Language Adquisition

The Thirteenth Month:
-Vocabulary of 3 - 4 words in addition to "mama"and "dada".
-Say "tata"for thank you.
-Gives toy on request or gesture.
-Looks in appropiate place when asked. "where is daddy? -ball,- kitty"etc?
-May use sounds to indicate specific objects that are understood by the parents.
-Responds to own name.
-Jabbers with expresions.
-Understands gestures.
-Obeys comand: "Give it to me"
-Attempts new words.
-Has begun to understand the name of people, objects, and animals that are important to him.
-Will listen for 3 minutes or so to rhymes and jingles.
-Comes when beckoned.
-Has learned to respond to speech by acts.
-Indicates wants other than by crying.

The Fourteenth Month:-Likes rhymes and jingles.
-Indicates wants in some other way than by crying.
-Is putting all kinds of sounds together.
-Brings coat to indicate desire to be taken out.
-May bring parent a cd to have it played.
-Tries hard to make self understood.
-Amuses self with vocal play.
-Attempts to say any word he or she hears.
-Knows through words or signs names of objects she or he uses: chair, cup, teddy bear, kitty, doll etc.
-Knows names of family members.
-Speaking vocabulary of 3 - 5 words.
-Repeats sounds of words without indication of understanding the meaning.

The Fifteenth Month:-Speaking vocabulary of 4 - 6 words including names.
-May also say "there"and "bye-bye".
-Uses jargon and gestures.
-Says "ta-ta"or equivalent for thank you.
-Points to shoes or clothes on command.
-Vocalizes and gestures to indicate wants.
-Points to familliar persons, toys and animals on request.
-Follows simple commands: "Give me the ball", "Get the teddy bear"etc.
-Combines jargon and words in conversation.
-Asks for objects by pointing.
-Understands such directions as "no", "come", "show me", "look".
-Delights in dogs and often says "bow-wow".
-Recognizes names of major body parts.
-Identifies pictures of a few named objects or the objects themselves by pointing or vocalizing.
-Can respond to a few key words and phrases.
-Points to one named body part.

The Sixteenth Month:
-Uses 6 - 7 clear words.
-Brings a familiar object from another room upon request.
-Points and gestures to indicate desires and call attention to events.
-Responds to "Give me that"when accompanied by gestures.
Indicates wants assertively; will use one word to make want known; e.g "Üp".
-Combines 2 different words.
-Points to one named body part.
-Most toddlers at this age do no like having a whole story read to them; they prefer to pick out and point to pictures or listen to adult talk about pictures.
-Responds to verbal directions, but must still be managed mostly by actions.
-Interested in watching children's shows on tv, cartoons and singing commercials.

The Seventeenth Month:
-Long, babbled conversations with some clear words.
-Enjoys picture books.
-Points to one named body part.
-Says 6 words in addition to "Mama"and "dada".
-Ability to imitate words become more precise.
-Words used rather than gestures to express some wants and needs.
-Understands more words than able to say, but even this understanding is extremely limited.
-Combines 2 different words.
-Extensive vocalization and echoing.

The Eighteeth Month:
-Follows one step direction.
-Can point to own body part; hair, eyes, nose, mouth, on request.
-Asks for some wants by naming object; milk, cookie etc.
-Attempts to sign.
-Refers to self by name.
-Gets coat or hat and says "bye bye".
-Enjoys songs as öld Mc Donald had a farm".
-Imitates simple sounds on request.
-Identifies objects by pointing.
-Names or points to familiar pictures in a book.
-Speaking vocabulary of about 10 words, including names.
-Understands simple questions.
-Uses 2 word phrases, "telegraphic" versions of adult sentence (and, at, the, are lacking)
-Favorite words may be "all gone" "thank you" "bye bye" öh my" All of which register completions.
-May hum spontaneously.
-Is now on the threshold of speech.
-"No"is chief word.
-Chatters in imitation of conversation, verbally or nonverbally.
-Enjoys playing the question - and- answer game with parent.

The Nineteenth Month:
-Touches 3 or more body parts or items of clothing on command.
-Still much bubbling, but now of several syllabes with intricate entonations.
-Speaking vocabulary of more than 10 words but less than 50.
-A favourite game is attaching a name to a thing (labeling)
likes to be read to.
-Responds appropriately to requests for bodily action.
-Points to most pictures of familiar objects named by parents.
-Uses speech as a means of securing action from another person, usually the mother.
-Beginning to respond to speech by speech; the remark of another person evokes his or her spoken response.
-Combines 2 different words.
-Responds to "Where is your nose?" by correctly indicating nose; also to "Where are your eyes?".

The Twentieth Month:-Speaking vocabulary of 12, 15, or more words.
-Is learning to label actions or qualities: up when he or she wants to be picked up, or ON when she or he wants the light on.
-Enjoys hearing nursery rhymes.
-Attempts to talk in sentences, combines 2 different words.
-Points to several named body parts.
-Constantly asks "What is that?"is discovering that everything has a name.
-Is beginning to use rudimentary questioning as a substitute for physical, nonlinguistic behavior.
-Enjoys playing a simple lotto game with parent.

The Twenty First Month:-Speaking vocabulary of 20 or more words.
-Joins 2 words ("All gone"etc.)
-Uses word combinations.
-Echoes 2 or more last words.
-Names 3 pictures of common objects.
-Listens to short rhymes with interesting sounds, especially when they are accompanied by actions or pictures.
-Likes to have lilting rhymes sung.
-Enjoys tactile books.
-Needs supervision while looking at books because often tears them at this age.
-Spontaneous humming or singing of syllabes.
-Imitates 2 or 3 word sentence.
-Understands some personal pronouns; can distinguish "Give it to her", "Give it to him".
-Tries to follow directions.
-Can point to 5 body parts.


The Twenty Second Month:
-Can point to 5 body parts of self or doll.
-Asks for things at table by name.
-Enjoys listening to simple stories.
-Uses simple 1 or 2 words questions to secure the names of objects or persons in his or her enviroment.
-Combines 2 words in speech.
-In response to "where is your month?"correctly indicates either by pointing to or opening mouth.
-Is interested in sound and repetition (as in book, Ask Mr. Bear)
-Calls all women and men mommies and daddies.
-Echoes adults words and inflections.

The Twenty Third Month:
-Speaking vocabulary of 20 clear words.
-Ask for food when hungry and water when thirsty.
-Enjoys hearing rhymes in Mother Goose book, etc.
-Is substituting words for some physical acts.
-Knows 3 to 5 body parts.
-Understand more words than able to use.
-Has learned to form some sentences of 2 words, but still relies on gestures, facial expressions, and total body movement, as well as grunts, squeals, and shrieks for communication.
-Answer "What is your name"? "What does the doggy say?" "What does the kitty say?".
-Can name familiar objects; ball, car, chair, bed, baby etc.
-Increase in communicative behavior and interest in language.
-Discards jargon.

The Twenty Four Month:-Can name almost everything she or he has daily contact with at home or on walks.
-Can associate names with most familiar objects.
-Understand and ask for "another", "more".
-Shows and imitates names for hair, hands, feet, nose, eyes, mouth, shoes.
-Actively imitates words.
-Expressive vocabulary of 50 or more words.
- Listens to and enjoys simple stories.
-Responds to: "Show me a dog" "Show me a hat" etc.
-Names 3 or more pictures in a book.
-Echoes adult's words and inflections.
-Is beginning to discover that everything has a name.
-May be able to give first and last names.