In the first years of life, toddlers go through milestones in their speech development. From the first gurgles to telling the story of the first day at school, children's language tends to develop in a sequential way. First they follow the sounds and behavior of their parents, then they try to reproduce them by using their tongues, lips, the roof of their mouths and their baby teeth. The first sounds children usually manage to pronounce are vowel sounds. Over time, these will become syllables. Then, with repetition, children will pronounce the first double syllable words - 'mom', 'dad', etc. By the age of two, most children are able to form very simple sentences of 2-3 words.
Although psychologists classify language age according to these developmental thresholds, it is important to keep in mind that not all children develop at exactly the same rate and some variations are normal. This means that some children may speak earlier and others a little later. However, as a parent, knowing the stages of language development can help you get your bearings - you know what to expect and can tell if it's time to see a speech therapist.
Chronology ofof language
Baby (first year of life)
| Birth - 3 months | Gurgles softly when happy. Vowels like "aaah" or "oooh". |
| 2 - 3 months | She has different cries depending on the situation. Over time, you will identify what each cry means - hunger, tiredness, etc. |
| 3 - 4 months | Although still mostly vocal, your baby's cooing is more complex, with varied sounds. |
| 5 - 6 months | He tries to soften and repeat the first syllables. It is also around this time that he starts to lower and raise his voice, imitating your sounds. If your little one does not vocalize at all by the age of 6 months, consult your pediatrician. |
| 7 - 12 months | Babble more and more and try new combinations of sounds. Imitate and repeat your sounds by having 'conversations' with you. If by 7 months, your child is not making both vowels and consonants, seek medical advice. |
Toddler (1-2 years)
| 12 months | Say the first word. Know one or more words and use them. |
| 14 months | He begins to modulate his voice, using inflection (raising his voice at the end of a question) and 'talking' with his hands (gesticulating to complete his speech). If by 15 months your baby doesn't say a word, it's time to see the doctor. |
| 16 months | He talks to someone most of the time, not gurgles to himself. Say "mommy!" or "Daddy!" to get your attention, nod to indicate yes or no. Pronounce the most common consonants (t, n, d). |
| 18 months | It has a vocabulary of a few words, including verbs ('eat', domi) and simple adjectives ('cold', 'hot'). |
| 18 - 24 months | Begins to formulate simple sentences to indicate a request ("give water", "I want nani" etc). |
Preschool (2-4 years)
| 24 months | Uses sentences consisting of 2-3 words and personal pronouns (to refer to oneself). Vocabulary includes 50 to 100 words. |
| 2 -3 years | His vocabulary grows to 300 words. He can hold short conversations about things around him and frequently asks simple questions. Sentences increase in complexity from 3 to 6 words and use more verbs. If, at age 2 to 3, your child is still repeating your questions without answering in his own words, talk to your pediatrician. It could be either a social or language development delay. |
| 3 - 4 years | He uses interrogative words ('why', 'how', 'when', 'who') very often. He makes himself understood most of the time and understands what you are asking. For example, he can tell you what happened while you were out of the room. Your toddler may sound slurred or stammering because he is in a hurry to tell you many things at once. This is perfectly normal behavior. But if it persists for more than 6 months, if he clenches his jaw when he talks, or if he is slurring his speech, it's time to see a speech therapist. |
School ( 4 - 8 years)
| 4 - 5 years | Communicates clearly and narrates a story from start to finish using a sequence of images. |
| 6 - 7 years | They can describe how two objects are alike or different, tell a story without the help of pictures, and recount a story or an event from the past. |
| 8 years | Master all speech sounds as well as appropriate rhythm, intonation and volume. Uses compound and complex sentences correctly and can hold a conversation with an adult. |
