Developmental Norms | Communicare

MilUsually by Are your child’s communication skills developing along expected lines?

The course of children’s development is mapped using a chart of developmental milestones. These milestones are behaviours that emerge over time, forming the building blocks for growth and continued learning. Some of the categories within which these behaviours are seen include:

Cognition (thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding)
Motor coordination (gross/fine motor, jumping, hopping, throwing/catching, drawing, stacking)
Social interaction (initiating peer contact, group play)
Adaptive (dressing, eating, washing)

As speech and language pathologists we focus on the overall development of the child with a special interest in the development of their communication skills (ie. Speech & Language Development).

INFANT DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Communication – What might my baby do?

Although communication is often considered to mean words and sentences, it also includes any and all ways that a baby lets us know what they need and how they are feeling. That can be done with facial expression, body language, crying, eye contact or sounds.

The following are guidelines, taken from a number of sources. They will help you know what to expect with your baby’s communication development, and when to consider a referral to a speech and language pathologist. It does not include everything and it is important to remember that there is variation in children’s communication development.

Milestones for your infant at 0-3 months:

Cries, smiles, coos
Looks at faces
Quiets when picked up or comforted (most of the time)
Listens to voices

Milestones for your infant at 3-6 months:

Smiles and laughs
Cries when upset, and looks for comfort (ie: snuggles into your shoulder)
Shows excitement by waving their arms and legs
Likes to look at and be near people who are special and significant in their lives
Can be comforted (most of the time)

Milestones for your infant at 6-9 months:

Babbles (lots of different, playful sounds) using at least 4 different sounds
Laughs, giggles, gurgles and coos with familiar people
Reacts to loud, angry, and friendly voices
Turns and looks to new sounds
Makes sounds and babbles to get attention
Plays games like Peek-a-boo
May get upset if separated from a familiar person or people
Responds to their own name
Taps images of self in mirror
Loves to watch faces

Milestones for your infant at 9-11 months:

Tries to imitate sounds or facial movements (lip circle, sticking out tongue, etc.)
May say “mama” and/or “dada”
Shouts or vocalises loudly to get attention
Babbling starts to sound like “real speech” – this is called jargon
Plays Peek-a-boo
Repeats a syllable or sequence of sounds often
Recognises words as symbols for objects: Car – points to garage/road, cat – meows
Uses smiling and crying to indicate how they are feeling
Shows affection for special and significant people in their life
Trusts that their needs will be met (i.e. crying will result in getting fed etc.)

Red Flags

If your baby shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or make a referral to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Poor eye contact
Few or limited facial expressions
Little or no sharing or interest in playful interactions with a parent
Doesn’t respond to their name
Doesn’t use gestures (pointing, waving, hi or bye, etc.)
Unusual voice quality or rhythm to their vocalisations
Doesn’t turn to sounds
Rarely comforted by their parent’s voice or touch
Says few sounds
Doesn’t have a large variety of sounds
Doesn’t copy sounds, facial expression or simple actions
Doesn’t let people know they want something using gestures, sounds, pointing or eye contact

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a speech and language pathologist. You can also refer to our clinic at anytime.

TODDLER DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Communication – What might my toddler do?

Understanding language is far more important to your toddler than actually speaking it. Once they really understand, they will communicate with you. Your toddler’s first words are almost always labels (ie: names for people, animals) or other things that are important to them.

As a toddler, your child will have a language explosion – they will understand more than they say, but they will imitate everything they hear, learn new words every day, start putting words together into short sentences and want to talk to you all the time!

The following are guidelines, taken from a number of sources. They will help you know what to expect and encourage next with your child’s language development, or when to consider a referral to a speech and language pathologist. It does not include everything and it is important to remember that there is variation in children’s language development. If you have any questions or concerns however, do not hesitate to call a speech and language pathologist.

