Speech and Language Development

1½ - 2 years

Articulation/Speech:

  • Words increase in frequency, jargon almost gone by 2 years
  • Asks questions by raising intonation at end of phrase
  • Improvement in intelligibility – approximately 65% intelligible
  • Appearance of words produced with consonant – vowel – consonant structure (hot)

Receptive Language:

  • Comprehends approximately 300 words
  • Follows simple two-step commands
  • Listens as pictures are named
  • Listens to simple stories – especially likes ones heard before
  • Points to five body parts on self or doll
  • Responds approximately to yes/no questions (head shake)
  • Object permanence fully acquired (knows something is there even when they cannot see it)
  • Discriminates food from other objects (unwraps candy before eating it)
  • Imitates only events that are present to the senses, not those from past experiences

Expressive Language:

  • Uses approximately 50 recognizable words
  • Uses names of most familiar objects
  • Produces animal sounds or uses its name
  • Verbalizes toilet needs – may verbalize before, during or after act (closer to 2 years)
  • Identifies and names five or more pictures
  • Says own name on request – refers to self with full name
  • Verbalizes “no”
  • Verbalizes immediate experiences
  • Combines 2 words into phrases (~2 years) in noun Verb or noun+adjective form

Grammer and Syntax:

  • Begins to use some verbs and adjectives
  • Follows directions using one or two spatial concepts (in/on)
  • Negation used in form of “no” (no bed)
  • Possessive emerging (daddy car)
  • Refers to self with pronoun and name (me Tommy)
  • 33% utterances are nouns

Play:

  • Parallel play begins – will play near others but not with them
  • Talks to self as he/she plays
  • Little social give-and-take - little interest in what others say or do buy hugs, pushes, pulls , snatches, grabs, defends rights by pulling hair or kicking
  • Does not ask for help; likes rapid shifts of attention
  • Transports blocks in a wagon rather that just building
  • Relates action to object or another person – washes, feeds combs doll in addition to self

Social Skills/Pragmatics:

  • Names objects in front of others
  • Says “what’s that” to elicit attention
  • Begins to express commands, indicate possession and express problems
  • Much verbal turn-taking