Stages of Language Development Chart

Language has two main areas:
⦿ Receptive – understanding spoken or sign language.
⦿ Expressive – using speech, sign, or other communication to express wants, needs, thoughts, and ideas.

Note: Each stage builds on the last.
See the Appendix for definitions of terms.
How to use this chart: Review the child’s current and previous skills. If earlier skills are missing, contact us.

","\u29bf Babbling (e.g. ma-ma, da-da)
\u29bf Takes turns vocalizing with others
\u29bf Recognizes names of a few objects
","\u29bf No specific milestones","\u29bf No specific milestones","\u29bf No specific milestones","\u29bf Can understand one key word in a sentence (e.g. Where's your nose?)
","\u29bf May have difficulties socializing with parents and joint attention
\u29bf May struggle to copy and learn from others due to poor understanding and attention
"],["2 -3 years","\u29bf Follows 2-part instructions (e.g. Go to your room and get your shoes)
\u29bf Points to main body parts, clothing items, toys and food when asked
","\u29bf Names actions (e.g. go, run)
\u29bf By 2 years vocabulary is 250\u2013300 words
\u29bf By 3 years uses 1000 words
","\u29bf Minimum of 2\u20133 words in a sentence (e.g. Daddy go work)
\u29bf Still talks to self in long monologues
"," \u29bf Talks about present events
\u29bf Regular plurals \u2013 e.g. 1 dog, 2 dogs
\u29bf Articles \u2013 'a' and 'the'
\u29bf Progressive -ing \u2013 e.g. The boy is jumping
\u29bf Uses pronouns 'you, I, me, mine'
\u29bf Regular past tense \u2013 e.g. \u201cI climbed\u201d
\u29bf Possessive 's \u2013 e.g. \u201cDaddy's car\u201d
","\u2003\u29bf Position \u2013 on; off; in; out; up; down; under; top; open; shut
\u2003\u29bf Size \u2013 big; small\/little; long
\u2003\u29bf Quantity \u2013 1; 2
\u2003\u29bf Other \u2013 stop; go\/start; loud; quiet; heavy; soft; fast; hot; cold
","\u29bf Understands and asks What and Where questions
","\u29bf May have difficulties socializing with peers and joint attention
\u29bf May struggle to copy and learn from others due to poor understanding and attention
\u29bf May have difficulties following instructions
\u29bf May have difficulties being understood by peers or unfamiliar people
\u29bf May have difficulties expressing wants, needs, thoughts and ideas
"],["3 - 4 years","\u29bf Able to follow 3-step instructions (e.g. point to the cat, the dog and the monkey)
\u29bf Longer and more complex sentences are understood
","\u29bf By 4 years, vocabulary reaches around 1500 words
","\u29bf Typically uses 3\u20134 word sentences
\u29bf Begins to describe ongoing actions
\u29bf Describes the function or use of an object
","\u29bf Begins referencing past events
\u29bf Introduces auxiliary 'is' \u2013 e.g. \u201cThe girl is skipping\u201d
\u29bf Begins using gendered pronouns \u2013 e.g. \u201cHe is running\u201d, \u201cShe is drinking\u201d
\u29bf Uses connector 'and' \u2013 e.g. \u201cI want a banana and an apple\u201d
\u29bf Employs 3rd person singular \u2013 e.g. \u201cHe wants the ball\u201d
\u29bf Begins using contracted negatives \u2013 e.g. isn't, doesn't, haven't
\u29bf Uses contracted copula \u2013 e.g. \u201cHe's happy\u201d
\u29bf Introduces past participles \u2013 e.g. \u201cIt's broken\u201d
","\u29bf Begins to comprehend and use:
\u2003\u29bf Position \u2013 bottom; behind; first; near
\u2003\u29bf Size \u2013 short (length); short (height)
\u2003\u29bf Quantity \u2013 3; every; none
\u2003\u29bf Other \u2013 hard; slow; light (weight); many colors
","\u29bf Understands 'Who' questions
\u29bf Asks a variety of questions, including What, Why, When, and How
","\u29bf May show challenges in social interaction with peers
\u29bf Learning from others may be hindered by limited understanding and attention
\u29bf Difficulty following instructions at home or early education settings
\u29bf May not be easily understood by peers or unfamiliar listeners
\u29bf Expressing needs, thoughts, or ideas might be challenging
\u29bf May respond inappropriately to questions
\u29bf Word-finding issues may lead to disfluent or interrupted speech
"],["4 - 5 years","\u29bf Begins to follow the meaning in conversations
","\u29bf Vocabulary continues to expand
\u29bf Understands basic color and shape words \u2013 e.g. red, square
\u29bf Able to categories objects (e.g. animals, food)
","\u29bf Regularly uses 4\u20135 word sentences
","\u29bf Talks about both past and upcoming events
\u29bf Uses possessive pronouns \u2013 e.g. \u201cIt is his\/hers\/theirs\u201d
\u29bf Applies comparative and superlative \u2013 e.g. big, bigger, biggest
\u29bf Distinguishes between 'is' and 'are' \u2013 e.g. \u201cThe monkey is eating\u201d vs \u201cThe monkeys are eating\u201d
\u29bf Uses past tense of \u201cto be\u201d \u2013 e.g. \u201cI was running\u201d \/ \u201cThey were running\u201d
\u29bf Employs 'because' to explain \u2013 e.g. \u201cHe cried because he fell\u201d
\u29bf Begins using adverbs ending in -ly \u2013 e.g. quickly, quietly
\u29bf Uses irregular plurals \u2013 e.g. mice, men
","\u29bf Understands and uses concepts such as:
> Mid-late 4 years:
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Position \u2013 middle; around; away from; between; through; beside; last
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Size \u2013 short (length and height); tall; fat
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Quantity \u2013 4; most; few
> Late 4\u20135 years:
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Position \u2013 in front; in a line; corner; middle
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Size \u2013 thin
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Quantity \u2013 pair; 5 (emerging)