Milestones for your toddler at 12-18 months:

Speech: 25% of what a child says at age one should be understood by people other than family members
Recognises his or her name
Understands “no”
Understands simple instructions e.g. give it to me, pick it up
Points and gestures to call attention to an event or to show what they want
Imitates (copies) familiar words and actions
Waves good-bye and plays hand-gesture games/songs e.g. Pat-a-Cake
Uses “mama” and “dada” and several other words, usually names of objects or people
Attempts to communicate by mixing jargon with real words (e.g. babbling that sounds like real words)
Vocalises for enjoyment
Points to show you something
Points to a few body parts when asked, ie: “Where’s your mouth?”
Imitates animal sounds
Begins to show sense of humour
Plays best on their own; doesn’t want to share toys with others, shouting “mine, mine!”

Red Flags:

If your 12-18 month old toddler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Does not respond consistently to their being called by name
Does not respond to familiar sounds (phone ringing)
Does not look at or point to objects and pictures when named
Does not show or give objects spontaneously
Does not start a turn taking game (i.e. lifts up their blanket for peek-a-boo)
Does not direct others’ attention to something by pointing or making eye contact
Does not use consonant + vowel combinations that others recognise as words, even if they are mispronounced
Has fewer than 10 words

Milestones for your toddler at 18-24 (1½ – 2 years):

Speech: Children at this age use a limited number of sounds in their words – often these are p, b, t, d, m and w. Children will also often miss the ends off words at this stage. They can usually be understood about 50% of the time by age two by people other than family members. The focus at this stage is on how many words they say, not necessarily how clearly they say them
Uses 50-200 words by 2 years
By two using more words than gestures
Babble short strings which sounds almost like real words and sentences
Starts to combine two words (e.g. baby sleep, more milk, give me)
Uses words to make needs and wants known, like “more”, “up”, “juice”
Imitates sounds and words more clearly
Non-family members can understand 50% of the child’s speech by 2 years of age
Points to objects and/or uses gestures to show or direct attention to something
Points to own toes, eyes and nose
Brings an object from another room when asked (follows 1-part directions)
Sings simple songs
Mixes real words and jargon
Practices words over and over on their own (e.g. while playing in their bed etc.)

Red Flags:

If your 18-24 month (1½ – 2 year) old toddler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Does not understand verbal instructions without needing gestures
Does not copy (imitate) words frequently
Does not sit for five minutes of book reading
Does not add gestures if their words are not understood by others
Does not say at least 20 – 50 words
Does not say a few 2 – word or 3 – word combinations

Milestones for your toddler at 24-30 months (2 – 2 ½ years):

Speech: 50% of what a child says at age two should be understood by people other than family members
Speech sounds: Early sounds that develop include p, b, t, d, m, n, w. It is common to hear many errors in how a child says a word at this age e.g. cat>tat, spider > bider, rabbit>wabbit, sun>dun
Understands simple questions and commands
Identifies many body parts
Carries on “conversation” with self and dolls
Asks “what’s this?”, “what’s that?”, and “where’s my…”
Sentence length of 2–3 words ( ie: “more juice” or “want cookie”)
Names pictures and actions
Refers to self by name
Uses 2 – word negative phrases such as “no want”, “not go” or “no right”
Forms some plurals by adding “s” (e.g. books)
Asks for a drink or snack
Has about 200 spoken words in their vocabulary

Red Flags:

If your 24-30 month (2-2 ½ year) old toddler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Does not follow verbal instructions without needing gestures
Does not add gestures to help get their meaning across when they have not been understood
Does not understand more complex sentences (When….then)
Frequently “echoes” words
Does not use at least 100 words
Is not saying some 2 and 3- word combinations
Language development seems “stuck”

Milestones for your toddler at 30-36 months (2 ½ – 3 years):

