Speech and Language Developmental Milestones

Articulation/Speech Uses sentence-like intonations (jargon) Some echolalia Uses most vowels and consonants in jargon Omits final consonants and some initial consonants Basically unintelligible with exception of a few words Words produced with consonant vowel-structure (bo/boat) emerge Accurately imitates some words Receptive Language Follows simple one-step commands Points to recognized objects (emerging nomination) Begins to claim certain objects (emerging possession) Points to one to three body parts on command Identifies 2 or more objects or pictures from a group Perceives others emotions Recognizes own name Understands “no” Waves good-bye Expressive Language Uses 3 to 20 words Vocalizes with gestures Says “all gone” (emerging negation) Answers question, “what’s this?” Asks for “more” (emerging recurrence) Imitates familiar words Makes some environmental noises, familiar animals and machines 50% of utterances are nouns Average length of responses are 1 to 2 words Play Solitary or onlooker play – self play Continual walking activities Begins running – stiff and awkward Scribbles spontaneously with crayon Can remove mittens, socks, hat Puts object in and out of containers Can figure out ways to overcoming some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places) Imitates many things (sweeping, combing hair – self-use) Pulls toys; carries or hugs doll, teddy bear Very rapid shifts in attention-especially expressed by gross motor shifts Social Skills/Pragmatics Bring objects to show an adult Requests objects by pointing, vocalizing, or using word approximation Solicits another’s attention vocally, physically and possibly with a word (“mommy”) Gesturally request action/assistance (may give back wind-up toy to request activation) Says “bye” and possibly a few conversational words such as “hi”, “thank-you” and “please” Protests by saying “no,” shaking head, moving away, frowning or pushing objects away Comments on object/action by directing listener’s attention to it Acknowledges another’s speech by eye contact, vocally responding or repeating a word Teases, scolds and warns using gestures plus a vocalization or word approximation
Articulation/Speech Words increase in frequency,jargon almost gone by 2 years Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase Improvement in intelligibility – approximately 65% intelligible Appearance of words produced with consonant – vowel – consonant structure (hot) Receptive Language Comprehends approximately 300 words Follows simple two-step commands Listens as pictures are named Listens to simple stories – especially likes ones heard before Points to five body parts on self or doll Responds approximately to yes/no questions (head shake) Object permanence fully acquired (knows something is there even when they cannot see it) Discriminates food from other objects (unwraps candy before eating it) Imitates only events that are present to the senses, not those from past experiences Expressive Language Uses approximately 50 recognizable words Uses names of most familiar objects Produces animal sounds or uses its name Verbalizes toilet needs – may verbalize before, during or after act (closer to 2 years) Identifies and names five or more pictures Says own name on request – refers to self with full name Verbalizes “no” Verbalizes immediate experiences Combines 2 words into phrases (~2 years) in noun Verb or noun+adjective form Grammer and Syntax Begins to use some verbs and adjectives Follows directions using one or two spatial concepts (in/on) Negation used in form of “no” (no bed) Possessive emerging (daddy car) Refers to self with pronoun and name (me Tommy) 33% utterances are nouns Play Parallel play begins – will play near others but not with them Talks to self as he/she plays Little social give-and-take – little interest in what others say or do buy hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair or kicking Does not ask for help; likes rapid shifts of attention Transports blocks in a wagon rather that just building Relates action to object or another person – washes, feeds combs doll in addition to self Social Skills/Pragmatics Names objects in front of others Says “what’s that” to elicit attention Begins to express commands, indicate possession and express problems Much verbal turn-taking
Articulation/Speech Approximately 50 – 70% intelligible May omit final consonants; reduces consonant blends; substitutes one consonant for another Receptive Language Comprehends approximately 500 words Listens to a 5 to 10 minute story Carries out a series of two related commands Identifies actions in pictures Has concepts “one and “all” Expressive Language Uses approximately 50 – 200 intelligible words Names 6 objects by use Repeats two numbers correctly Answers “where” questions Answers “what” questions Answers “what do you hear with?” meaning that they understand the function of body parts? Grammer and Syntax Articles “a” and “the” appear in sentences Present progressive “ing” on verbs Regular plural forms emerging (cat+cats) Uses in/on correctly Irregular past tense emerging Uses some contractions in memorized form (don’t, can’t, it’s) Appropriate use of at least two pronouns Asks basic questions (“daddy gone?” “what’s this?”) Understands concept of first- and second- person pronouns (I, you) 25% of utterances are nouns, 25% are verbs Combines three to four words in subject + verb + object format Average response is 2 – 3 words Play Parallel play dominates Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes (imaginative play) Aligns three or more cubes to make a train; pushes train Builds tower of six to seven blocks Imitates drawing a vertical line Sequences related actions in play such as preparing food for a doll, feeding it, wipes its mouth Social Skills/Pragmatics Engages in short dialogues Expresses emotion Uses attention-getting words, such as “hey” Clarifies and ask for clarification Begins to provide descriptive details
