Every child develops at a different pace. Please use this information as an approximate guideline only and consult with your doctor or a Speech Pathologist if you have a concern.
Interaction – Social & Play skills
First 12 months:
- Interested in people & people game (e.g. peek-a-boo, tickles)
- Pull and bang toys
- Protest when desired objects are removed
- Show delight when you reply to them
- Respond to their name
12-24 months:
- Ask for help (verbal and non-verbal)
- Request for desired objects by pointing, vocalisations or single words
- Enjoy putting small objects into and taking out of containers
- Emerging pretend play (e.g. drink from a toy cup)
24-36 months:
- Parallel play
- Play meaningfully with toys (e.g. doll house, tea set) acting out daily experiences
- Engage in sequences of play
- Watch other children at play with interest and occasionally join in briefly
36-48 months
- Pretend play including invented people and dress-up
- Like to help adults with domestic activities (e.g. shopping, gardening)
- Understand taking turns as well as sharing
- Listen eagerly to stories and demand favourites over and over
48-60 months
- Show sense of humour
- Enjoy singing rhymes and jingles
- Enjoy listening to stories and act them out in detail
- Understand need for rules and fair play
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The child’s ways (How’s) of communicating
First 12 months
- Cry, smile, use facial expression, look, turn their head, make sounds, reach, shake or nod, point, gesture and vocalise (babbling)
12-24 months:
- Imitate what adults say
- Combine gestures and vocalisation
- Use sounds that stand for words
- Occasionally or frequently use single words
- Echolalia may present
24-36 months:
- Combine 2 or more words at a time
- Use sentences (initially nouns and verbs)
- Begin to use pronouns (e.g. I, you, me)
- Use negation words (e.g. no, don’t)
- Begin asking questions beginning “What?”, “Where?” and “Who?”
36-48 months
- Use 3 - 4 or more words in phrases/sentences
- Begin asking questions beginning “Why?”, “When?” and “How?”
- Exhibit multiple grammatical errors
- Listen and tell long stories
48-60 months
- Speak fluently except some phonetic confusions
- Define concrete nouns by use
- Constantly ask meaning of abstract words
The child’s reasons (Why’s) of communicating
First 12 months
- Protest, request actions & objects, get attention, express feelings & interest
12-24 months
- Show something they are interested in
- Imitate adult
- Greet or say good-bye
- Follow directions
24 months onwards
- Label or describe objects and people
- Answer questions
- Tell someone about what
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Understanding
First 12 months
- Recognise gestures and a few common words (e.g. up, bye)
- Anticipate steps in daily routines
12-24 months
- Follow simple directions (e.g. “Give it to me.”, “Throw the ball.”)
- Point to some body parts
- Understand “No” & “What” questions
- Identify familiar objects and hand to adults when requested
24-36 months
- Follow 2 part directions (e.g. “Get the book and put it on the table”.)
- Understand “Where”, “Who” and “Whose” questions
- Understand some prepositions (e.g. “in”, “on”, “under”)
36-48 months
- Understand “Why” and “How” questions
- Understand use of objects (e.g. “What do you use to drink water?”)
- Understand descriptive concepts (e.g. big, wet)
48-60 months
- Understand “When” questions
- Understand long and complex sentences
- Understand conjunction, e.g. “so”, “because” and “if”
References:
Paul, R. (2001). Language Disorders from Infancy through Adolescence: Assessment and Intervention (2nd Ed.). St Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc.
Sheridan, M. D. (1997). From Birth to Five Years: Children’s Developmental Progress. London: Routledge Ltd. |
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