The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
announces today the free, online availability of new checklists that detail communication (speech, language,
and hearing) milestones for children ages birth to 5 years as well as feeding
and swallowing milestones for children ages birth to 3 years. These milestones
provide parents and caregivers with a roadmap of what to expect during their
child's early years of life—and can alert them to the early signs of a
potential developmental delay or disorder.
You can watch 2 videos about communication skills and feeding & swallowing milestones here:
"ASHA's new milestones will help parents and caregivers know what's
typical within each age range and how their children are progressing,"
said Lemmietta McNeilly, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Chief Staff Officer,
Speech-Language Pathology. "If parents notice that their child isn't
demonstrating particular groups of skills, that's a signal that the child may
benefit from an evaluation by an audiologist or speech-language pathologist. We
encourage families to seek help right away if they're at all concerned about
their child's development. Ideally, intervention will occur when the brain is
most flexible—which is between birth and 3 years. However, it's never too late
for children to benefit from audiology or speech-language pathology
services."
Audiologists specialize in assessing and treating hearing and related
disorders. Speech-language pathologists assess and treat speech, language, and
swallowing disorders. ASHA—the national, professional, scientific, and
credentialing association for these professionals—is uniquely positioned to
provide accurate, trusted milestones on children's communication and swallowing
to the public.
In the past, ASHA periodically updated its existing communication
milestones. To inform the new communication checklists, the Association
considered the latest peer-reviewed studies for children ages birth to 5 years
who are learning English in the United States. Its milestones for feeding and
swallowing are a new addition and are based on international studies.
READ MORE: Helping young children reach developmental milestones
Communication and Swallowing Disorders Common in Young Children
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD), 11% of children ages 3–6 years have a voice, speech,
language, or swallowing disorder. For every 1,000 children in the United
States, two to three of them are born with a detectable level of hearing loss
in one or both ears. Children can also acquire hearing loss after birth—from
illnesses, noise exposure, and various other causes.
The availability of these new checklists comes at a particularly critical
time. In polling conducted earlier this year, ASHA members overwhelmingly reported seeing more children with
behavioral, social, and language difficulties—as well as more cases of
undetected hearing loss—as compared with the numbers before the COVID-19
pandemic. Informing the public about milestones and the signs of possible
disorders is a critical way to identify and treat more children with
developmental disorders at earlier ages. This can maximize a child's
kindergarten readiness as well as reduce their likelihood of needing special
education services in schools.
Communication Milestones
Examples of ASHA's communication milestones for children ages birth to 5
years include the following:
- Quiets
or smiles when you talk (birth to 3 months).
- Vocalizes
different vowel sounds—sometimes combined with a consonant—like uuuuuummm,
aaaaaaagoo, or daaaaaaaaaa (4 to 6 months).
- Babbles
long strings of sounds, like mamamama, upup, or babababa (7
to 9 months).
- Points,
waves, and shows or gives objects (10 to 12 months).
- Follows
directions—like "Give me the ball," "Hug the teddy
bear," "Come here," or "Show me your nose" (13 to
18 months).
- Puts
two or more words together—like "more water" or "go
outside" (19 to 24 months).
- Says
their name when asked (2 to 3 years).
- Tells
you a story from a book or a video (3 to 4 years).
- Recognizes
and names 10 or more letters and can usually write their own name (4 to 5
years).
Feeding and Swallowing Milestones
Examples of ASHA's feeding and swallowing milestones include the following:
- Turns
head towards nipple and opens mouth (birth to 3 months).
- Opens
mouth for spoon (4 to 6 months).
- Brings
foods to mouth with hands and starts to feed self (6 to 9 months).
- Begins
chewing food on both sides of mouth—called "rotary chewing" (9
to 12 months).
- Drinks
from a sippy cup without help; can drink from an open cup with some
spilling (12 to 18 months).
- Chews
all foods, including those with tougher textures, without gagging or
choking (2 to 3 years).
Using ASHA's Checklists
ASHA's checklists provide the age ranges when a majority (75%) of children
demonstrate particular skills. Families should keep in mind that each child
develops differently, even within the same family. Skills develop over time—not
on a child's exact birthday. This is why ASHA's milestones have ranges (e.g.,
"7 to 9 months" rather than "at 7 months").
If a child isn't meeting one milestone in an age range, this doesn't
necessarily mean that the child needs an evaluation. However, if a child lacks
several skills, is not learning new skills, or is losing skills that they once
had, then ASHA encourages families to consult their pediatrician and visit an
ASHA-certified audiologist or speech-language pathologist. The Association
provides a searchable database of these professionals at www.asha.org/profind. Families can also connect with their
local early identification program (a listing of contacts by state is available from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention).
ASHA's checklists can also be used by pediatricians, daycare providers, and
other professionals to communicate with parents about their child's development
or as a basis for referrals. However, these checklists are not used to diagnose
a communication or swallowing disorder—audiologists and speech-language
pathologists have specific tests and criteria for doing so.
View the full checklists, as well as tips for families to build a child's
communication and feeding skills at home, at on.asha.org/dev-milestones.
About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association
for 228,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language
pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and
speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists specialize in
preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing
audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists
(SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.
SOURCE American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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