Articulation/Speech Pronounces final consonants of words most of the time Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d, k, g, f Is approximately 80% intelligible Receptive Language Comprehends approximately 1,200 words Knows “in front of” and “behind” when object with a logical front and back are used Identifies hard/soft, rough/smooth Identifies circle and square Responds to commands involving two actions or objects Can match colors Knows night and day Expressive Language Uses/says approximately 800 words Responds appropriately to simple “how” questions Can answer two-three questions, “what do you do when you are hungry/sleepy/cold?” Beginning of question asking stage, mainly asks “what” and “who” questions Names 8 to 10 pictures States actions “I ran” Supplies the last word of a line, “the apple is on the…(tree)” Counts three objects, pointing to each Average sentence length is four to five words Follows basic commands with prepositional phrases “Put the block under the chair” Grammar/Syntax Begins to use “is” at the beginning of a question Third-person singular present tense is emerging “he runs” Uses contracted forms of modals (won’t, can’t) Irregular plural forms emerging (child/children) Uses “are” with plural nouns (boys are running) Uses “and” as conjunction Regular plural forms are consistent Uses is, are and am in sentences Play Begins to play cooperatively with other children Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use genuinely imaginative play Reenacts experienced events such as a birthday party, baking cookies Uses one object to represent another (stick = phone or sword) Assumes the role of another person (parent, doctor, teacher) Requests permission Begins using language for fantasies, jokes, teasing Corrects self, repairs conversation when others do not understand Corrects others Early story telling emerges
Articulation/Speech Still some substitutions and distortions of consonants Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d, Is approximately 70-80% intelligible Receptive Language Comprehends approximately 900 words Listens to a 20 minute story Knows own sex and difference Knows in/on/under, big/little Matches colors Is cautious of common dangers Has complicated, sequenced routines for daily activities; objects to change Expressive Language Expresses 500 intelligible words Answers 6-7 agent action questions… “What runs?” Answers simple “who, why, where, how many” questions Yes/no questions emerging Repeats sentences of six to seven syllables accurately Grammar/Syntax Auxiliary “is/am + ing” (girl is running) Uses “is” + adjective (ball is red) Regular past-tense verbs appear (walk/walked) Uses “s” for possession (daddy’s car) Uses pronouns – I, me, you, mine (he and she are emerging) Negative “not” emerging Uses contracted form of “is” (he’s running) Uses imperatives (commands: go get it, don’t) Adverbs of location emerging (here, there) Understands “est” adjective marker (biggest) Comprehends third-person pronouns (he, she) Average phrase 3-4 words Play Dramatization and imagination begin to encounter play Imitates drawing a circle/straight line Interest in combining play things Plays with others in small groups Names own drawing Watches cartoons on TV Builds tower of none blocks Social Skills/Pragmatics Engages in dialogues increasing in length Expresses emotion Provides descriptive details Becomes interested in cooperative play
Articulation/Speech Consonants mastered: m, n, ing, w, h, p, b, t, d, k, g, y, f Is approximately 90% intelligible Receptive Language Understands approximately 2800 words Points to red, blue, yellow and green Identifies crosses, triangles, circles, and squares Stays with one activity for 11-12 minutes Can follow a two-part unrelated command Knows most body parts Understands concepts of numbers up to 3 Answers questions about object’s functions Expressive Language Has a spoken vocabulary of approximately 900-2000 words Asks many questions although more interested in how answers fit his/her own thoughts rather than just the explanation Has a sentence length of 4-8 words Talks about experiences at school, at friends’ homes, etc Asks “who?” and why?” Begins to use complex sentences Uses contractions such as “it’s a” or “there’s a” Uses grammatically correct sentences Uses regular past tense correctly Uses plural forms correctly Can relate name and address along with age and gender Basic Motor Milestones Pushes, pulls and steers wheeled toys Uses toilet independently Skips to music Releases objects with precision Draws circles, diamonds and crosses Enjoys cutting and pasting
Articulation/Speech Consonants mastered: m, n, w, h, ing, y, b, p, t, d, k, g, f, v, l, sh, ch, th, blends Receptive Language Has a receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words Sequences numbers Understands ‘left’ and ‘right’ Understands most concepts of time Understands the meaning of most sentences Expressive Language Defines objects by there uses (“you eat with a fork”) Asks ‘how’ questions Answers verbally to ‘hi’ and ‘how are you?’ Uses past tense and future tense appropriately Uses conjunctions Names opposites Sequentially names days of the week Counts to 30 by rote Counts 10 objects Reduces sentence length to 4-6 words Exchanges information and asks questions Uses sentences with details Accurately relays a story Sings entire songs and recites nursery rhymes Communicates easily with adults and other children Uses appropriate grammar in most cases Basic Motor Milestones Prints a few capital letters Builds complex structures with blocks Buttons clothes, washes face and puts toys away Reaches and grasps in one continuous movement Catches a ball with hands Makes precise marks with crayon, confining marks to a small area
Articulation/Speech Consonants mastered: m, n, w, h, ing, y, b, p, t, d, k, g, f, v, l, sh, ch, th, r, s, z, r-blends, s-blends, l-blends Receptive Language Has a receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words Understands ‘left’ and ‘right’ Engages in conversations Understands most concepts of time Expressive Language Names some letters, numbers and currencies Sequences numbers Uses increasingly more complex descriptions Uses a sentence length of approximately 6 words Recites the alphabet Counts to 100 by rote Uses most morphologic markers appropriately Uses passive voice appropriately Basic Motor Milestones Shows reduced interest in writing and drawing Draws recognizable man, tree, and house Uses adult like writing, but it is slow and labored Draws pictures that are not proportional Colors within lines Indicates well established right or left handedness Dresses self completely Follows advanced rhythms

