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 milestonesage | receptive language | expressive language |
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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.
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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.
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credits
current as of: october 24, 2023
author: healthwise staff
clinical review board
all healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
current as of: october 24, 2023
author: healthwise staff
clinical review board
all healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
