The following are speech and language warning signs that will help determine if a child requires speech and language therapy services. Please be aware that there is a wide range of normal development. Not all children will have mastered all of the following skills within the following ages listed. However, if you find that the child’s development is significantly delayed when compared to the skills listed, it may be a good idea to have them evaluated by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.
By age 2 years the child:
Does not understand any complex sentences
Does not use any 2 word combinations
Cannot identify common objects and pictures when named
Cannot identify up to 5 body parts
Does not refer to self by name
Does not talk about things they are interested in
Does not understand new words daily
Does not use up to 50 words
Does not use any pronouns
By age 3 years the child:
Is not understood by family and/or caregivers
Does not use at least 3-6 word combinations
Cannot repeat when not understood without becoming frustrated
Does not understand what objects do (function of objects)
Cannot correctly produce vowels
Cannot correctly produce the sounds p, b, m, and w in words
Does not understand basic concepts such as little & big, hot & cold
Does not have a vocabulary of close to 1,000 words
Does not attend to activities for up to 10 minutes
Cannot repeat up to at least 3 numbers
By age 4 years the child:
Is not understood by family and/or caregivers
Is not understood by individuals they don’t associate with regularly
Does not have a vocabulary of close to 1,500 words
Cannot express complex ideas in short sentences
Cannot understand basic prepositions such as on, in, under, beside
Does not use past tense verbs correctly
Cannot be asked to repeat without becoming sensitive
Does not understand “why” and “how” questions
Cannot identify basic colors
Cannot correctly produce t, d, k, g, f
Cannot count to 10
By age 5 years the child:
Does not have a working knowledge of the grammatical
principles of their native language
Is not understood in all situations by most listeners
Cannot correctly produce most speech sounds
Cannot carry out more complex commands of 2-3 steps
Does not understand right vs. left
Cannot be asked to repeat without exhibiting frustration
Does not use sentences of at least 5-6 words
Does not use “I” instead of “me”
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