2 words
1-2 years
-Points to body parts when asked
-Follows simple directions
-Understands simple questions
-Vocabulary increases each month
-Uses 1- and 2-word questions
-Puts two words together
-Uses many different consonant sounds
2-3 years
-Understands simple opposites (up/down, stop/go, etc)
-Follows 2-step directions
-Listens to stories
-Speech is usually understood by familiar listeners
-Names objects
-Asks “why?”
3-4 years
-Uses 3-4 word sentences
-Talks about events/activities that happened away from home
-Speech is mostly understandable
-Answers simple wh- questions
-Asks “when” and “how” questions
-Understands basic shapes and colors
-Uses pronouns and some plurals
4-5 years
-Follows complex instructions
-Hears and understands most of what is said to and around them
-Produces all speech sounds, but may make some errors on l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and/or th
-Tells short stories and maintains conversations
-Can adapt speech to listener
Adapted from information from the American Speech and Hearing Association
NOTE: It is always best to get a screening for your child as soon as you notice they are not meeting their speech or language milestones, to know what type of support they need!
Contact Lake Murray Speech & Language for a screening or evaluation for your child today!
Hello! My name is Analicia Lucas. I’m a certified speech-language pathologist in San Diego. I’m the owner of Lake Murray Speech & Language, a private practice that provides in-office speech therapy as well as home visits. I graduated from Baylor University for my undergraduate and Gallaudet University for graduate school. I specialize in working with pediatric, deaf & hard of hearing, and Spanish-speaking clients with many different speech and language disorders and delays. I believe that we should never give up on any child, no matter the case, and I strive to help each person I work with to reach their full potential! When I’m not working with clients, I enjoy cooking, reading, singing, playing piano, and spending time with my family.