Developmental Milestones

Language: 12 to 18 months

Phonology:

• 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 CV structure emerge (bo/boat)

Semantics:

• Follows simple one-step commands
• Points to recognized objects (emerging nomination)
• Points to wanted objects (emerging state)
• Begins to claim certain objects (emerging possession)
• Points to one to three body parts on command
• Identifies two or more objects or pictures from a group
• Perceives other’s emotion
• Uses 3 to 20 words
• Vocalizes with gestures
• Says “all gone” (emerging negation)
• Answers question, “What’s this?”
• Asks for “more” (emerging recurrence)

Syntax-Morphology:

• 50% of all utterances are nouns
• Mean length of response is one or two words

Pragmatics:

• Brings object to show an adult
• Requests objects by pointing and vocalizing or possibly using a word approximation
• Solicits another’s attention vocally, physically, and possibly with a word (Mommy)
• Gesturally requests action/assistance (may give back wind up toy to request activation)
• Says “bye” and possibly a few other conversational ritual words such as “Hi” “Thank you” “Please”
• Protests by saying “no” or shaking head, moving away, frowning or pushing object away
• Comments on object/action by directing listeners’ attention to it with a point and vocalization or word approximation
• Answers simple wh questions with vocal response (may be unintelligible)
• Acknowledges speech of another by giving eye contact, vocally responding or repeating a word said
• Teases, scolds, warns using gesture plus a vocalization or word approximation

Play:

• Solitary or onlooker play- self-play
• Continual walking activities
• Begins running-stiff and awkward
• Scribbles spontaneously with crayon
• Can remove mittens, socks, hat, unzips zipper
• Puts objects in and out of containers
• Can figure out ways of 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

Language: 18 to 24 months

Phonology:

• More words than jargon, jargon almost gone by two years
• Asks question by raising intonation at end of phrase
• Improvement in intelligibility –child expected to be 65% intelligible by the end of two years
• Appearance of words that use CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) structure (such at hot)

Syntax-Morphology:

• Follows directions using one or two spatial concepts of in or on
• Negotiation used in the form of word, “no” to adult request
• Emerging possessive (Daddy car)
• Refers to self with pronoun and name (me Marcos)
• 33% of utterances are nouns
• Combines two words into phrase (by two years) (noun + verb or noun +adjective format)
• Mean length of response is 1.8 words

Pragmatics:

• Uses single words or short phrases to express the intentions listed at 1 to 1 ½ year level
• Names objects in front of others
• Says “What’s that” to elicit attention
• Begins using single words and two word phrases to command (move), indicate possession, (mine), and to express problems (owee)
• Much verbal turn-taking

Play:

• Parallel play- plays near others but not with them
• Talks to self as he plays
• Little social give and take-little interest in what others say or do but hugs, pushes, pulls, snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair and kicking
• Does not ask for help
• Procrastinates
• Strings beads
• Transports blocks in a wagon rather than just building
• Relates action to object or another person-wakes, feeds, combs doll in addition to self
• Likes to play with flexible materials such as clay, pats, pinches and fingers
• Less rapid shifts in attention

Semantics:

• Comprehends approximately 300 words
• Listens as pictures are named
• Listens to simple stories and identifies those heard before that were enjoyable
• Points to five body parts on self or doll
• Responds with head shake to yes or no questions
• Object permanence (understanding that objects still exist even if not seen for awhile-established attachment and the understanding that parents will return) is fully acquired
• Discriminates food from other objects (unwraps candy prior to eating)
• Imitates current events happening at the time
• Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
• Uses names of most familiar objects
• Produces animal sound or uses its name
• Verbalizes toilet needs (closer to age two years) either before, during or after the act
• Identifies and names five or more pictures by two years
• Says own name on request –refers to self with full name
• Verbalizes “no”
• Verbalizes immediate experiences
• Combines two words into phrases –may use three to four word response by two years
• Begins to use some verbs and adjectives

Pragmatic 3 to 4 years

• Engages in longer dialogues
• Assumes the role of another person in play
• Uses more fillers to acknowledge partner’s message (un-huh, yeah, okay)
• Begins code switching (using simpler language) when talking to very young children
• Uses more elliptical responses
• Requests permission
• Begins using language for fantasies, jokes, teasing
• Makes conversational repairs when listener has not understood
• Corrects others
• Primitive narratives emerge, events follow from central core/use of inference in stories

