Speech and Language Development

The following are guidelines to give you an idea of what to expect from your child at different ages. Please remember these are based on averages. Many factors such as heredity, birth order and gender may affect where your child falls within these ranges.

0-3 Months

• Cries for assistance
• Quiets when picked up
• Begins to recognize mommy and daddy
• Responds by smile and cooing
• Discriminates voices
  and discriminates speech sound

3-6 Months

• Responds to voices and sounds
• Babbles (bababa, gagaga)
• Laughs out loud
• Protests with cries
• Imitates sounds (vowels and a few consonants)

6-12 Months

• Begins using syllables (ga, da, goo)
• Says "mama" and "dada"
• Imitates speech rhythms, claps hands
• Recognizes words for objects
• Follows simple directions
• Plays "Peek a Boo"

TOP

12-18 Months

• Recognizes name
• Understands no
• Indicates wants in ways other than crying
• Says 2-3 words in addition to "mama" and "dada" (at 12 months)
• Begins to combine words
• Waves bye-bye
• Begins to use the words "no", "mine" and "that" frequently

(Speech does not need to be intelligible here to count as legitimate language development!)

18-24 Months

• Vocabulary increases to 10-20 words
• Recognizes pictures of familiar objects
• Masters no, mine, thank you
• Combines words (for e.g.: get down, doggie go)
• Scribbles on paper
• Begins to lose "baby talk"

2 Years

• Vocabulary increases to app. 300 words
• Listens for meaning of words
• Understands simple commands
• Knows some body parts
• Sentence length increases to 2-3 words
• Uses past tense
• Combines nouns and verbs (for e.g.: Mommy come)
• Uses language more to communicate wants, needs but no real conversation
• Talks to toys and self
• Enjoys nursery rhymes and knows own name
• Uses plurals

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3 Years Old

• Vocabulary increases to app. 1,000 words
• Sentence length increases to 3-4 words
• Begins to use simple sentences, both questions and statements but syntax may not be correct (for e.g.: Me no want)
• Knows his full name
• Can tell age
• Can repeat parts of familiar songs and nursery rhymes
• Knows some colors
• Has some concept of immediate time such as nap time, dinner time, tomorrow or late

4 Years Old

• Vocabulary increases to 1,500 words
• Can identify a color and may know some names of colors
• Sentence length increases to 4-5 words
• Asks A LOT of questions
• May be able to count to 4-5 but does not understand 1:1 correspondence (does not associate numbers to objects)
• Sentences become more complex and include contractions, past tense and pronouns

5 Years Old

• Vocabulary increases to 2,000 words
• Understands simple opposites (up, down)
• Can identify which is larger or smaller, or the same
• Responds to questions
• Sentence length is 5 words or more
• Sentences are simple and complex and include future, present and past tense and clauses
• Can count to ten or higher
• Understands 1:1 correspondence (for e.g.: can count 5 pieces of candy)
• Can name colors
• Play conversation may mimic everyday experiences (for e.g.: a child may put her doll to bed and may repeat comments her mother says to her)
• Enjoys pretend play such as cooking dinner or mowing the lawn like mommy and daddy do.

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