Speech and Language
    Development Third
    Edition

    Side A
    (0-21/2 Years)

    Speech

    Meaning & Concepts

    Play & Movement

    Grammar

    Interaction & Expression

    • Undifferentiated cry
    • Can make glottal and vowel sounds
    • Some variety in non-crying sounds
    • Produces single syllables
    • Begins blowing bubbles
    • Coos, gurgles, and sighs
    • Begins to imitate some sounds
    • Startles to loud sounds
    • Moves eyes toward sound and light
    • Fixes gaze on objects
    • Briefly holds and inspects objects
    • Mouths some objects
    • Responds to voices
    • Shows interest in sounds
    • Watches faces intently
    • Follows moving objects with eyes
    • Recognizes familiar objects and people
    • Begins to use hands and eyes together
    • Stares vacantly for long spells
    • Hands are either clenched or open
    • Reacts to paper or cloth on face
    • Raises head when prone
    • Will grasp object when placed in hand
    • Reaches for object but misses
    • Holds a toy for a short time
    • Comforts self with help
    • Shows intense interest in familiar faces
    • Briefly looks at people
    • Follows moving person with eyes
    • Quiets in response to familiar voice
    • Smiles/coos in response to another smile/voice
    • Cries differently when tired, hungry, or in pain
    • Quiets when picked up
    • Imitates some movements and facial expressions

    • First tooth
    • Begins babbling (VCV, ”aga”)
    • Puts lips together and says, “m”
    • Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure
    • Quiets at sight of adult
    • Enjoys hearing own voice
    • Self-initiates vocal play
    • Coos, chuckles, gurgles, and laughs
    • Babbles to self, others, and objects
    • Babbling shows pitch and inflection change
    • Vocally expresses eagerness
    • Imitates sounds
    • Improved jaw control
    • Anticipates feeding upon sight of bottle
    • Watches or closely attends to movement patterns
    • Smiles on sight of face
    • Recognizes spoon or bottle
    • Laughs when playing with objects
    • Turns head at name
    • Begins to recognize words

    • Puts objects in mouth
    • Watches hands
    • Plays actively when propped in play area 10-15 minutes
    • Looks intently at and shakes noisemaker
    • Generally inspects surroundings
    • Smiles, fingers mirror image
    • Increases activity at sight of toy
    • Works for toy out of reach
    • Head control established in midline
    • Bangs with object held in hand
    • Transfers object from one hand to another
    • Rolls over both ways
    • Raises head and chest when prone
    • Sits with support

    NOTE

    Due to the highly variable nature of syntactic and morphological development and due to the lack of sufficient research in the area, the age levels listed are approximations of when certain forms and constructions may appear.

    • Fixes gaze on faces
    • Imitates sounds
    • Turns head at name
    • Listens to voices
    • Makes noise when talked to
    • Seeks attention in ways other than crying
    • Turns head toward a sound source
    • Uses voice to show pleasure and displeasure
    • Watches faces when people speak

    • Sounds m, M, d, b, p, y begin to appear in babbhng
    • Babbles tunefully-singing tones
    • Uses wide variety of sound combinations
    • inflected vocal play-intonation patterns heard
    • Imitates intonation and speech sounds
    • Reduplicative babbling begins (“ha-ba-ha”)
    • Tries to make word-like sounds
    • Responds to sound by making sounds
    • Babbles chains of sounds

    • Attempts to imitate gestures
    • Understands parental gestures
    • Looks at common objects when named
    • Looks at family members when named
    • Shows interest in pictures when named
    • Searches for partially hidden objects
    • Bangs objects together
    • Performs many actions on objects (shakes, tears,slides, mouths, rubs)
    • Sight of object or person produces gesture(emerging nomination)
    • Explores with hands and mouth
    • Reaches for objects that are out of reach
    • Responds to own name
    • Can tell emotions by tone of voice
    • Explores toys with fingers and mouth
    • Sits without support
    • Drinks from cup
    • Eyes and hands work well together
    • Pulls self to standing position
    • Crawls on belly
    • Stands or cruises around holding on to something
    • Drags a toy toward self
    • Lunges forward or starts crawling
    • Plays pat-a-cake
    • Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
    • Can support entire weight on legs
    • Reaches with 1 hand
    • Transfers objects from hand to hand
    • Uses hand to rake objects
    • Develops full-color vision
    • Distance vision matures
    • Ability to track moving objects improves
    • Initiates vocalizing to another person
    • Enjoys being played with
    • Recognizes familiar people
    • Cries when parent leaves room
    • Imitates familiar sounds and actions
    • Shows interest in mirror images
    • Responds to emotions in others
    • Giggles and shows off
    • Starts to show fear of strangers
    • Smiles when smiled at