Developmental Expectations for age: 3 to 3 ½ years:

Phonology:

• Intelligibility (65% by two years and 80% by 2 ½ to 3 years)
• Phonological processes disappearing by age 3: consonant assimilation, diminutization, doubling, final consonant deletion, prevocalic voicing, reduplication, unstressed syllable deletion, and velar fronting

Syntax-Morphology:

• Beginning to use “is” at beginning of questions
• Regular third person singular tense (s) emerging (he runs)
• Contracted forms of modals (won’t, can’t)
• Uses “and” as conjunction
• Irregular plural forms emerging (child/children)
• Uses “are” with plural nouns (boys are running)
• Regular plural forms are consistent
• Uses: is, are, and am in sentences
• Mean length of response is 4.3 words
• Combines four to five words in sentences
• Uses compound sentence with “and”

Play:

• Builds bridge from model
• Cooperative play begins
• Organizes doll furniture accurately and begins to use in genuinely imaginative ways
• Draws two or more strokes for a cross-on imitation
• Beginning to share
• Reenacts experienced events such as birthday party, baking cookies
• Uses one object to represent another (stick=phone or fence)

Semantics:

• Comprehends 1,500 (900 words by 2 ½ to 3 years)
• Listens to 20 minute story by 2 ½ to 3 years
• Knows front and behind when object with logical front and back is used
• Identifies hard, soft, rough and smooth
• Identifies circle and square
• Responds to commands involving two actions
• Responds to commands involving two objects
• Able to match sets (42 months)
• Uses 800 words (500 intelligible words by 2 ½ to 3 years)
• Responds appropriately to simple, “How?” question
• Can answer two or three questions (What do you do when you are hungry? Sleepy? Cold?)
• Can ask simple questions (“what’s that” by 2 ½ to 3 years)
• Beginning of question seeking stage (asks mainly “what” and “who” questions)
• Names 8 to 10 pictures
• States action
• Supplies last word of line (The apple is on the …)
• Counts three objects pointing to each

Language: 3.5 to 4 yrs

Phonology:

• Becoming very intelligible in connected speech
• Continued refinement of articulatory skills taking place
• Consonants mastered: b, d, k, g, f, y

Phonological process continuing after age 3: cluster reduction, depalatalization, epenthesis, final devoicing, gliding, stopping, vocalization

Syntax-Morphology:

• Possessive marker “s” consistent
• Regular third person singular (-s) consistent
• Simple past tense (t, d) consistent (walk, walked)
• Present progressive ”is + ing” consistent
• Contractions used constantly
• Uses negative “not” consistently
• Pronouns: he, she, I, you, me, mine, consistent
• “Are, they, their” used inconsistently
• Reflexive pronoun “myself” emerging
• More adverbs of time and manner are being used
• Conjunction “because” emerging
• Uses “got” (I got it)
• “What was ….What were” questions emerging
• “Was ….Were,” yes/no questions emerging (was he there?)
• Mean length of response is 4.4 words
• Combines four to five words in sentences
• Complex sentences used frequently
• Imperatives and emphatics used consistently
• Parts of speech now in stable relationship[1]

Play:

• Increase in dramatization of play
• Complicated ideas but unable to carry out in detail, no carryover from day to day
• Prefer to play in group of two to three children, child chooses companion of own sex
• Suggests turns, but often bossy in directing others
• Often silly in play and may do things wrong purposely
• Puts toys away
• Likes to dress up
• Draws a human with two parts. Adds three parts to incomplete human
• Builds structures/buildings with blocks
• Assumes the role of another person in play (becomes a teacher, animal, parent)

Semantics:

• Comprehends 1,500 to 2,000 words
• Knows front and back of clothes
• Responds to commands involving three actions
• Recognizes one color
• Uses 1,000 to 1,500 words
• Answers 13 agent + action questions (who ate the cookie/noun + verb)
• Can do simple verbal analogies (Daddy is a man, Mommy is a..)
• Answers (responds appropriately) to “how much” and how long” (length of time) questions-not necessarily correctly
• Tells two events in order of sequence
• Can tell story mixing real and unreal
• Long, detailed conversations
• Repeats 12 to 13 syllable sentence-one of three trials
• Can answer three of three questions (what do you do when you’re hungry/sleepy/cold?)
• Appropriately answers “what if” questions (what would you do if you fell down?)
• Asks how, why, when questions/asks for detailed explanations