\u2003\u2003\u29bf Other \u2013 same; different (size\/function)
","\u29bf Understands 'How' questions
\u29bf Begins asking the meaning of words
","\u29bf May experience difficulties socializing
\u29bf Poor attention may hinder learning from others
\u29bf Following instructions at home or school might be affected
\u29bf May not be clearly understood by peers or unfamiliar individuals
\u29bf Difficulty expressing complex thoughts or ideas
\u29bf Struggles to respond appropriately to questions
\u29bf Word-finding challenges may cause speech disruptions
"],["5 - 6 years","\u29bf Able to follow the flow of conversations
\u29bf Follows multi-step instructions with increasing independence
","\u29bf Vocabulary comprehension continues to grow
","\u29bf More complex sentence structures are used
\u29bf Uses imaginative and pretend play with language
\u29bf Describes multiple attributes of an object
","\u29bf Begins using irregular past tense \u2013 e.g. fell, broke, ate
","\u29bf Uses time-related terms \u2013 e.g. yesterday, tomorrow, morning, later
","\u29bf Understands and asks 'How' and 'Where' questions
","\u29bf May find social interaction challenging
\u29bf Attention and concentration may be limited
\u29bf Difficulty may be seen in following routines and instructions at school and home
\u29bf May struggle to retell past events clearly
\u29bf May not be easily understood by unfamiliar listeners
\u29bf Expression of thoughts and ideas (verbally or in writing) may be limited
\u29bf Responses to questions may lack appropriateness or clarity
\u29bf Disfluency may occur due to word-finding difficulties
"],["6 - 7 years","\u29bf Ideas are shared clearly in conversations
\u29bf Follows multi-step instructions involving complex tasks
","\u29bf Objects can be classified by more refined traits \u2013 such as use, color, or material
","\u29bf Begins delivering short oral presentations
\u29bf Uses advanced language functions \u2013 e.g. making jokes, giving opinions, teasing, explaining situations
\u29bf Written language develops \u2013 starts creating descriptive paragraphs and stories
","\u29bf Grammar usage becomes more consistent and mature
","\u29bf Understands and uses:
\u29bf Position \u2013 left, right
\u29bf Concepts \u2013 same\/different, season, time of day
\u29bf Distinguishes between reality and fantasy
","\u29bf Capable of making predictions, justifying choices, and offering solutions
","\u29bf Social interactions may remain difficult
\u29bf Attention and focus may still be weak
\u29bf May have trouble following instructions at home or school
\u29bf Difficulty may be seen in retelling events or constructing stories
\u29bf Expressing ideas clearly (orally or in writing) may remain a challenge
\u29bf May provide incomplete or inappropriate responses to questions
\u29bf Word-finding issues may cause speech to be hesitant or interrupted
\u29bf Reading fluency and comprehension may be delayed
"],["7 -8 years ","\u29bf Can sustain attention for longer periods \u2013 e.g. during guest speakers at school
","\u29bf No specific milestones","\u29bf Opinions are expressed clearly and logically
\u29bf Retells both real and imaginative events in an organized way
","\u29bf Grammar is generally correct in both speech and writing
","\u29bf Demonstrates basic problem-solving through language
","\u29bf Seeks clarification by asking relevant questions
","\u29bf Social participation may still be impacted
\u29bf Attention and concentration may be below expected levels
\u29bf Instructions at home or school may still be challenging to follow
\u29bf Retelling or recounting events might lack structure or clarity
\u29bf Problem-solving through language may be difficult
\u29bf Ideas might not be clearly communicated in speech or writing
\u29bf Responses to questions may still be inappropriate or incomplete
\u29bf Disfluency may occur due to word retrieval difficulties
\u29bf Reading fluency and comprehension may continue to be areas of concern
"]],"searching":false,"paging":false,"info":false,"lengthChange":false,"sort":false,"pagingType":"full","scrollX":true,"scrollY":"","pageLength":10,"responsive":true,"dom":"Bfrtip","lengthMenu":[[10,50,100,-1],[10,50,100,"All"]],"buttons":[],"columnDefs":[{"className":"dt-head-center","targets":"_all"},{"className":"dt-left","targets":"_all"},{"targets":0,"width":"119px"},{"className":"dt-left","targets":0},{"className":"dt-head-left","targets":0}],"deferRender":true,"language":{"search":"","info":"Showing _START_ to _END_ of _TOTAL_ entries","searchPlaceholder":"Search....","emptyTable":"No data available in table","zeroRecords":"No matching records found","paginate":{"first":"First","last":"Last","next":"Next","previous":"Previous"},"buttons":{"copy":"Copy","pdf":"PDF","print":"Print","excel":"Excel","pageLength":{"-1":"Show all rows","_":"Show %d rows"}}}}' data-extra_data='{"current_post_id":1520,"prefix":"iq_","header_class":"dt-head-center","table_data_direct":false,"table_footer":false,"is_dynamic_table":false,"hide_column_header":false}' data-settings='[]'>

Loading..........

The Data is Not Available

This chart provides a functional screening of age-based developmental skills, not a formal assessment. It combines decades of multi-source data, clinical experience, and educator input from South Australian schools, adapted to align with practical ACARA curriculum requirements beyond standardized research.

Reference List Entry:
Kid Sense Child Development. (n.d.). Child development charts.

Content adapted and inspired by developmental milestone charts from Kid Sense Child Development (https://childdevelopment.com.au/). Credit to Kid Sense for foundational insights used in creating materials for Aliana Pediatric Therapy.