Language Development Red Flags: Ages 0-36 Months

Have you ever wondered if your child is on track for “typical” language development? The following red flag checklist can help give you a general idea if your child is not following typical patterns of development. It is important to note that some children develop language a few months earlier or later than these general guidelines.

Red Flags for Language Development by 3-4 months:

1. Child does not react to sudden noises
2. Child does not turn head to sounds such as a bell or a rattle
3. Child is not quieted by a caregivers voice
4. Child does not seem to look at faces or objects- the baby should track items or people in her line of vision
5. The baby seems unusually quiet, no cooing
6. The baby as not developed “different” cries to signify different needs i.e. hungry, tired, distress, etc.
7. The child has not developed a smile response to familiar caregiver
8. The child does not use her voice to attract attention

Red Flags for Language Development by 14 months:

1. Child does not follow simple directions such as, “give” or “come”
2. Child does not seem to understand simple gestures of “hi” or “bye”
3. Child does not have interest in simple books and simple pictures
4. Baby does not seem to communicate other than crying
5. Baby does not use simple gestures such as waving for bye-bye or hi, pointing, reaching, showing
6. Child does not produce a variety of consonant or vowel sounds and/or does not produce sounds frequently
7. Child does not use 2 to 8 words spontaneously
8. Child does not communicate in a variety of ways such as facial expressions, eye gazing, or gestures

Red Flags for Language Development by 28-30 months:

1. Child shows inconsistent response to words or directions
2. Child needs repetition
3. Chid gives inappropriate responses to simple ‘wh’ questions such as who is this? What is this?
4. Child is not interested in simple stories
5. Child seems to easily forget familiar routines
6. Child becomes easily frustrated during communication exchanges
7. Child mostly relies on yelling, grunting, or incoherent utterances for communication
8. Words do not seem like adult words or may be part words i.e. “Da” for dog
9. The child uses the same pseudo word or short syllable to represent many different things i.e. “ba” for boy, ball and baby
10. Child is unable to name most familiar items
11. Child has no clear “yes” or “no” response
12. Child has less than 200 words and lacks steady vocabulary
13. Child may have “lost” some speech

Red Flags for Language Development by 36 months:

1. Is unable to follow more complex directions i.e., get your coat then go to the car
2. Lacks interest in or does not remember simple and familiar stories, songs, nursery rhymes
3. Does not understand the difference between who, what and where questions
4. Is overly dependent on parents or siblings for communication
5. Persists in babbling in place of adult speech “bibi” for baby
6. Clarity of the child’s speech decreases as the child attempts longer utterances
7. Is not speaking in sentences of three to four words
8. Is not beginning to use simple grammar- articles, verb endings, plurals, pronouns
9. Less than 800 words
10. Is not easily picking up new vocabulary

If you believe your child meets the criteria of this red flag checklist for their age, please speak with a professional speech and language pathologist who can thoroughly evaluate their language development. As mentioned previously, children may develop a few months earlier or later than the time frames outlined by this checklist.