Speech and Hearing Checklists


Answer each question that pertains to your child's age group. If you say "yes" to all questions, your child is developing hearing, speech, and language normally. If "no" to one or two questions, your child might have delayed hearing, speech, and language development. If you answer "no" to three or more questions, your child might need professional help.

Hearing and Understanding

Age
 Question
 Y/N
Birth
 Does your child listen to speech?
Birth
 Does your child startle or cry at noises?
Birth
 Does your child awaken at loud sounds?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child turn to you when you speak?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child smile when spoken to?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child seem to recognize your voice and quiet down if crying?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child respond to the word "no"? Changes of tone in your voice?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child look around for the source of new sounds like the doorbell, vacuum, or a dog barking?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child notice toys that make sound?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child recognize words for common items like "cup," "shoe," "juice"?
7-12 mon.
 Has your child begun to respond to requests?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child enjoy games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child turn or look up when you call his or her name?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child listen when spoken to?
1-2 yr.
 Can  your child point to pictures in a book when they are named?
1-2 yr.
 Does your child point to a few body parts when asked?
1-2 yr.
 Can your child follow simple commands and understand simple questions?
1-2 yr.
 Does your child listen to simple stories, songs, and rhymes?
2-3 yrs.
 Does your child understand differences in meaning between words such as stop and go, or up and down?
2-3 yrs.
 Does your child continue to notice sounds such as telephone ringing, television sound, and knocking at the door?
2-3 yrs.
 Can your child follow two requests such as, "get the ball and put it on the table"?
3-4 yrs.
 Does your child hear you when you call from another room?
3-4 yrs.
 Does your child hear television or radio at the same loudness as other members of the family?
3-4 yrs. Does your child answer simple questions such as "who," "what," "where," and "why"?
4-4.5 yrs.
 Does your child hear and understand most of what is said at home and in school?
4-4.5 yrs
 Does everyone who knows your child think he/she hears well (teacher, baby sitter, grandparents)?
4-4.5 yrs.
 Does your child pay attention to a story and answer simple questions about it?

Hearing and Understanding

Age
 Question
 Y/N
Birth
 Does he/she make pleasurable sounds?
Birth
 When playing, does he/she look at you, look away and then look again?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child repeat the same sounds a lot (cooing, gooing)?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child cry differently for different needs?
0-3 mon.
 Does your child smile on seeing you?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child's babbling sound more speech-like with lots of  different sounds, including p, b, and m?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child tell you (by sound or gesture) when he/she wants you to do something again?
4-6 mon.
 Does your child make gurgling sounds when left alone? When playing with you?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child use one or two words (bye-bye, dada, mama, no) although they may not be clear?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child's babbling have both long and short groups of sounds such as "tata upup bibibibi"?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child imitate different speech sounds?
7-12 mon.
 Does your child use speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep your attention?
1-2 yr.
 Is your child saying more and more words every month?
1-2 yr.
 Does your child use some one- to two-word questions?
1-2 yr.
 Does your child put two words together
1-2 yr.
Does your child use many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words?
2-3 yr.
 Does your child have a word for almost everything?
2-3 yr.
 Does your child use two- to three-word "sentences" to talk about and ask for things?
2-3 yr.
 Do you understand your child's spech most of the time?
2-3 yr.
Does your child often ask for or direct your attention to objects by naming them?
3-4 yr.
 Does your child talk about what he/she does at school or at friends' homes?
3-4 yr.
Does your child say most sounds correctly except a few, like r, l, th, and s?
3-4 yr.
 Does your child usually talk easily without repeating syllables or words?
3-4 yr.
Do people outside your family usually understand your child's speech?
3-4 yr.
 Does your child use a lot of sentences that have four or more words?
4-4.5 yr.
 Does your child's voice sound clear like other children's?
4-4.5 yr.
Does your child use sentences that give lots of details, such as "I have two red balls at home"?
4-4.5 yr.
Can your child tell you a story and stick pretty much to the topic?
4.5-5 yr.
 Does your child communicate easily with children and other adults?
4.5-5 yr.
 Does your child say all sounds correctly except maybe one or two?
4.5-5 yr.
 Does your child use the same grammar as the rest of the family?


Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association