Articulation/Speech

  • Words increase in frequency,jargon almost gone by 2 years
  • Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase
  • Improvement in intelligibility – approximately 65% intelligible
  • Appearance of words produced with consonant – vowel – consonant structure (hot)

Receptive Language

  • Comprehends approximately 300 words
  • Follows simple two-step commands
  • Listens as pictures are named
  • Listens to simple stories – especially likes ones heard before
  • Points to five body parts on self or doll
  • Responds approximately to yes/no questions (head shake)
  • Object permanence fully acquired (knows something is there even when they cannot see it)
  • Discriminates food from other objects (unwraps candy before eating it)
  • Imitates only events that are present to the senses, not those from past experiences

Expressive Language

  • Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
  • Uses names of most familiar objects
  • Produces animal sounds or uses its name
  • Verbalizes toilet needs – may verbalize before, during or after act (closer to 2 years)
  • Identifies and names five or more pictures
  • Says own name on request – refers to self with full name
  • Verbalizes “no”
  • Verbalizes immediate experiences
  • Combines 2 words into phrases (~2 years) in noun Verb or noun+adjective form

Grammer and Syntax

  • Begins to use some verbs and adjectives
  • Follows directions using one or two spatial concepts (in/on)
  • Negation used in form of “no” (no bed)
  • Possessive emerging (daddy car)
  • Refers to self with pronoun and name (me Tommy)
  • 33% utterances are nouns

Play

  • Parallel play begins – will play near others but not with them
  • Talks to self as he/she plays
  • Little social give-and-take – little interest in what others say or do buy hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair or kicking
  • Does not ask for help; likes rapid shifts of attention
  • Transports blocks in a wagon rather that just building
  • Relates action to object or another person – washes, feeds combs doll in addition to self

Social Skills/Pragmatics

  • Names objects in front of others
  • Says “what’s that” to elicit attention
  • Begins to express commands, indicate possession and express problems
  • Much verbal turn-taking

Sound Developmental Norms

What sounds should my child be saying?

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