I have a special interest in promoting language development in very young children, including adopted children who are integrating into the Irish culture. I have specific training in the area of language development (Hanen– It Takes Two To Talk). This programme provides parents with strategies to develop their child’s language through play and interaction.
Many parents wonder if there child’s language skills are developing appropriately.
The following is a useful guide to your child’s Speech and language development.
How many words should my child have?
By age one
Milestones
- Recognizes name
- Says 2-3 words besides “mama” and “dada”
- Imitates familiar words
- Understands simple instructions
- Recognizes words as symbols for objects: Car – points to garage, cat – meows
Between one and two
Milestones
- Understands “no”
- Uses 10 to 20 words, including names
- Combines two words such as “daddy bye-bye”
- Waves good-bye and plays pat-a-cake
- Makes the “sounds” of familiar animals
- Gives a toy when asked
- Uses words such as “more” to make wants known
- Points to his or her toes, eyes, and nose
- Brings object from another room when asked
Between two and three
Milestones
- Identifies body parts
- Carries on ‘conversation’ with self and dolls
- Asks “what’s that?” And “where’s my?”
- Uses 2-word negative phrases such as “no want”.
- Forms some plurals by adding “s”; book, books
- Has a 450 word vocabulary
- Gives first name, holds up fingers to tell age
- Combines nouns and verbs “mommy go”
- Understands simple time concepts: “last night”, “tomorrow”
- Refers to self as “me” rather than by name
- Tries to get adult attention: “watch me”
- Likes to hear same story repeated
- May say “no” when means “yes”
- Talks to other children as well as adults
- Solves problems by talking instead of hitting or crying
- Answers “where” questions
- Names common pictures and things
- Uses short sentences like “me want more” or “me want cookie”
- Matches 3-4 colors, knows big and little
Between three and four
Milestones
- Can tell a story
- Has a sentence length of 4-5 words
- Has a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words
- Names at least one color
- Understands “yesterday,” “summer”, “lunchtime”, “tonight”, “little-big”
- Begins to obey requests like “put the block under the chair”
- Knows his or her last name, name of street on which he/she lives and several nursery rhymes
Between four and five
Milestones
- Has sentence length of 4-5 words
- Uses past tense correctly
- Has a vocabulary of nearly 1500 words
- Points to colors red, blue, yellow and green
- Identifies triangles, circles and squares
- Understands “In the morning” , “next”, “noontime”
- Can speak of imaginary conditions such as “I hope”
- Asks many questions, asks “who?” And “why?”
Between five and six
Milestones
- Has a sentence length of 5-6 words
- Has a vocabulary of around 2000 words
- Defines objects by their use (you eat with a fork) and can tell what objects are made of
- Knows spatial relations like “on top”, “behind”, “far” and “near”
- Knows her address
- Identifies a penny, nickel and dime
- Knows common opposites like “big/little”
- Understands “same” and “different”
- Counts ten objects
- Asks questions for information
- Distinguished left and right hand in herself
- Uses all types of sentences, for example “let’s go to the store after we eat”
PRO-ED Inc. (1999) ASHA Website
What Sounds Should My Child have?
| By age 3 | p, m, h, w, n |
| By age 4 | b, k, g, d, f, y |
| By age 5 | No new sounds |
| By age 6 | t, ng, r, l |
| By age 7 | ch, sh, j, th, (v) – |
| By age 8 | s, z, v, zh |
Based on Saunders 1972.
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