Introduction
Babies reach milestones at different times and sometimes in different orders. Some may develop earlier in some areas, but may be later in other areas. Every child develops at his/her own pace.
These milestones mark the progress of children's language development and acquisition in sign language as well as speech language.
Research shows that speech is "not critical to the human language acquisition process." It also shows that children using signed language as a first language progress through the same stages of language development as children using spoken language.
By the end of month one, baby...
- cries and fusses as major forms of communication
- sees black and white patterns
- looks intently at parents when they talk to him/her
- prefers the human face to other shapes
- can focus on objects around 8 to 12 inches away
- makes eye to eye contact when awake and being held
- can lift head momentarily
- has strong reflex movements
By the end of month 2, baby may:
- begin to develop a social smile
- track objects with eyes
- attend to faces, sign-language movement and ASL words
- cries become distinctive (wet, hungry, etc.)
- coos -- goos, gurgles, and grunts.
- lift head almost 45 degrees when lying on tummy
- decrease grasp reflex
By the end of month 3, a baby may:
- attend longer to faces, sign-language movement and ASL words
- "talk" when talked to
- smile when he/she sees familiar people
- babble by hands
- squeal, coo, babble, and chuckle
- begin to bear partial weight on both legs when held in a standing position
- kick and straightens legs when on back
- hold head up when held in sitting position but still bobs forward
- lift head up 45 degrees
By the end of month 4, a baby typically:
- sees in color
- perceives depth and distance.
- can follow a moving object for a 180-degree arc.
- begins eye-hand coordination
- explores objects with his mouth
- lifts head up 90 degrees
- rolls from back to side
- tries to reach for objects but overshoots
- grasps objects with both hands
- is able to place objects in mouth
- sits with support
- demands attention by fussing
By the end of month 5, baby may:
- smiles at mirror image
- begin teething process (5-6)
- grasps and holds objects
- produces single syllables, e.g. "ba" and "da" (5-7 months)
- holds head up when sitting
- still needs support when sitting
- takes objects directly to mouth
- brings feet or toes to mouth while lying on back
- rolls from stomach to back
- begins to discover parts of his/her body (e.g. feet)
By the end of month 12, baby may:
- use 2 to 3 spoken words specifically
- waves bye-bye and clap hands.(10-12)
- understand several words and simple commands
- associates names with objects
- follows a fast moving object
- turns pages in a book by flipping many at a time
- may stack blocks and try to build a tower out of two blocks
- may walk a wide-legged gait, but may prefer crawling
- may walk with the support of one hand
- can sit down without help