Speech: 75% of what a child says at age three should be understood by people other than family members
Speech sounds: By age three, 90% of children will be able to make the following sounds; m, n, ng, p, b, t, d, k, g, w, h, s, z, f, v, j, l. They may still have difficulty saying these sounds ch, dg (e.g. giraffe), zh (e.g. measure), sh, r, th. It is common to hear many errors in how a child says a word at this age e.g. cat>tat, banana>nana, rabbit>wabbit, sun>dun
Uses about 450 words
Non-family members can understand 75% of the child’s speech by 2 years of age
Uses 2-4 word sentences
Can give first name when asked
Uses past tense (e.g. “ed” endings) and plurals (e.g. “s” endings) (not always correctly)
Combines names of things with action words ie: baby sleep
Understand describing words (e.g. Open/close, Wet/dry, Big/little, Same/different)
Understand place words ( e.g. In/out, On/off, Up/down, Under/over, Top/bottom)
Understand quantity words (e.g. More/gone, One/lots, Empty/full)
Understand the function of an object (e.g. “What do we do with a cup?”)
Have a large noun and verb vocabulary where they can point to a range of pictures
Understands simple time concepts such as “last night” and “tomorrow”
Refers to self as “me” or “I” instead of by name
Uses their words to get adult attention i.e. “Watch me!”
Likes to hear the same story over and over again
Uses “no” or “not” in their speech
Talks to other children as well as adults
Answers simple “What’s this?”, “What is the baby doing?” and “Where is it?” questions
Answer “yes” and “no” questions
Understand gender (e.g. “Is this a boy or a girl?”)
Uses short sentences to tell what he/she has just done or wants to do ie: “me do it” or “me want to jump”
Uses “-ing” at the end of action words where appropriate (e.g. running)
Uses little words like “the”, “a”
People other than family members can understand 75% of the child’s speech by 3 years of age
Matches 3-4 colours
Knows the words “big” and “little”
Holds up fingers to tell age

Red Flags:

If your 30-36 month (2-2 ½ year) old toddler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Vocabulary does not seem to be growing
Not interested in talking with or playing with adults or other children
Don’t show any pretend play skills (e.g. feeding a doll)
Not putting words into 2-3 word sentences
Not matching colors or pictures
Cannot give their name when asked
Does not understand the concept of big / little
Does not use “no” to reject something or protest
Not using words to get an adult’s attention

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a speech and language pathologist. You can also refer to our clinic at anytime.

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Communication – What might my preschooler do?

This is a time when vocabulary is continually growing and the meaning and sentence structure of their language is becoming more complex. This change in language represents the development of cognitive (thinking) abilities. Preschoolers depend on language to make their wants and needs known, solve problems, ask questions and play with others.

The following are guidelines taken from a number of sources. They will help you know what to expect and encourage next with your child’s language development, or when to consider a referral to a speech and language pathologist. It does not include everything and it is important to remember that there is variation in children’s language development.

Milestones for your preschooler at 3-4 years old:

Speech: 75% of what a child says at age three & 100% of what a child says at age four should be understood by people other than family members
Speech sounds: By age four, 90% of children will be able to make the following sounds; m, n, ng, p, b, t, d, k, g, w, h, s, z, f, v, j, l, ch. They may still have difficulty saying these sounds; dg (e.g. giraffe), zh (e.g. measure), sh, r, th. It is common to hear some errors in how a child says a word at this age e.g. omitting one sound from a cluster of sounds (string>sting), replacing ‘r’ or ‘l’ with a ‘w’ or ‘y’ (e.g. red>wed, yellow>yeyow)
Enjoys books, simple songs, nursery rhymes, silly words, and stories
Has a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words
Most of what they say can be understood
Puts words together to form 3-5 word sentences
Asks and answers “who”, “what”, and “where” questions
Asks LOTS of questions
Likes to talk and have conversations with people
Can tell a story
Uses grammar appropriately most of the time
Uses pronouns “I”, “you” and “me”
Knows their name, gender, street name, and a number of nursery rhymes
Knows some prepositions (position words) such as in, on, and under
Understands negatives e.g. Show me the girl who is not sleeping
Often makes mistakes with negatives and use “double negatives” ie: “I don’t not want to go”
Follows a 3 part command e.g. put the block under the chair (where there are different choices for the objects block & chair)
Understands “yesterday,” “summer”, “lunchtime”, “tonight”, “little-big”
Begins to recognise some letters and words (e.g. recognises “stop” sign, the “M” for McDonalds, etc.)
Sorts (match) objects by: function (find something you play with, wear, etc); size (big, little) or familiar colours.
Identifies 2-3 colours. Can point to 2-3 different colours when a selection of different coloured balls are placed in front of them
Names at least one colour
Is developing number concepts – can give you 1, more, or all of something
Counts objects, even if they don’t have all the numbers correct.

