Language Development in Children Ages 6 to 24 Months.

Children begin learning language long before they show recognizable signs of using it. Here is a break down of what is going on for a child during the different stages of his or her development and grasp of language.

6 months

A child begins to vocalize with deliberate intonation. He can respond to his name and can respond to people's voices by turning his head and his eyes. Also, a child this age will respond to friendly or angry voices appropriately.

12 months

Now a child begins to use more word or word fragments that have meaning. He can understand simple instructions, practices inflection and begins to be aware of the social value of speaking.

18 months

An 18 month old child has a vocabulary of 5-20 words, mostly nouns. He begins to experiment with words and phrases by saying them over and over. He is able to grasp and follow simple commands and expresses emotion in his prattle.

24 months

At 24 months a child remembers the names of objects he sees often. He can use prepositions, such as in, on, under, etc. and begins to string together verb/noun combinations. His vocabulary has grown to 150-300 words and has begun to use pronouns. At this age, about 60% of what the child says is intelligible, though his rhythm and fluency are still undeveloped and his volume and pitch are not yet under control.

Knowing what to expect of your child's language development with respect to his age can be a big help in communicating with him and in helping to foster language skills. Language development happens quickly, in part because the child realizes how important it is to a positive experience of life. Participating in your child's language development is fun, interesting and a great way to relate to your child.