Speech and Language Development - birth to 24 months

0-6 Months

• Startles or responds to voice and sound
• Makes quiet/throaty noises
• Turns head toward voice or sound
• Repeats the same sounds
• Often coos, gurgles, and makes pleasure sounds
• Uses different cries for different needs
• Smiles or laughs (3 mos.) when spoken to
• Recognizes, becomes quiet and attends when hearing a friendly or familiar voice
• Uses the phonemes /b/, /p/, and /m/ in babbling
• Imitates sounds
• Listens to new words
• Uses sounds or gestures to indicate wants
• Recognizes, then varies pitch and loudness
  

7-12 Months

• Understands no, hot and begins to understand name (8 mos.)
• Repertoire of sound imitation increases
• Recognizes words for common items (e.g. cup, shoe, juice )
• Responds to bye-bye
• Babbles using long and short groups of sounds
• Uses a song-like intonation pattern when babbling
• Uses a 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
• Says first word (10-12 mos.)
• Production of one or more words (nouns)
• Has an expressive vocabulary of 1 to 6 words
• Understands and follows simple instructions

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
• Has an expressive vocabulary of 3 to 20 or more words (mostly nouns)
• Produces 2-word phrases
• Combines gestures and vocalizations
• Requests more of desired items
• Says 10-20 words (18 mos.)
• Uses telegraphic speech (omits articles and helping verbs)
• Uses simple verbs: Want, go, see
• Knows 1 body part (18 mos.)

19-24 Months

• True words replacing jargon
• Expressive vocabulary increases to 50-100 or more words
• Receptive vocabulary increases to 300 or more words
• Begins combining nouns and verbs
• Begins using 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 3 body parts (20 mos.)
• Knows 5 body parts (24 mos.)
• Accurately names a few familiar objects.
• First phrase, first sentence
• Uses pronoun I, me, or you
• Uses short, learned phrases
• Jargon disappears