Milestone Guides
Our Milestones guides walk you through the typical stages of development from 6 to 24 months, from a baby's first movements, gestures, and sounds, to a toddler's growing independence in play, feeding, dressing, and speech. Designed by our team of Occupational Therapists and Speech Pathologists, these guides are here to help you understand what's typical, celebrate the small wins, and know when it might be worth reaching out for extra support. Because every milestone, big or small, is worth paying attention to.
Milestones - Speech Pathology
By 12 months your child is expected to:
Respond to their name
Engage in ‘waiting for a reaction’ games (like peek a boo)
Start to use different sounds and gestures
Begin to say first words
Copy sounds and actions
By 24 months your child is expected to:
Follow simple instructions (e.g. roll the ball)
Point to items when named
Consistently use between 6-20 words
Use objects for pretend play (e.g. holding the phone up to their ear)
Copy lots of words and noises
By 18 months your child is expected to:
Respond to ‘where’ questions and some simple ‘what’ questions
Follow some simple 2-part instructions (e.g. ‘give me the cup and the apple’)
Use more than 50 words
Put two words together (e.g. car go)
Use two toys together in pretend play (e.g. stirring a pot with a spoon)
Make lots of different consonants (e.g. m, n, t, d, p, b, h, w) and all vowel sounds
Sits independently and begins moving around the floor (crawling, rolling, or shuffling).
Picks up and holds toys using both hands.
Transfers toys from one hand to the other.
Feeds themselves finger foods and begins holding a bottle or cup.
Explores their environment using their senses by touching, looking at, mouthing, and playing with different objects and textures.
Walks independently and starts climbing onto low furniture.
Picks up small objects using their thumb
and finger.Feeds themselves with their fingers and starts using a spoon.
Helps with dressing by putting out their arms or legs.
Enjoys simple play such as stacking blocks, shape sorters, and copying actions.
Runs, climbs, and changes direction
while walking.Uses a spoon and drinks from an open cup with less assistance.
Builds a tower with several blocks and completes simple puzzles.
Starts scribbling with crayons and turning pages in books.
Begins helping with everyday tasks such
as dressing, tooth brushing, and packing
away toys.
Milestones - Occupational Therapy
From 6-12 months your child is expected to:
From 12-18 months your child is expected to:
From 18-24 months your child is expected to:
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Contact Us
Phone
+61 8 6406 1985
Little Lions provides Speech and Occupational Therapy for kids in-clinic (northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia) and via Telehealth from where you are, with shorter wait times and no referral required.
NDIS and private clients welcome!