Communication Checklist

Age: 1 Year

Child uses gestures, vocalizations, and/or words to refuse or reject objects or actions (example: pushing away an offered item).
Child uses gestures, vocalizations, and/or words to request objects or actions (example: bringing a bag of snacks to an adult).
Child uses gestures, vocalizations, and/or words to comment (example: pointing to an object while looking at an adult).
Child uses gestures, vocalizations, and/or words to play communicative games (example: peek-a-boo).
Child understands at least 3 words.
Child babbles (speech sounds without clear words).

Age: 2 years

Age: 3 years – in addition to the items above…

Age: 4 years – in addition to the items above…

Child uses a variety of phrases with 4 or more words (example: “Can I have more cake?”).
Child uses and answers “when” and “how” questions (example: “How did your shoes get wet?”).
Child uses simple conjunctions (examples: “and” and “but”).
Child makes frequent pronunciation errors, but adults rarely have difficulty understanding what he/she says.
Child correctly says kw as in “queen.”

Age: 5 years – in addition to the items above…

Age: 6 years – in addition to the items above…

Age: 7 years – in addition to the items above…

Child plays and works cooperatively with peers.
Child engages in imaginative play (example: pretending to be a knight fighting a dragon without any toys).
Child understands and follows most classroom directions.
Child reads and undertands age-expected sentences and stories.
Child correctly says all speech sounds.

Age: 8 years and older – in addition to the items above…

Child learns through listening and reading in school.
Child has at least a couple close friends.
Child can answer a variety of “who,” what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” questions about age-expected text and stories.

If the child cannot do each item for his/her age in addition to all the items above his/her age then a speech & language evaluation is recommended.

Press the “submit” button below to view a list of Albuquerque clinics with short waiting lists or the “+” button on the bottom of your screen to be added to our waiting list, which is 6 month for appointments at or before 2:00 and indefinite (3 year and counting) for appointments at or after 3:00. You can also press the “submit” button to see the references for this checklist.