CDC’s milestones for ages 2 months to 5 years, in one easy checklist. A few minutes. Your answers stay on your device.
Pick your child’s age and check off the milestones from the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program. Milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age. If your child is not doing one yet, it does not mean something is wrong, but it is worth a conversation with your child’s doctor.
Choose the age that matches your child, or the closest age below it.
This is a milestone checklist, not a screening test or a diagnosis. It can help you notice and talk about your child’s development, but it can’t tell you whether your child has a delay or a condition. Only your child’s doctor or a qualified professional who evaluates your child can do that. If you have any concern, talk with your child’s doctor.
CDC notes that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be screened for general development using standardized, validated tools at 9, 18, or 30 months and for autism at 18 and 24 months, or whenever a parent or provider has a concern. One widely used parent questionnaire is the M-CHAT-R/F (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up), intended for well-child checkups for children 16 to 30 months old. It is copyrighted by its authors, so we don’t reproduce it here. You can get it free from the official site, mchatscreen.com, and share the results with your child’s doctor.
CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app (iOS and Android) has these same checklists with photos and videos of each milestone, and lets you share a summary with your child’s doctor.
Source: CDC Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestone wording is reproduced exactly as published on CDC’s “Milestones by” pages (pages updated May 16, 2026; checked November 3, 2026). Use of CDC materials does not imply endorsement by CDC or HHS of Holsman Physical Therapy. Sources for each age:
What to do if you are concerned, the 75% definition, and the AAP screening schedule: CDC, About Learn the Signs. Act Early. and Concerned About Your Child’s Development?. Early Intervention: NJ Department of Health, Early Intervention System; NYS Department of Health, Early Intervention Program. Premature birth note: HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics). M-CHAT-R/F age range: NIH/NICHD; permissions: mchatscreen.com.
Next step: Pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapists at the Holsman Children’s Therapy Center in Fair Lawn can evaluate your child and set clear goals with you. Call 201-351-1682 or 1-855-465-7626. You can schedule pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy directly — no physician referral needed. Some insurance plans require a referral for coverage; our team will check your child’s plan before the first visit.
New Jersey: NJ Early Intervention System (NJEIS), 888-653-4463 (toll-free for New Jersey residents). The evaluation is at public expense; some ongoing services have a family co-pay based on household income and size, and families below 300% of the federal poverty level pay nothing (NJ Department of Health).
New York: the New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP). In New York City, call 311 and ask for “Early Intervention.” Elsewhere, call your county Early Intervention Official. New York says there is no cost to families (NYS Department of Health).
Other states: CDC’s Early Intervention contacts by state.
CDC says: “If your child is age 3 or older, call any local public elementary school (even if your child does not go to school there) and say: ‘I have concerns about my child’s development and I would like to have my child evaluated through the school system for preschool special education services.’” (CDC)
You do not need a doctor’s referral or a diagnosis to ask for these evaluations (CDC).
Developmental milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age, according to the CDC. They cover how a child plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves.
Not necessarily. Children develop at their own pace. But CDC advises not to wait: if your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills, or you have other concerns, talk with your child’s doctor and ask about developmental screening.
No. CDC says its milestone checklists are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools. Your child’s doctor can do a formal screening.
CDC says you can call your state’s public early childhood system to request a free evaluation, without waiting for a doctor’s referral. Under age 3, contact Early Intervention (in New Jersey, NJEIS at 888-653-4463; in New York, your county or New York City Early Intervention Program). Age 3 or older, call any local public elementary school.
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Pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy for ages 0–21 at the Holsman Children’s Therapy Center, 15-01 Broadway, Suite 14C, Fair Lawn, NJ.
📞 Call 201-351-1682