Home > School and Learning > Learning Differences > Diagnosing Lds > Common Developmental Delays
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Common Developmental Delays

Here are some of the speech-language benchmarks.

By around six months:

  • recognizes her own name

  • babbles, laughs, vocalizes, and whines purposefully

  • cries in response to angry voices

  • turns and looks at unfamiliar sounds
By around twelve months:

  • understands simple directions

  • imitates various sounds, and says one or two words

  • identifies two body parts on himself
By around eighteen months:

  • recognizes familiar people and objects in pictures

  • communicates needs and wants by gesture or vocalization

  • may say up to fifteen words
By around second year:

  • says his own name

  • says two-word phrases often, as well as some three-word phrases

  • uses 150-300 words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives (e.g., puppy, go, dirty)
By around third year:

  • is understood by strangers most of the time

  • follows three-step commands (e.g., get your plate, put it in the sink, and wash your hands)

  • imaginary play emerges – plays with dolls, talks to stuffed animals, and uses objects symbolically, such as pretending that a string bean is an airplane
By around fourth year:

  • has a complex conversation, asks who and why

  • repeats simple words in order

  • shows mastery of simple grammar, but may mispronounce up to half the basic sounds
By about fifth year:

  • speaks in detailed sentences

  • communicates well with peers and adults

  • says most sounds correctly but may have trouble with l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and th


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From Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel, M.A., OTR/L and Nancy Peske. Copyright © 2005. Used by arrangement with Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

If you'd like to buy this book, click here or on the book cover.


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