Language and communication development is about how children express themselves, their wants and needs, and share what they are thinking as well as understand what is said to them.
Language and communication is also a way for children to build strong connections with the people in their lives. Quality interactions will help children’s brains develop and strengthen their language and communication development.
Here’s some examples of what most children are expected to do at ages 1 and 2 within this developmental domain.
1 year old:
- waves goodbye
- calls a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name
- understands “no” (pauses briefly or stops when you say it)
2 year old:
- points to things in a book when you ask, like “where is the bear?”
- says at least two words together, like “more milk”
- points to at least two body parts when you ask him to show you
- uses more gestures than just waving and pointing, like blowing a kiss or nodding yes
In addition to looking for key milestones to monitor your child’s development, you can monitor for signs or look-fors that may indicate that your child needs extra support or may have a developmental delay.
A developmental delay could be detected if your child is not meeting the milestones for their age in one or more of the domains.
Bringing any concerns to your pediatrician and early childhood provider can ensure that your child gets the support that they need to help them be successful in school and beyond.
Definition
Strategies
Developmental Milestones
Resources
Detecting Delays
Who to Contact
Screening/Monitoring