Approximate Age
Receptive Language (Comprehension)
Expressive Language
2 to 4 months
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Turns head toward sounds and can begin to discriminate one sound from another.
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Verbal play through cooing, gooing and laughing. Vowel sounds produced (i.e., “ooohh, eee, and ahhh”).
4 to 8 months
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Anticipates an event (e.g. peek-a-boo) and follows a line of regard (e.g. visually follows toy moving across floor) as well as joint attention (i.e. is capable of visually attending to object with caregiver).
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Babbling begins. Some consonant are produced (i.e., ba, ma, pa).
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Continues vocal play and exploration. Reduplicated (e.g., baba, mama) babbling begins between 7-9 months.
8 to 12 months
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Relates words with physical objects (e.g. understands that the word “ball” actually means the object ball). Responds to simple phrases such as “no”.
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Variegated babbling (e.g., madaga), Protowords or first word approximations appear. (Protowords = vocalizations that are used CONSISTENTLY by the infant to represent a familiar object or person. e.g. dada for daddy).
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Non-verbal communication. Jargon (i.e. unintelligible speech such as, baka la tama eee) is present.
1 to 2 years
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Increased attention to toys.
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Changes behavior in response to comments made to him/her.
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Knows a few simple commands with gestures needed at times.
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Understands simple questions.
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Points to simple pictures.
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50 words at 18 months (consist of many proto words)
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50-200 words at 24 months. Uses mostly nouns and pronoun me/mine.
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Jargon (i.e. unintelligible speech) still present.
2 to 3 years
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Comprehension shows a rapid increase.
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Responds to more 2 step command with prepositions (e.g. Spatial conditions. Pick up the ball and put it on the table).
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Understands questions about an object (what?), people (who?), and basic events (What _ doing? Where _ going?)
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150 words at age 2
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300-400 words and 75% intelligible speech at age 3 years.
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Awareness of rhyming emerges (24-30 months)
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Uses two-three word phrases frequently. Asks simple questions.
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Fluency can be poor. Jargon (unintelligible speech) mostly gone.
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Vowel sounds intact. Early emerging of ing, in, on, plural /s/.
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Use and understand negation between subject and verb (no, not, can't, don't).
3 to 4 years
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Understands 1500 words.
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Recognizes gender differences (he/she), plurals, pronouns, adjectives (eg. big), adverbs (eg. fast), and basic colors.
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Has awareness of the topic during conversation and is able to continue the conversation by adding additional information.
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Uses 600-1000 words and 3-4 word sentences.
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Pronouns and adjectives are used as well as some adverbs, prepositions, past tense and plurals.
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Articles appear (a, the) in sentences.
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Answers what, where and when questions.
4 to 5 years
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Comprehends 1500-2000 words.
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Understands if, because, why and when.
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Follows complex directions.
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Knowledge of letter names and sounds emerges.
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Knowledge of numbers and counting.
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Vocabulary increases to 1000-1600 words and 4-6 word (complex) sentences.
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3-4 syllable words are being used.
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100 % speech intelligibility.
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Errors on /s/, /r/, /l/, /th/ may persist.
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Uses more adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions (and, because).
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Fluency improving.
5 to 6 years
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Understands 2500-2800 words.
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Understands more complicated sentences.
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A vocabulary of 1500-2100 words.
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Uses complete 5-6 word sentences.
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Fluent speech.
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Many multi-syllabic words are used.
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References
Gleason, J. B. (2005). The development of language. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Paul, R. (2001). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: Assessment and intervention. St Louis: Mosby Inc.
Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (1999). How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language in the first three years of life. New York: Penguin Group.