Speech Development

What speech and hearing development should I watch for in my child?

Here is a list of some things an infant with normal hearing should be able to do:

Around Two Months of Age:

Startles to loud sound

Quiets to familiar voices

Makes vowel sounds like "ohh," "ahh"

Around Four Months of Age:

Looks for sound sources

Starts babbling

Uses a variety of voice sounds, squeals and chuckles

Around Six Months of Age:

Turns head toward loud sound

Begins to imitate speech sound

Babbles ("baba," "mama," "gaga")

Around Nine Months of Age:

Imitates speech sounds of others

Understands "no-no" or "bye-bye"

Turns head toward soft sounds

Around 12 Months of Age:

Correctly uses "mama" or "dada"

Gives toy when asked

Responds to singing or music

Readily turns toward all sounds