Communication Development

 

0-3 months

startled by loud noise

undifferentiated cry (0-1 month)

turns head toward speaker

produces throaty sounds and vowels

differentiated cry for pain, hunger, tired

 

3-6 months

looks directly at speaker

vocalizes in response to speaker

vocalizes pleasure and pain

initiated vocal play:  coos, chuckles, gurgles, and laughs

pitch and intonation vary

 

6-9 months

imitates familiar sounds

comprehends parental gestures

looks at objects, family members and pictures when named

stops behavior when told “no”                        

babbles /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, /b/, /p/, /z/

vocalizes to another person

vocalizes differently for hunger, anger, contentment   

 

9-12 months

begins to relate names and objects

gives objects on request

claps hands and waves on command

articulates most speech sounds

gestures/vocalizes wants and needs

directs others physically: pats, pulls, pushes, tugs

 

12-18 months

points to 1-3 body parts when asked

points to objects when named

responds vocally to “wh” questions

acknowledges others speech by eye contact, speech, or repetition of the word said

uses sentence-like intonation (jargon)

imitates some words

uses single words: says 3-20 words

protests by saying “no”, shaking head, moving away or frowning

uses ritual words “hi” or “bye”

points to wanted object                                 

says “all gone” and asks for “more”

teases, scolds, warns using gestures and vocalizations

 

18-24 months

understands approximately 300 words

responds to the directions “in” and “on”

listens as pictures are named word said

points to 5 body parts

responds to yes/no questions by shaking or nodding head

produces words with consonant/ vowel/consonant

says 50 words

combines words to make 2 word phrases

mean sentence length 1.8  words

names familiar objects and vocalizations

uses commands (e.g. more), possessives (e.g. mine),  reactions (e.g. owee)

 

24-30 months

understands approximately 500 words

follows simple directions (“sit here, “bring it to me”

follows a series of two related commands (“Pick up the ball and give it to me”)

may omit some final consonants or substitute one consonant for another

says 200 words

mean sentence length – 3.1 words

answers “what” & “where” questions (“What do you hear with?”)

uses some regular plurals

asks basic questions ( “Daddy gone?”)

 

30-36 months

understands approximately 900 words

points to pictures of common objects described by their use (“Show me what you eat with”)

knows ”big/little”

knows third person pronouns (he, she

articulates /p/, /m/, /n/,/w/,/h/

says 500 words

mean sentence length 3.4 words

asks simple “what” & “where” questions

refers to self by own name

uses pronouns  (I, me, my, mine)

 

36-42 months

understands approximately 1200 words

responds to two unrelated commands (“Put your cup on the table and turn on the TV.”)

knows “in front of” and “behind”

uses final consonants most of the time

says 800 words

mean sentence length = 4.3 words

uses regular past tense forms

beginning of questions – asking stage using “what”, “who”, “why”, and “how” many”

 

42-48 months

understands 1500-2000 words

tells how common objects are used                

mean sentence length = 4.4 words                    

responds to three commands (”Pick up the spoon, put it in the cup, and bring it to me)

articulates /b/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/,

says 1000 words

does simple verbal analogies (Daddy is a man, mommy is a _________.)

 

48-54 months

understands 2000-2500 words

knows “between”, “above”, “below”, “top” & “bottom”

few consonant omissions or substitutions

says 1500 words

mean sentence length = 4.6 words

uses possessives consistently (boy’s, cat’s)

uses irregular plurals consistently (child/children)

 

54-60 months

understands 2500-2800 words

knows “heavy/light”, “loud/soft”, “like/unlike”, “long/short”

misarticulates a few difficult blends

says 2000 words

mean sentence length = 5.7 words

generates complex sentences (We went to the store and bought milk.)

uses contractions (I’ll, can’t)

tells familiar stories without picture cues

 

60-72 months

understands 13,000 words

understands “yesterday/tomorrow”, “more/less”, some/many”, "now/later”,“several/few”, “most/least”, “before/after”

articulates /th/,/ing/,/r/, /l/

mean sentence length = 6.6 words

understands the opposite of (the opposite of hot is _________.)

states similarities and differences between objects

uses superlative “est” (biggest, tallest)

uses all pronouns consistently

 

72-84 months

understands 20,000-26,000 words

is aware of mistakes in other people’s speech

understands roughly the difference in time intervals

understands the seasons of the year and what you do in each.

articulates voiceless /th/, /sh/, /ch/, /j/

mean sentence length = 7.3 words

uses mild slang and mild profanity

uses irregular comparatives correctly (good, better, best)

uses passive voice