By age 2 your child:

• Cannot say the names of a few toys and people
• Does not imitate parents doing simple tasks
• Cannot point to hair, eyes, nose, and mouth
• Does not walk by herself
• Cannot walk up and down steps
• Shows little interest in others

By age 3 your child:

• Cannot repeat simple rhymes
• Does not enjoy playing alone with toys
• Does not understand simple stories

By age 4 your child:

• Cannot talk in short sentences
• Does not play group games with other children
• Does not understand simple “who” or “what” questions
• Repeats what others say rather than responding
• Cannot stand on one foot for a short period of time

By age 5 your child:

• Cannot be understood by people outside the family
• Talks in only two- or three-word phrases
• Does not follow simple two-step directions (“Go to the kitchen and bring me a spoon”)
• Does not share and take turns
• Cannot throw a ball over hand or catch a ball bounced to her
• Does not show preference to familiar people (for example, he just as easily sits on a stranger’s lap as on your lap)

By age 6 your child:

• Talks in only three- or four-word sentences about present events
• Cannot answer questions about “yesterday” or “tomorrow”
• Cannot answer “how” questions
• Speech is unclear (poor articulation)
• Talks a great deal, but remarks are not relevant to the situation
• Has trouble sitting and listening to a story of more than four or five sentences without “tuning out”.

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