Age

Use of Language

Red Flags

Precursors to Speech and Language

• Does not make eye contact.

4 to 6 mos.

• Is not babbling.

7 to 12 mos.

• Babbling has both long and short groups of consonant and vowel sounds, such as “tata upup bibibibi.”

• Uses speech or sounds other than crying to get and hold your attention.

• Imitates different speech sounds.

• Recognizes names of objects.

• Responds to simple directions.

• Says first words, such as “mama,” “night-night” and “bye-bye.”

• Does not make eye contact.

Early Language

1 to 2 yrs.

• Says more words each month and understands up to 50 words.

• Asks two-word questions, such as “What that?” or “Where’s dog?”

• Combines two words to make simple sentences, such as “Daddy go” or “More push.”

• Conveys desires (“want”), specific objects (“juice”) and emotions (“no!”).

• Uses many consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

• Identifies body parts.

• Follows one- to two-step commands, such as “Bring your book” or “Come here and sit.”

• 25 percent of speech is intelligible.

Word Explosion

2 to 3-1/2 yrs.

• Has a word for almost everything, and vocabulary increases from a few dozen words to 300 – 1,000.

• Utterances are usually one to three words long.

• Asks for something by name or draws attention to it by naming it (“book”) or one of its attributes (“big”) or by commenting (“wow!”).

• Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.

• Understands most “who,” “which,”  “what,” “when,” “where” and “why” questions.

• Follows two-step commands, such as “get your pail and put it next to the door.”

• By 2-1/2 years, does not use at least several two-word combinations such as “want milk.”

• At more than age 2-1/2, stutters with many words in many situations.

• By 3 years, does not use simple sentences or cannot understand simple explanations.

Mastering Fluency

3-1/2 to 4 yrs.

• Makes sentences up to four or more words long.

• Speech is usually fluent and clear to non-family members.

• Talks about activities at friends’ houses or preschool.

• Begins to ask questions using pronouns and plurals.

• Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.

• Tells his full name, age and gender.

• Knows primary colors.

• 75 percent intelligible.

• Hearing difficulties become evident at this stage. A child with a history of ear infections should have his hearing evaluated.

• Cannot grasp the concept of past and future.

• Rhymes words.

• Shows pre-reading skills, such as identifying words that all start with the same sound (ball, bat, bacon).

• Recognizes that words can be broken into parts or syllables.

• Can manipulate words, such as “p at = pat,” “m at = mat.”

• Seek an evaluation if a 7-year-old cannot produce all sounds and sound combinations.