developmental norms

1. Linguistic Stages of Development

Birth to 3 Months

• Receptive: "Startle & Smile"

  • Mnemonic: Babies startle at sounds and smile when hearing familiar voices.

  • Milestone: Startling and responding to voices.

• Expressive: "Cry & Coo"

  • Mnemonic: They make different cries for needs and start cooing.

  • Milestone: Cries for different needs; begins cooing sounds.

4 to 6 Months

• Receptive: "Turn & Tune"

  • Mnemonic: Babies turn toward voices and tune in to tone changes.

  • Milestone: Turns eyes/head toward sounds, notices tone changes.

• Expressive: "Babble Begins"

  • Mnemonic: Babbling starts with sounds like “b,” “p,” and “m.”

  • Milestone: Starts to babble with basic sounds.

7 Months to 1 Year

• Receptive: "Point & Play"

  • Mnemonic: Understands pointing to things and loves peek-a-boo play.

  • Milestone: Responds to names and familiar words, follows simple requests.

• Expressive: "Words & Waving"

  • Mnemonic: Starts saying first words like “mama” and waves for gestures.

  • Milestone: Says first words, uses gestures like waving.

1 to 2 Years

• Receptive: "Picture & Point"

  • Mnemonic: Understands pictures in books and follows pointing to objects.

  • Milestone: Points to objects/pictures when named, follows simple directions.

• Expressive: "Two-Word Talk"

  • Mnemonic: Starts using two-word phrases, like “more juice.”

  • Milestone: Puts two words together, names familiar objects, asks simple questions.

2 to 3 Years

• Receptive: "Meaning Match"

  • Mnemonic: Understands meanings of basic directions like “go-stop.”

  • Milestone: Understands simple contrasts, follows two-step directions.

• Expressive: "Question Quest"

  • Mnemonic: Starts asking questions and uses three-word phrases.

  • Milestone: Uses two- to three-word sentences, asks basic questions.

3 to 4 Years

• Receptive: "Who, What, Where?"

  • Mnemonic: Answers basic “who, what, where” questions.

  • Milestone: Understands questions and follows three-step instructions.

• Expressive: "Sentence Stories"

  • Mnemonic: Begins telling short stories with simple sentences.

  • Milestone: Uses sentences, tells brief stories, understood by unfamiliar listeners.

4 to 5 Years

• Receptive: "Story Sense"

  • Mnemonic: Can answer questions about a story after hearing it.

  • Milestone: Understands most of what is said, answers questions about stories.

• Expressive: "Rhyme & Reason"

  • Mnemonic: Uses rhyming words and complex reasons in sentences.

  • Milestone: Forms complex sentences, rhymes, tells detailed stories.

2. Prelinguistic Stage (0-12 months)

• 0-3 Months:

  • Cooing: Produces vowel-like sounds ("oo", "ah").

  • Reflexive Crying: Uses crying to express needs (e.g., hunger, discomfort).

• 4-6 Months:

  • Babbling: Repetitive consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., "ba-ba," "da-da").

  • Increased Interaction: Responds to caregivers’ vocalizations and smiles.

• 7-12 Months:

  • Variegated Babbling: Mixing different consonants and vowels (e.g., "ba-da-ga").

  • Intentional Communication: Uses gestures like pointing, reaching, and waving.

  • Joint Attention: Engages with others in shared focus on an object or event.

3. Single Word Stage (12-18 months)

• First Words: Begins using first words, often nouns (e.g., "dog").

• Simple Directions: Understands simple commands (e.g., “come here”).

4. Two-Word Stage (18-24 months)

• Word Combinations: Combines two words (e.g., "more juice").

• Vocabulary Expansion: Grows to 50+ words.

5. Early Sentence Stage (2-3 years)

• Telegraphic Speech: Simplified speech using key content words (e.g., "want cookie").

• Simple Sentences: Forms basic sentences (Subject + Verb).

6. Later Sentence Stage (3-5 years)

• Complex Sentences: Combines clauses to form more complex sentences.

• Morphology & Syntax: Full development of grammatical morphemes.

7. Adult-Like Language (5+ years)

• Refined Grammar & Vocabulary: Mastery of complex grammatical structures.

• Pragmatics: Enhanced use of language for social communication.