Additional Information

0-6 Months

• Repeats same sounds
• Frequently coos, gurgles and makes pleasure sounds
• Uses different cry to express different needs
• Smiles when spoken to
• Recognizes voices
• Localizes sound by turning head
• Listens to speech
• Uses phonemes /b/,/p/, and /m/ in babbling
• Uses sounds or gestures to indicate wants

7-12 Months

• Understands no and hot
• Responds to simple requests
• Understands and responds to own name
• Listens to and imitates some sounds
• Recognizes words for common items
• Babbles using long and short groups of sounds
• Uses song-like intonation pattern when babbling
• Uses large variety of sounds in babbling
• Imitates some adult speech sounds and intonation patterns
• Uses speech sounds rather than only crying to get attention
• Listens when spoken to
• Uses sound approximations
• Begins to change babbling to jargon
• Uses speech intentionally for the first time
• Uses nouns almost exclusively
• Has expressive vocabulary of 1 to 3 words
• Understands simple commands

13-18 Months

• Uses adult-like intonation patterns
• Uses echolalia and jargon
• Uses jargon to fill gaps in fluency
• Omits some initial consonants and almost all final consonants
• Produces mostly unintelligible speech
• Follows simple commands
• Receptively identifies 1 to 3 body parts
• Has expressive vocabulary of 3 to 20 or more words
• Combines gestures and vocalization
• Makes requests for more of desired items

19-24 Months

• Uses words more frequently than jargon
• Has expressive vocabulary of 50-100 words
• Has receptive vocabulary of 300 words
• Starts to combine nouns and verbs
• Begins to use pronouns
• Maintains unstable voice control
• Uses appropriate intonation for questions
• Is approximately 25-50% intelligible to strangers
• Answers "What's that?" questions
• Enjoys listening to stories
• Knows 5 body parts
• Accurately names a few familiar objects

2-3 Years

• Speech is 50-75% intelligible
• Understands "one" and "all"
• Verbalizes toilet needs
• Requests items by name
• Points to picture in book when named
• Identifies several body parts
• Follows simple commands and answers simple questions
• Enjoys listening to short stories, songs and rhymes
• Asks 1-2 word questions
• Uses 3-4 word phrases
• Uses some prepositions, articles, present progressive verbs, regular  plurals, contractions, and irregular past tense forms
• Uses words that are general in context
• Continues use of echolalia when difficulties in speech are encountered
• Has receptive vocabulary of 500-900 words
• Has expressive vocabulary of 50-250 words
• Exhibits multiple grammatical errors
• Understands most things said to him or her
• Frequently exhibits repetitions 
• Speaks with loud voice
• Increases range of pitch
• Uses vowels correctly
• Consistently uses initial consonants
• Frequently omits medial consonants
• Frequently omits or substitutes final consonants
• Uses approximately 27 phonemes
• Uses auxiliary "is" including contracted form
• Uses some regular past tense verbs, possessive morphemes, pronoun and imperatives

3-4 Years

• Understands object functions
• Understands difference in meanings
• Follows 2 and 3 step commands
• Asks and answers simple questions
• Frequently asks questions
• Produces simple verbal analogies
• Uses language to express emotion
• Uses 4 to 5 words in sentences
• Repeats 6-13  syllable sentences accurately
• Identifies objects by name
• Manipulates adults and peers
• Continues to use echolalia
• Uses up to  6 words in sentences
• Uses nouns and verbs
• Is conscious of past and future
• May repeat self often
• Increases speech rate
• Whispers
• Masters 50% consonants and blends
• Speech is 80% intelligible
• Sentence grammar improves
• Tells two events in chronological order
• Engages in long conversations
• Uses contractions

4-5 Year Olds

• Counts to 5
• Understands concept of numbers up to 3
• Continues understanding spatial concepts
• Recognizes 1-3 colors
• Has extensivereceptive vocabulary
• Counts to 10 by rote
• Listens to short simple stories
• Answers questions about functions
• Uses grammatically correct sentences
• Has extensive expressive vocabulary
• Uses sentences of 4-8 words
• Answers complex 2 part questions
• Asks for word definitions
• Speaks at rate of approximately 185 words per minute
• Reduces total number of repetitions
• Enjoys rhymes, rhythms, and nonsense syllables
• Significantly reduces number of persistent sound omissions and substitutions
• Frequently omits medial consonants
• Speech is usually intelligible to strangers
• Talks about experiences at school, at friends' homes, etc.
• Accurately relays long story

5-6 Years Old

• Names 6 basic colors and 3 basic shapes
• Follows instructions given to group
• Follows 3 part commands
• Answers verbally to "hi" and "how are you"
• Uses past tense and future tense appropriately
• Uses conjunctions
• Has receptive vocabulary 
• Names opposites
• Sequentially names days of week
• Counts to 30 by rote
• Continues to drastically increase vocabulary
• Reverses sounds occasionally
• Exchanges information and asks questions
• Uses sentences with details
• Accurately relays a story
• Sings entire song and recites nursery rhymes
• Communicates easily with adults and other children
• Uses appropriate grammar in most cases

6-7 Years Old

• Names some letters, numbers and currencies
• Sequence numbers
• Understands left and right
• Uses increasingly more complex descriptions
• Engages in conversations
• Has receptive vocabulary of approximately 20,000 words
• Uses sentence length of approximately 6 words
• Understands most concepts of time
• Recites alphabet
• Counts to 100 by rote
• Uses most morphologic markers appropriately
• Uses passive voice appropriately