Skill Progression 12-15 months 15-18 months 18-21 months 21-24 months 24-27 months 27-30 months Respond to and Uses referential Produces mostly Produces the Asks for name of Produces number Knows first three use a growing naming (word nouns, including following: object or words: Knows count or number vocabulary refers to specific different types of Agents (e.g., of numbers one and words thing): (e.g., The labels (e.g., mama) object (“What’s two, and knows child’s cup, names of objects, Actions (e.g., run) that?” “Where “one more” blanky, “Dada,” family members, Objects (e.g., cup) Daddy?”) “Mama”) pets, activities, Recurrence etc.) (e.g., more) Cessation (e.g., stop) Disappearance (e.g., all gone) Uses social words: Generalizes nouns Uses relational Names parts of Understands and Uses at least one (e.g., Says “Hi,” to other similar words to relate objects (e.g., uses comparative color description “Bye”; uses a objects one word to body parts or words (e.g., big, word version of another object or wheels of car) little) “Thank you”) person to something else: Produces Produces a few Uses categorical Uses pronouns Uses over extension Existence (this, possessive my, verbs (e.g., kiss, vocabulary (e.g., (e.g., he, me) and (uses one word too more, all gone) mine kick, open, sleep) trees, animals, possessives within broadly) (e.g., all Action relational toys, people) a statement animals with four (up, down, (e.g., that mine, legs are dogs) your hat) Location relational (where object is located) Possession relational (mine)
Skill Progression 12-15 months 15-18 months 18-21 months 21-24 months 24-27 months 27-30 months Respond to and use a growing vocabulary Uses referential naming (word refers to specific thing): (e.g., The child’s cup, blanky, “Dada,” “Mama”) Produces mostly nouns, including different types of labels (e.g., names of objects, family members, pets, activities, etc.) Produces the following: Agents (e.g., mama) Actions (e.g., run) Objects (e.g., cup) Recurrence (e.g., more) Cessation (e.g., stop) Disappearance (e.g., all gone) Asks for name of object or of object (“What’s that?” “Where Daddy?”) Produces number words: Knows numbers one and two, and knows “one more” Knows first three count or number words Uses social words: (e.g., Says “Hi,” “Bye”; uses a version of “Thank you”) Generalizes nouns to other similar objects Uses relational words to relate one word to another object or person to something else: Existence (this, more, all gone) Action relational (up, down, Location relational (where object is located) Possession relational (mine) Names parts of objects (e.g., body parts or wheels of car) Understands and uses comparative words (e.g., big, little) Uses at least one color description word Produces possessive my, mine Produces a few verbs (e.g., kiss, kick, open, sleep) Uses categorical vocabulary (e.g., trees, animals, toys, people) Uses pronouns (e.g., he, me) and possessives within a statement (e.g., that mine, your hat) Uses over extension (uses one word too broadly) (e.g., all animals with four legs are dogs)