4 Month Milestones
Language Development is the process by which children come to understand and communicate language during early childhood. From birth to age five, children develop language at a very rapid pace. The stages of language development for humans are universal, however the age and the rate at which a child reaches each developmental milestone can vary greatly among children. A child’s development should not be compared to that of other individual children but rather be compared to norms. Generally girls develop language at a faster rate than boys. More than any other aspect of development, language development reflects the growth and maturation of the child’s brain. For a child after the age of five it becomes much more difficult to learn language. Early Intervention is critical. A typically developing child usually develops receptive language development (the ability to understand language) faster than expressive language (ability to communicate).
If your child is missing any of the items in the appropriate age milestones, please complete the “Referral Form” or contact us. Early intervention is vital to your child’s speech and language development.
Social/ Emotional
- Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
- Likes to play with people and may cry when playing stops
- Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling or frowning
Language/ Communication
- Begins to babble
- Babbles with expression and copies sounds they hear
- Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
Cognitive (Learning, Thinking, and Problem-solving)
- Lets you know if they are happy or sad
- Responds to affection
- Reaches for toy with one hand
- Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
- Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
- Watches faces closely
- Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
Movement/ Physical Development
- Holds head steady, unsupported
- Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
- May be able to roll over from tummy to back
- Can hold a toy and shake it, will swing at dangling toys
- Brings hands to mouth
- When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows