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speech and language milestones, ages 1 to 3 years

overview

speech and language development milestones relate to two areas:

  • receptive language. this is the ability to understand words and sounds.
  • expressive language. this is the ability to use speech and gestures to communicate meaning.

most 1-year-olds start to understand the meanings of words. their receptive language grows from understanding names of people and objects to being able to follow simple requests sometime between ages 1 and 2. expressive language advances from primarily using gestures and babbling at age 1, to using words, simple phrases, and some early sentence structures between ages 2 and 3.

speech and language milestones

age

receptive language

expressive language

1-year-olds (12 months to 24 months):

  • learn that words have meaning.
  • usually recognize the names of family members and familiar objects.
  • understand simple statements such as "all gone" and "give me."
  • between 1 and 2 years, understand simple requests such as "give daddy the ball."
  • by 18 months, know the names of people, body parts, and objects.
  • use gestures, such as pointing.
  • babble less than babies do.
  • often make one- or two-syllable sounds that stand for items they want, such as "baba" for "bottle." they point to things they want.
  • between 12 months and 18 months of age, may use their own language, sometimes called jargon. it's is a mix of made-up words and understandable words.
  • between 1 and 2 years, usually can say between 20 and 50 words that are intelligible to family members.

2-year-olds (24 months to 36 months):

  • know the name of at least seven body parts.
  • increase their understanding of object names.
  • follow simple requests (such as "put the book on the table").
  • when asked, point to a picture of something named (such as "where is the cow?" or "show me the airplane.")
  • continue to learn and use gestures.
  • sometimes talk a lot, although some are quiet.
  • if quiet, develop a communication system using gestures and facial expressions.
  • usually can name some body parts (such as arms and legs), favourite toys, and familiar objects (such as cats and dogs).
  • use pronouns like "me" and "you," but they often get them mixed up.
  • can make phrases, such as "no bottle" or "want cookie."
  • by age 3, usually can say between 150 to 200 words. strangers can understand them about 75% of the time.

credits

current as of: october 24, 2023

author: healthwise staff
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