    • Babbles with inflection (“ba-ba-ba,””ma-ma-ma”)
    • May acquire first true word
    • Tries to imitate words
    • Tries to repeat sounds
    • Uses exclamations, such as, “Oh-oh!”
    • Uses most sounds in vocal play
    • Vocalizes to mirror
    • Uses low, non-rounded vowels
    • Begins to use objects correctly
    • Explores objects in many different ways
    • Finds hidden objects
    • imitates gestures
    • Shows awareness of more than 1 object
    • Looks at correct picture when named
    • Pays increasing attention to speech
    • Responds to ‘’no”
    • Responds to simple verbal requests
    • Responds to simple questions with searching movements
    • Turns head immediately to own name
    • Understands and follows simple commands regarding body action
    • Understands the meaning of hot
    • Gives block, toy, or object on request
    • Uses 1-10 words
    • Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
    • Shows what he/she wants
    • Tries to communicate by actions or gestures
    • Communicates displeasure when object is removed
    • Bangs 2 objects together
    • Can bring one object above another
    • Creeps on hands and knees
    • Drinks from a cup
    • Moves from sitting to crawling or prone
    • Holds cup and drinks
    • Holds crayon, imitates scribble
    • Lets objects go voluntarily
    • Places one block after another on table (prerequisite to counting)
    • Plays ball with another person
    • Pokes with index finger
    • Pulls self up to stand
    • Responds to music
    • Stacks rings on pegs
    • Stands momentarily without support
    • Brings objects to mouth-uses tongue more
    • Takes a few steps with help
    • Takes objects out of container
    • Throws or drops objects intentionally
    • Uses pincer grasp
    • Claps
    • Affectionate with familiar people
    • Begins affecting others’ behavior physically pats, pulls, tugs on adult)
    • Begins to vary behavior according to reaction of others
    • Cries when mother or father leaves
    • Enjoys imitating people in play
    • Entertains self in bed or at play
    • Extends arms to be picked up
    • May be fearful in some situations
    • Participates in pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo
    • Prefers mother and/or regular caregiver over all others
    • Reaches to request an object
    • Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
    • Shakes head “no”and pushes undesired objects away
    • Shouts or coughs to attract attention
    • Shows preferences for certain people and toys
    • Shy or anxious with strangers
    • Tests parental responses to actions
    • Throws tantrums
    • Waves ”bye”

    • Uses sentence-like intonation (jargon)
    • Some echolalia
    • Uses most vowels and consonants
    • Omits final consonants and some initial consonants
    • Basically unintelligible, with exception of a few words
    • Words produced with (V structure (bo/boat) emerge
    • Follows simple, 1-step commands
    • Points to recognized objects (emerging nomination)
    • Points to wanted objects (emerging state)
    • Begins to claim certain objects (emerging possession)
    • Points to 1-3 body parts on command
    • Identifies 2 or more objects or pictures from a group
    • Notices others’ emotions
    • Follows simple directions accompanied by gestures
    • Points to objects, pictures, and family member
    • Begins developing receptive vocabulary
    • Reaches for named object
    • Easily learns associations between words and objects
    • Uses 3-50 words
    • Vocalizes with gestures
    • Says, “All gone” (emerging negative)
    • Answers question, ”What’s this?”
    • Asks for”more” (emerging recurrence)
    • Answers simple questions nonverbally
    • Accurately imitates some words
    • Says 2-3 words to label a person or object
    • Solitary or self-play
    • Continual walking activities
    • Begins running-stiff and awkward
    • Removes mittens, socks, hat; unzips zipper
    • Puts objects in and out of containers
    • Learning to overcome some obstacles (opening doors, reaching high places)
    • Imitates many actions and activities
    • Carries and hugs dolls or teddy bears
    • Shifts attention very rapidly
    • Loves to jump and throw
    • Scribbles with a crayon
    • Loves to look at books and be read to
    • Likes songs and rhymes
    • Attends to a book or toy for about 2 minutes
    • Likes big and little toys
    • 50% of all utterances are nouns
    • Mean length of response is 1 or 2 words
    • Average about 10 words in production
    • Simple word combinations appear

    • Brings object to show an adult
    • Requests objects by pointing and vocalizing
    • Solicits attention vocally or physically
    • Requests action/assistance with gestures
    • Learning words like bye, hi, thank you, and please
    • Protests by saying “no,”shaking head, moving away, frowning, or pushing object away
    • Points and vocalizes to comment on actions, objects, and people
    • Answers simple wh- questions with vocal response (may be unintelligible)
    • Acknowledges speech of another by making eye contact or vocalizing
    • Teases, scolds, warns, using gesture plus a vacalization or word approximation
    • Imitates mom or other family member
    • Asserts independence

