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| |    Key Language Milestones in Infancy (Birth to One) by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. These milestones are taken from well-researched tests, but this article is not a test for your baby. Knowing a few key milestones of language development can help reassure you that your baby is OK. (For more about these milestones, see About Language Milestones.) If your baby is not meeting these milestones and you are concerned, I hope this list will help you feel confident as you go about arranging for a complete assessment for your child. Newborn: awareness of sounds Most serious hearing problems in children are present at birth. In some hospitals, all newborns get a hearing test. Certainly, any infant who has been ill, is premature or low-birth-weight, or who has a family history of hearing problems should have a hearing test before going home from the hospital. Many children are alert to quiet sounds within the first days after birth. By one month of age, every child should be showing awareness of sounds, turning (at least with their eyes) towards voices or rattles. Young infants: cooing and conversing Most babies start making cooing sounds by three months of age, and make several different sounds (growling, cooing, and laughing) by four months of age. By four months, babies should be able to hold a "conversation" without words - listening when you talk to them, then "talking" back at you. Of course, on any given day, a baby might be tired, hungry, or just too interested in looking at your earrings or the lights on the ceiling. But if you feel that your child is consistently distant or distracted, this could be an early sign of an important problem. Older infants: making sounds and sense Almost all babies make at least one consonant-vowel sound (such as "ma" or "ba") by 10 months of age. By 11 months, most will string two or more sounds together ("ma-ba-ba"), often with some changes in pitch. By 10 months, a baby should stop what she is doing if you say "no" to her (don't expect her to remember the "no" for much longer than a couple of seconds, though). She should enjoy word-movement games like pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo. If you've been doing "bye-bye" for a few weeks, many 10-month-olds can do it, at least some of the time, when you ask them to. By the first birthday Many, but not all, babies say their first real word between 11 and 14 months of age. By "real word," I mean a sound that they use on their own (not imitating) to indicate the same thing every time, even if the sound is not a word that anyone else ever uses (such as "doose" to mean "juice"). Often, the first word is "mama" or "dada." Most one-year-olds communicate well, even without words: They let you know what they want with gestures, make speech-like sounds (even if you can't comprehend any of it), and understand some simple things (such as, "Give me the bottle," said while you are holding out your hand for it.) The meaning of "delays" What if your baby is not doing one or more of these things by the appointed time? Children grow and develop at different rates, so there is a good chance that your child is simply doing things on his own schedule. On the other hand, the milestones mentioned above are ones that 9 out of 10 healthy babies meet. A child who really cannot meet them probably should have an assessment by a professional who understands development to make sure that there is no problem that needs to be dealt with early. An assessment for possible language delay involves the professional talking with you, and talking and playing with your baby. By law, developmental assessments should be available free in almost every state. Your child's healthcare provider can help you set one up.
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