Age 2 Milestones: Speech, Language, Literacy, Play, and Executive Functioning Skills
Below you will find milestones for speech, language, literacy, play, pragmatics and executive functioning skills.
Language refers to the whole system of words and sentences used to communicate meaning. Speech refers to the sounds in words, also known as articulation. Literacy skills are phonological awareness, reading and writing skills. Play milestones are used as predictors for later language development. Pragmatics is how language is used. Executive functioning is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.
These milestones represent the skills that are typically developed by the time a child turns 2 years old. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development please contact a speech-language pathologist or discuss your concerns with your child’s pediatrician.
Language
Understands at least 300 words including familiar people and items, simple verbs, and body parts (e.g., bowl, ball, cookie, dog, coat, go, sleep, arm)
Follows simple 2 step commands (e.g., roll the ball, kiss the baby)
Answers yes/no questions (e.g., is your name X?) and simple wh- questions (e.g., who, what, where, what doing, i.e. where’s your belly?)
Uses at least 50 words and average vocabulary is 200-300 words (mommy, daddy, baby, milk, hello, bye-bye, yes, no, dog, ball, eye, banana, cookie, hot, thank you, bath, shoe, hat, book, more, all done)
Two word utterances emerge (e.g., my car, drink milk, want cookie, no juice, mommy book)
Speech Sounds
Understood by familiar and unfamiliar communication partners 50% of the time
Produces most vowels and /p, m, h, n, w/
Cognition/Executive Functioning
Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers
Begins to sort shapes and colors
Plays simple make-believe games
Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
Pragmatics
Requests information
Asks questions (“What’s that?”, “Where kitty?”)
Points to desired objects
Waves hello and goodbye without being asked
Play
Uses daily experiences during play (e.g., the child will play house and act as the mommy, daddy, or baby)
Pretend toys are realistic in appearance and close to life size (e.g., the child will use toys that are similar in size to real objects such as child size utensils and dolls)
Sequences two actions (e.g., putting food on a plate and using a spoon to feed a doll.)
Literacy
Phonological Awareness
Child becomes aware of rhymes (cat, hat, mat, sat)
Reading
Enjoys joint book readings
Learns to hold a book right side up
Learns to turn pages
Answers questions about pictures and characters
Learns to distinguish print from pictures
Writing
Learns to hold a crayon and scribble
If you are concerned about your child’s development please contact a speech-language pathologist or your pediatrician.
Sources:
Bowen, C. (2011). Table 1: Intelligibility. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ on January 2, 2022.
Bowen, C. (2011). Table 4: Phonetic Development. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ on January 2, 2022.
CDC. (July 27, 2021). Important Milestones: Your Child By Two Years Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2yr.html on January 2, 2022
Forbes & G LoGrande (2012). Speech and language development chart (Pro-Ed 2nd edition).
Paul, Rhea. Language Disorders from Infancy through Adolescence : Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communicating. St. Louis, Mo. :Elsevier, 2012.
Shipley, K. G., & McAfee, J. G. (2009). Assessment in speech-language pathology: A resource manual. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Westby, C.E. (2000). A scale for assessing development of children’s play. In Gitlin-Weiner, K., Sandgund, A., Schaefer, C. (Eds.), Play diagnosis and assessment (pp. 15-57) New York: Wiley.
