HealthWise KnowledgeBase
Speech and Language Milestones, Ages 1 to 3 Years
Topic Overview
Speech and language development milestones relate to receptive language (the ability to understand words and sounds) and expressive language (the ability to use speech and gestures to communicate meaning).
Most 1-year-olds begin to understand the meanings of words. Their receptive language grows from understanding names of people and objects, to being able to follow simple requests sometime between ages 1 and 2. Expressive language advances from primarily using gestures and babbling at age 1, to using words, simple phrases, and some early sentence structures between ages 2 and 3.
| Age | Receptive language | Expressive language |
|---|---|---|
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1-year-olds (12 months to 24 months): |
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2-year-olds (24 months to 36 months): |
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| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference November 20, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Reference Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics |
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