Gross Motor skills for the age of 30 to 35 months

• Balances one foot for one second when shown how
• Hops on one foot forward or in place, either foot 2 to 3 hops
• Walks on tiptoes ten feet when asked

Gross Motor skills for the age of 36 to 41 months

• Pedals a riding toy
• Balances and walks on a four inch wide board or beam
• Consistently walks up and down stairs alternating feet with hand on rail

Gross Motor skills for the age of 42 to 47 months

• Runs 15 yards for 6 seconds or less (runs in coordinated manner and without falling age 24 to 29 months)
• Hops forward on one foot, three or more hops
• Walks heel to toe
• Goes up stairs without support alternating feet
• Consistently walks up and down stairs alternating feet with hand on rail

Fine Motor skills for the age of 30 to 35 months and younger

• Screws and unscrews jar lids
• Uses small beads and pegs
• Holds object in one hand while using the other
• Turns regular book pages one at a time (age 24 to 29 months)
• Turns knob to open door (18 to 23 months)

Fine Motor skills for the age of 36 to 41 months

• Consistently reaches for and grasps objects with one hand
• Rolls clay or play dough on table to make ropes
• Consistently completes an easy three piece puzzle

Fine Motor skills for the age of 42 to 47 months

• Buttons and unbuttons one medium sized button
• Grasps thick marker or large chalk with crude opposition of thumb and fingers
• Buttons and unbuttons quarter inch buttons
• Makes flat round cake by pressing and patting dough on table with fingers

Visual skills for the age of 36 to 41 months

• Matches by texture
• Identifies object only when shown part of it

Visual skills for the age of 42 to 47 months

• Guesses a full picture from looking at half of it
• Consistently completes a four to five piece puzzle

Pragmatic language 3 to 4 yrs

• Engages in longer dialogues
• Assumes the role of another person in play
• Uses more fillers to acknowledge partner’s message (un-huh, yeah, okay)
• Begins code switching (using simpler language) when talking to very young children
• Uses more elliptical responses
• Requests permission
• Begins using language for fantasies, jokes, teasing
• Makes conversational repairs when listener has not understood
• Corrects others
• Primitive narratives emerge, events follow from central core/use of inference in stories

Pragmatic languae 4 to 5 years

• Uses indirect requests
• Correctly uses deictic terms such as this, that, her, there
• Uses twice as many effective utterances as a 3 years old to discuss emotions and feelings

Narrative development characterized by unfocused chains of words, stories have sequence of events but no central character of theme

4.5 to 5 yrs

Phonology:

• Few omissions and substitutions of consonants
• Very intelligible in connected speech

Semantics:

• Understands the concept of number three, (give me just three)
• Knows between, above, below, up, bottom
• Answers 14 agent + action questions (who ate the cookie/noun + verb)
• Responds appropriately, not necessarily correctly, to “how far” questions
• Defines four words in terms of use
• Uses “what do” “does” “did” questions

Play

• Makes cube gate from model
• Shows off dramatically
• Much self-praise
• Uses dolls and puppets to act out scripts
• Good imaginative play

Visual motor 30 to 35 mos

• Catches a large ball thrown gently from very close
• Pours accurately from one container to another
• Dresses self obtaining help for fasteners
• Undresses with help only for fasteners and pullovers with narrow necks (age 24 to 29 months)
• Kicks a ball forward with either foot without support (age 24 to 29 months)
• Scoops from one container to another to feed self without spilling (age 18 to 23 months)
• Copies housework and other activities parent does (age 12 to 17 months)

Visual motor 36 to 41 months

• Makes continuous cuts with child safe scissors
• Throws tennis ball five to seven feet overhand with one hand
• Catches a ball thrown from five feet away

42 to 47 months

• Puts shoes on correctly, on correct feet
• Brushes teeth with horizontal and vertical motions
• Kicks a ball while it is rolling, rolled from 4 feet away
• Throws a small ball underhand five feet, hitting a two foot square target two feet above the floor

Gard, Gilman & Gorman, Speech and Language Development Chart, Pro-ed, Inc. 1993