Infant language development begins immediately following birth. Each day is a super fast and fun ride as you watch them grow.
A baby goes from not even making eye contact and only crying...
...to looking at you for the first time and surpising you with "Go?"
During the first 18 months, speech and language milestones are divided into two stages:
Child is PRE-Intentional: 0-8 Months Children at this age do not do anything because they planned it!
They don't have the cognitive skills yet to create ideas in their minds and then act on them through planned actions.
Child is Intentional but not Conventional: 9-18 Months
Children at this age now do things intentionally. They will pick up objects and use them the right way. They begin to say sounds and words on purpose because they now have meaning.
Child is Intentional but not Conventional: 9-18 Months
8-10 Months
Receptive Language / What The Child Understands
Understands a few single words in very familiar contexts (child shows understanding by looking at the same object as mother, playing with the object, and copying mother's action) 8-12 months
Social/Play
Looks at object, then at the partner (gaze shifts)
Begins to searches for items that were just moved out of sight (object permanence beginning)
10-12 Months
Receptive Language / What The Child Understands
Understands a few single words in very familiar situations
(child shows understanding by looking at the same object as mother, playing with the object, and copying mother's action) 8-12 months
Understands single words outside of routine situation, but still requires a few things to be familiar/context
(child shows comprehension by looking at the object, showing you in some way that they noticed, might look back, and then does what you usually do with that object) 12-18 months
Social/Play
Knows objects exist even when not in sight, will search for them (object permanence complete)
Semi-appropriate toy use (uses object correctly but in a fleeting way, object doesn't have to be positioned right)
Example: Touches comb to hair but the teeth are facing up
14-16 Months
Receptive Language / What The Child Understands
Understands single words outside of routine situation, but still requires a few things to be familiar/context
(child shows comprehension by looking at the object, showing you in some way that they noticed, might look back, and then does what you usually do with that object) 12-18 months
Social/Play
Nesting (places or stuffs random objects into a container)
We are both MS CCC-SLPs and fell in love while studying for our degrees. Since then we have done everything together - graduated, worked, and started a family. We spend most of our time with our family and the rest making this site for you.