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