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What is 'Normal' Development?

Here are a few guidelines for what to expect in your child's speech and language development.

Got a question?
I don't like the term 'normal development'. Every child is unique and develops at a different rate. We do however need some guidelines to understand when a child is falling behind in their development and to know when to provide intervention. Here are some guidelines on Typical Speech and Language Development.

Development of Speech Sounds
By 3 years of age your child should be producing: p, b, m, w, h, t, d, n, y, k, g
By 4 1/2 years of age your child will also be showing use of: s, z, sh, ch, j, l, f
By 8 years of age: all sounds are clear and your child should also be correctly producing: v, r and th.

Please note that these are only guidelines and there are other factors to consider when assessing your child's speech development.

Typical Language Development
9-12 months
  • babbles
  • tries to copy sounds for objects and animals
  • responds to name
  • follows some very simple instructions
12-18 months
  • points to objects when named
  • begins to use single words
  • expresses wants by gestures, actions and facial expressions
18-24 months
  • begins to put two words together
  • has a vocabulary of 25-50 words
  • understands simple questions and instructions
2-3 years
  • uses sentences of 3-5 words
  • not all sentences are correct but child is starting to use some grammatical structures
  • tends to talk in present tense and confuses pronouns
3-4 years
  • the child is beginning to use sentences that are correct
  • the meaning of the sentences is clear
  • starting to use more grammatical structures
  • child can answer a range of different questions
  • child asks lots of questions
4-5 years
  • nearly all sentences are correct
  • child can tell long stories about his/her own experiences
  • knows common colours
  • can follow a range of instructions
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