0–6 Months

Hearing: Reacts to sounds, recognizes mom’s voice, enjoys noise, turns toward sound
Speech: Cries, coos, burps, vocalizes “ma” or “mu”
Language: Moves to voice, coos or cries to express feelings, smiles and laughs
Cognition: Imitates faces, smiles at mirror

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6–18 Months

Hearing: Imitates speech, responds to name, enjoys music and TV sounds
Speech: Babbles, imitates sounds, uses baby talk
Language: Knows family names, looks at pictures, gives objects when asked
Cognition: Plays peek-a-boo, imitates actions, points to pictures, laughs at silly things

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18 Months–3 Years

Hearing: Understands from another room, remembers what’s heard, answers simple questions
Speech: Most vowels correct, clearer pitch, ~40% understood, speaks loudly
Language: Follows 2-step directions, uses 3-word sentences, asks questions
Cognition: Pretend play, starts naming colors

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3–6 Years

Hearing: Listens well, retells stories, hears rhymes
Speech: Speaks faster, 80–90% understood
Language: Describes things, uses long sentences, proper grammar
Cognition: Knows letters link to sounds, begins reading and writing

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6–8 Years

Hearing: Can summarize what they hear
Speech: Clear by 7, masters “sh” and “ch” by 8
Language: Uses past tense, tells full stories
Cognition: Tells jokes, knows address, phone number, months, and can tell time