Love and
Reilly 1998

(Acknowledgments to Speech Pathology Department Gippsland Southern Health Service)

9 -12
months

Babbling 'dada 'gee gee'
Copies sounds like 'brmm' for car
Waves or claps when asked

Expresses wants by gesture,
actions, facial expression
Points to objects when named
Begins to use singly words
- naming words - 'mummy', 'car'
- actions - 'go', 'gone'
- number words - 'more'
- negatives - 'no', 'none'
Words used with many meanings - 'drink', thing, action, place

12-18
months

18-24
months

Two word combinations - 'daddy go', 'drive car' 'that car'
Vocabulary 25-30 words
Understands simple questions and instructions

2-3
years

Uses 3-5 word sentences -
Refers to self by name
Announces what he has done - 'me fall down'
Uses some grammatical endings - 'riding bike'
Carries on conversation with self and dolls
Understands simple questions and commands
Asks 'what's this?' 'where's my ….?'
Listens to stories with pictures
Stays with one activity 6-7 minutes
Uses pronouns "I' 'you' 'me' 'my' 'it'

3-4
years

Meaning of most sentences clear
Vocabulary of nearly 1000 words
More grammatical endings - 'is', irregular past tense - 'ran'  's possessive 'boy's balloon'
'a' 'he' 'the' 'she'
Asks a lot of questions
Can tell a story or relay an idea to someone
Can match colours
Knows night and day, understands yesterday/summer/lunchtime
Practises language by talking to self
Can sing songs
Enjoys rhythm games and can clap out the beats of words
Acts out familiar roles and routines in play