Red Flags:

If your 3-4 year old preschooler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Little interest in talking to adults or children
Sentences are not growing in length or complexity
Poor sorting or matching skills
Difficulty answering questions: what, what-doing, where
Not asking who, what, or where questions
Not easily understood by family members or familiar people in their life

Milestones to watch for with your preschooler at 4-5 years old:

Speech: 100% of what a child says at age four should be understood by people other than family members
Speech sounds: By age four, 90% of children will be able to make the following sounds; m, n, ng, p, b, t, d, k, g, w, h, s, z, f, v, j, l, ch. They should be developing saying dg (e.g. giraffe), zh (e.g. measure) and may still have difficulty saying sh, r, th’. There should be few errors in how a child says a word at this age but they may still replace ‘r’ or ‘l’ with a ‘w’ or ‘y’ (e.g. red>wed, yellow>yeyow)
Continues to learn lots of new words very quicklyUses vocabulary of 1500-2000 words but can understand many more than that
Uses sentences of 5-8 words
Uses joining words such as “if”, “so”, “but”
Talks a lot and about everything they are doing or thinking
Tells long stories about own personal experiences
Beginning to understand comparatives (e.g. “this one is big, and this one is bigger”)
Understand place words (e.g. “between”, “above/below”, “middle”, “first/next/last”)
Understand difference between day and night
Asks “who” and “why” questions & is interested in explanations for their “how” and “why” questions
Beginning to understand “when” questions
Uses past, present and future tense, mostly, but not always, correctly
Interested in written words, letters and numbers
Matches and sorts objects in a large variety of ways
Understands prepositions (e.g. beside, behind, in front)
Repeats days of the week in sequence
Identify the odd one out from a group of three items
Tells a long story in sequence, but may not stick to the same idea throughout the story

Red Flags:

If your 4-5 year old preschooler shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Not easily understood by others
Difficulty putting sentences together
Lots of grammatical difficulties in their sentences
Difficulties with concepts such as prepositions (position words such as behind, beside, etc.) colours, size and categories.
Doesn’t ask questions
Doesn’t follow verbal directions

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a speech and language pathologist. You can also refer to our clinic at anytime.

SCHOOL AGE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Communication – What might my school aged child do?

This is a time when vocabulary is growing further and the complexity of their sentence structures and story telling is becoming more complex. This change in language represents the development of cognitive (thinking) abilities. School aged children rely on their oral language skills to access the school curriculum. There is a strong correlation between poor oral language skills and difficulties developing literacy skills.

Milestones to watch for with your school-aged child 5-6 years old:

Speech: 100% of what a child says should be understood by people other than family members
Speech sounds: By age six, 90% of children will be able to make the following sounds; m, n, ng, p, b, t, d, k, g, w, h, s, z, f, v, j, l, ch, dg (e.g. giraffe), zh (e.g. measure), sh. They should be developing saying ‘r’ and may still have difficulty saying ‘th’.
Has a sentence length of 5-6 words
Has a vocabulary of around 2000 words
Using all pronouns correctly (“he/she”, “his/her”, “himself/herself”, “me”, “mine”, “I” etc)
Names days of the week in order
Tells a long story maintaining theme and sequence
Grammar is mostly correct
By 6yrs of age able to identify and label a number of alphabet letters
Can Identify similarities and differences in objects
Defines objects by their use (you eat with a fork) and can tell what objects are made of
Knows spatial relations like “on top”, “behind”, “far” and “near”
Knows own address
Knows common opposites like “big/little”
Understands “same” and “different”
Counts ten objects
Asks questions for information
Distinguishes left and right hand
Uses all types of sentences, for example “let’s go to the store after we eat”
Understand time concepts such as “morning/afternoon”, “yesterday/tomorrow”, “before/after”, “now/later”
Understands and responds to “when” questions
By 6 years of age knows “right” from “left”