    • Says several single words (by 15-18 months)
    • Uses simple phrases (by 18-24 months)
    • Repeats words overheard in conversation
    • Words increase in frequency-jargon almost gone by 2 years
    • Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase
    • Improvement in intelligibility: 25-50% intelligible
    • Appearance of words produced with CVC structure (hot)

    • Understands approximately 300 words
    • Distinguishes food from other objects
    • Follows simple instructions
    • Imitates immediate events
    • Listens as pictures are named
    • Listens to simple stories
    • Object permanence fully acquired
    • Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
    • Responds to yes/no questions (head shake)
    • Understands simple verbs, such as eat, sleep
    • Follows simple commands without gestures
    • Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
    • Names many familiar objects
    • Produces animal sound or uses its name
    • States toilet needs
    • Says own name on request
    • Says “no”
    • Tells about immediate experiences
    • Combines 2 words into phrases
    • Begins to use some verbs and adjectives
    • Asks for common foods by name
    • Uses agent + action
    • Uses invented words
    • Begins make-believe play
    • Begins to sort by shape and color
    • Builds tower of 4 or more blocks
    • Pulls or carries toys while walking
    • Climbs on and off furniture
    • Finds hidden objects
    • Kicks a ball
    • Shifts attention less rapidly
    • Likes to play with flexible materials, such as clay
    • Little social give-and-take
    • Parallel play-plays near others but not with them
    • Scribbles
    • Stands on tiptoe
    • Strings beads
    • Talks to self as he/she plays
    • Turns over container to pour out contents
    • Walks alone
    • Walks up and down stairs with support
    • Helps with simple chores
    • Begins to use pronouns such as mine
    • Starts to use you and me
    • Follows directions using 1 on spatial concepts (in/on)
    • Negation used in form of “no” (“No bed”)
    • Possessive emerging (“Daddy car”)
    • Refers to self with pronoun and name (“Me Tommy”)
    • 33% of utterances are nouns
    • Combines 2 words into phrase (approximately 2 years) in noun + verb or noun + adjective format
    • Mean length of response is 1.8 words
    • Beginning sentence construction
    • Often missing inflection
    • Begins to show defiant behavior
    • Begins using single words and 2-word phrases to command (“move”), indicate possession (“mine”), express problems (“owee”)
    • Demonstrates increasing independence
    • Imitates behavior of others, especially adults and older children
    • More aware of self as separate from others
    • More excited about company of other children
    • Much verbal turn-taking
    • Names objects in front of others
    • Says, “What’s that?” to elicit attention
    • Separation anxiety increases toward midyear and then fades
    • Uses single words or short phrases to express intentions
    • Ready for potty training

    • Approximately 60-70% intelligible
    • May omit final consonant blends
    • May substitute one consonant for another
    • Sounds m, n, p, b, t, d, h, and w used in speech
    • Sounds nk, k, and g are emerging
    • Consonants (m, b, p) used at end of words
    • Often shortens words or leaves out middle sounds
    • Speech is 50-75% understandable to friends and family
    • Use of jargon is decreasing
    • Able to whisper
    • Understands approximately 500 words
    • Listens to 5-10-minute story
    • Carries out series of2 related commands
    • Identifies action in pictures
    • Understands concept of “one”and “all”
    • Uses 200 intelligible words
    • Names 6 objects by use
    • Repeats 2 numbers correctly
    • Answers “where”questions
    • Answers “what. . .doing” questions
    • Answers ”What do you hear with?”
    • Plays next to other children
    • Arranges doll furniture into meaningful groups and uses doll figures to act out simple themes from own experience
    • Aligns 3 or more cubes to make train
    • Builds tower of 6-7 blocks
    • Imitates drawing of vertical line
    • Uses sequenced actions in play, such as preparing food for doll, feeding it, wiping its mouth

    • Articles a and the appear in sentences
    • Uses present progressive -ing on verbs
    • Regular plural forms emerging (cat-cats)
    • Uses in and on correctly
    • Irregular past tense emerging
    • Uses some contractions in memorized form (don’t, can’t, it’s, that’s)
    • Appropriately uses at least 2 pronouns
    • Asks basic questions (“Daddy gone?”)
    • Understands concept of frrst- and second-person pronouns (I, you)
    • 25% of utterances are nouns, and 25% are verbs
    • Combines 2-3 words in subject + verb + object format
    • Mean length of response is 2.8 words
    • Oriented to self
    • Learning to clean up/put away
    • Imitates others
    • Takes turns in simple games
    • Emotions are unstable
    • Impatient
    • Relies on routine
    • Acts silly to gain attention
    • Acts out in frustration when unable to express emotions

    Side B »