12.8: Language Milestones

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Language Milestones

In the first two years of life, children transition from communicating primarily through crying to expressing themselves with words. Here is a table of common language milestones for infants and toddlers.

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Language Milestones (Developmental Milestones by the CDC is in the public domain)
Typical Age	What Most Children Do By This Age
2 months	Coos, makes gurgling sounds Turns head toward sounds
4 months	Begins to babble Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
6 months	Responds to sounds by making sounds Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds Responds to own name Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”)
9 months	Understands “no” Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa” Copies sounds and gestures of others Uses fingers to point at things
1 year	Responds to simple spoken requests Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye” Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech) Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!” Tries to say words you say
18 months	Says several single words Says and shakes head now Points to show others what is wanted
2 years	Points to things or pictures when they are named Knows names of familiar people and body parts Says sentences with 2 to 4 words Follows simple instructions Repeats words overheard in conversation Points to things in a book

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