Red Flags:

If your 5-6 year old child shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Not easily understood by others
Has trouble finding the right words (words may seem to be on the ‘tip of their tongue’ and they use non descript language e.g. um, thingy)
Difficulty putting sentences together
Unable to produce a clear story that is easy to follow
Lots of grammatical difficulties in their sentences
Has difficulty formulating questions, or initiating conversation with others
Difficulties with concepts such as prepositions (position words such as behind, beside, etc.) colours, size and categories.
Doesn’t ask questions
Doesn’t follow verbal directions
Relies on watching peers to follow instructions
Has difficulty socialising with peers
Difficulty expressing thoughts or ideas clearly and succinctly
Very brief or incomplete written work

Milestones to watch for with your school-aged 8 year old child:

Usually by 8 years old, children will be able to:

Use language to predict and draw conclusions
Use long and complex sentences
Understand other points of view and show that they agree or disagree
Understand comparative words e.g. ‘it was earlier than yesterday’
Keep a conversation going by giving reasons and explaining choices
Start conversations with adults and children they don’t know
Understand and use passive sentences e.g. “the thief is chased by the policeman”

Red Flags:

If your 8 year old child shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

They may struggle to join in group conversations. This is because there is too much language
They may find it hard to make up stories. This will show in their written work as well as talking
Their stories may be muddled, making them difficult to follow
They may find it hard to learn and understand the meanings of words
They may struggle to understand language about things in the past or future
They may find it hard to make predictions
They may find it difficult to understand language where the meaning isn’t clearly stated
They may be struggling to learn at school. They could find it hard to understand what it is they are supposed to be doing, even though they have been told

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a speech and language pathologist. You can also refer to our clinic at anytime.

HIGH SCHOOL-AGED DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Communication – What might my high school-aged child do?

Language is an integral part of being able to learn. So much of what students are taught is delivered through oral and written means. Students with weaknesses in their language skills typically have weaknesses in their learning.

Older students who had language difficulties when they were younger may again have difficulties in the later school years as the complexity of language used increases. Other students may have language difficulties that only become apparent as the language demands increase.

Red Flags:

If your high school-aged child shows two or more of the following, contact the clinic or refer to a speech and language pathologist to ensure your child is not having difficulties with developing communication skills:

Poor comprehension of what they hear or read
May be able to answer simple comprehension questions but have difficulty inferring details or ‘read between the lines’
Difficulty expressing thoughts or ideas clearly and succinctly
Reduced vocabulary
Needs repetition to learn new concepts (particularly in maths and science)
Difficulties interpreting exam questions or assignments
Poor written language skills – writing essays and answering
Social difficulties – keeping up with peers conversations especially in large groups, interpreting humour (jokes, sarcasm)
Reluctant to write
Tries hard but has difficulties thinking of content, researching, planning and executing a task
Difficulties with spelling
Have difficulty giving specific answers or explanations
Have difficulty sequencing their ideas in the right order
Are better at understanding individual instructions than group instructions
Find it difficult to understand language where the meaning isn’t clearly stated
Find long and complicated instructions hard to understand
Have trouble learning new words
Take a long time to organise what they are going to say or write
Take things too literally. For example “I’ll be back in a minute”
Have difficulty taking turns in conversations
Talk to teachers and friends in the same way

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a speech and language pathologist. You can also refer to our clinic at anytime.