Developmental Milestones

Perlocutionary stage (0-9 mo)

reflexive, non-intentional

Illocutionary stage (9-10 mo)

subtle signs of intent

Locutionary stage (12 mo)

emergence of intentional communication

Birth - 3 Months

• Startles to loud sound

• Visually tracks sound

• Smiles reflexively

• Cries

• Ceases activity or coos when person talks

• Vocalizes vowels

4 - 6 Months

• Moves or looks toward family members when they are named

• Vocal play - growling, squealing, raspberries

• Marginal babbling (e.g., baba)

• Responds to name

7 - 9 Months

• Looks at some common objects when objects’ names are spoken

• Comprehends “no”

• Gestures - peekaboo, shaking head

• Variety of sound combinations

• Intonation patterns

• Variegated babbling (e.g., mabamaba)

• Uncovers hidden toy

10 - 12 Months

• Understands up to 10 words and simple directions

• Uses first true word

• Object permanence

• Gestures or vocalizes to indicate wants and needs

At what age should a child be using their first true word?

10 - 12 months

At what age does a child develop object permanence?

10 - 12 months

1 - 2 Years

• Holophrastic single-word phase - one word represents a complex idea

• 50 words by 18 mo

• Two-word combinations: 18-24 mo

• 3-4 word utterances: 2 years

• 200-300 words used expressively: 24 mo

• Understands ~200 words: 18 mo

• Follows one-step commands (w/ gestures)

• Follows directions 1-2 spatial concepts (in, on)

• Points to 1-5 body parts; points to recognized objects

• Listens to simple stories

• Asks for “more” 

• Verbalizes immediate experiences

• Begins to use some verbs and adjectives

• Presuppositions - uses expressions that have shared meaning for the listener and speaker

• Understands some rules of dialogue

By what age should a child be using 50 words?

18 months

By what age should a child be using two-word combinations?

18 - 24 months

By what age should children be using 3-4 word utterances?

2 years

By what age should children be using 200-300 words expressively?

24 months

By what age should children be able to understand ~200 words?

18 months

2 - 3 Years

• MLU: 2.0-4.0

• Expressive vocabulary: 200-600 words

• Receptive vocabulary: 3600 words

• Morphology:

  • Inflections (e.g., -ing)

  • In and on

  • Plurals

  • Possessives

  • Articles

  • Pronouns

  • Simple, irregular past tense

  • Regular past tense

• Telegraphic speech - object-verb word order

• Asks wh- questions and yes-no questions

• Expresses negation (e.g., Me not do it)

• Answers simple wh- questions

• Carries out one- and two-part command

• Understands plurals

A 2-3 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

2.0 - 4.0

A 2-3 year old child is expected to have an expressive vocabulary of ______ words.

200-600

When should a child be able to follow one-step commands?

1-2 years

When should a child be able to follow one- and two-step commands?

2-3 years

When should a child begin using regular and irregular past tense?

2-3 years

3 - 4 Years

• MLU: 3.0-5.0

• Uses 900-1,000 words

• Comprehends ~5,000 words

• Complex verb phrases

• Modal verbs (e.g., could, should, would)

• Do insertions

• Negations

• Asks how, why, when questions

• Uses pronouns you, they, us, them, I, me

• Morphology:

  • Irregular plural forms

  • Third person singular present tense

  • Simple past, present progressive, negatives

  • Simple plural forms

  • Contracted modal forms

  • Possessive markers

A 3-4 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

3.0 - 5.0

A 3-4 year old child is expected to have an expressive vocabulary of ______ words.

900 - 1000

When should a child begin using modal verbs (e.g., could, should, would)?

3 - 4 years

When should a child begin using irregular plural forms?

3 - 4 years

4 - 5 Years

• MLU: 4.5-7.0

• Uses 1,500-2,000 words

• Understands 5,600 words

• Can name items in a category

• Morphology:

  • Uses comparatives (e.g., bigger, nicer, taller)

  • Uses could, would 

  • Irregular plurals

• Indirect speech acts

A 4-5 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

4.5 - 7.0

A 4-5 year old child is expected to have an expressive vocabulary of ______ words.

1500 - 2000

When should a child be able to name items in a category?

4 - 5 years

When should a child begin using comparatives?

4 - 5 years

When should a child begin using indirect speech acts?

4 - 5 years

5 - 6 Years

• MLU: 6.0-8.0

• Comprehends 13,000-15,000 words

• Indefinite pronouns

• Irregular plurals

• Possessives

• Negatives

• Pronouns

• Self-corrects

A 5-6 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

6.0 - 8.0

When should a child begin using indefinite pronouns?

5 - 6 years

6 - 7 Years

• MLU: 7.3

• Comprehends 20,000-26,000 words

• Reflexive pronouns

• Passive voice

• Most morphological markers

A 6-7 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

7.3

When should a child begin using reflexive pronouns?

6 - 7 years

7 - 8 Years

• MLU: 7.0-9.0

• Most irregular verb forms

• Superlatives

• Adverbs

• Use predominantly complex and compound sentences

A 7-8 year old child is expected to have a MLU of ____.

7.0 - 9.0

When should a child use superlatives?

7-8 years

When should a child use predominantly complex and compound sentences?

7 - 8 years

What are Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development?

Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operations

What age range does the Sensorimotor stage take place?

0 - 2 years

Sensorimotor stage

Coordination of senses with motor response, sensory curiosity about the world. Language used for demands and cataloguing. Object permanence developed.

What age does the Preoperational stage take place?

2 - 7 years

Preoperational stage

Symbolic thinking, use of proper syntax and grammar express full concepts. Imagination and intuition are strong, but complex abstract thought is still difficult. Conversation developed.

What age does the Concrete Operational stage take place?

7 - 11 years

Concrete Operational stage

Concepts attached to concrete situations. Time, space, and quantity are understood and can be applied, but not as independent concepts.

What age does the Formal Operations stage take place?

11+ years

Formal Operations stage

Theoretical, hypothetical, and counterfactual thinking. Abstract logic and reasoning. Strategy and planning become possible. Concepts learned in one context can be applied to another.