Developmental Update

Howard Phillips Center

Things in GREEN are what he's able to do as of today, February 12, 2009. Just two short years after starting OT and speech and behavior therapies.

12 - 18 months of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Understands simple one-step commands
• Recognizes body parts when named
• Understands names of common objects by bringing them from another place upon request
• Identifies two or more familiar objects from a group of three to four objects by touching/pointing
• Enjoys listening to rhymes and jingles
• Begins to look more selectively at pictures to recognize them when named

Expressive Language

• Attempts to get objects by pointing and vocalizing
• Uses from three to 20 single words meaningfully
• Imitates many new words
• Uses words of more than one syllable
• Answers questions such as "What's this?"
• Asks for "more"
• Uses two-word combinations as single words such as "gimme"
• Communicates primarily through true words and gestures

18 - 24 months of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Recognizes body parts and clothing articles in large pictures
• Understands simple yes/no questions
• Understands differences in personal pronouns (me, you)
• Follows a series of two - three simple relations commands with the same object
• Appears to listen to meaning of languarge, not merely words
• Recognizes many common objects and pictures as they are named

Expressive Language

• Replaces jargon with meaningful words
• Imitates animal sounds and other environmental sounds in play
• Refers to self by name (only in pictures and mirror, not if you ask him his name)
  
• Uses "no" frequently
• Uses "my" to declare ownership
• Begins combining words to form two-word phrases
• Asks questions by raising pitch of voice at end of word or phrase

2 - 3 years of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Understands actions in pictures
• Recognizes names of smaller body parts (chin, knee, elbow)
• Understands functions of objects
• Understands size concepts big and little
• Understands quantity concepts one, more, all
• Understands spatial concepts in, on, under
• Becomes aware of a sequence and organization for daily routines
• Understands question forms who, where, what doing
• Understands genders (boy/girl)
• Likes to listen to short stories

Expressive Language

• Combines words to express: - Possession: "my coat"
  - Recurrence: "more juice"
  - Action: "go outside"
  - Location: "want up"
  - Negation: "no eat"
• Usually uses two- to four-word phrases
• Asks for help with personal needs
• Uses I, me, mine, you
• Can say first and last name when asked
• Can repeat two numbers in sequence
• Talks about an event that has just happened
• Uses many commands ("go get it")
• Uses here, there
• Begins using "is" verb form
• Speech is understood by others 70 - 80 percent of the time

3 - 4 years of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Understands concepts hard/soft, rough/smooth
• Understands spatial concepts front/back
• Understands question forms, "What do you do when you're hungry? Sleepy?"
• Follows two-step directions involving two different actions

Expressive Language

• Asks many who, what, where, why questions
• Uses four- to five-word sentences most of the time
• Engages in detailed conversations
• Uses language in imaginative play
• Imitates whispering
• Relates two events in correct sequential order
• Completes simple verbal opposites
• Uses verb forms is, am, are
• Uses regular plural forms consistently ("blocks")
• Uses possessives ("mommy's car")
• Begins using "because" as an explanation

4 - 5 years of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Follows series of three unrelated commands
• Identifies two - three primary colors
• Understands concepts heavy/light, loud/quiet, day/night
• Understands directional concepts above/below, top/bottom
• Understands variety of question forms (where, when, how)

Expressive Language

• Combines four to eight words in sentences
• Describes objects according to size, shape, color
• Enjoys re-telling stories
• Enjoys asking meaning of new words
• Uses could and would verb forms
• Uses if and so in forming complex sentences
• Uses no and not" appropriately
• Uses contracted negatives (can't, don't)
• Regularly uses pronouns he, she, they and possessive pronouns his, her, our, their

5 years of age - Full Language Skills

• Defines objects by their use and can tell what objects are made of
• Knows spatial relations like on top, far, behind, and near
• Has a sentence length of five to eight words
• Has a vocabulary of about 2,000 words
• Knows common opposites like big/little and hard/soft
• Understands same and different
• Identifies all primary colors
• Counts ten objects
• Knows his/her address
• Identifies a penny, nickel and dime
• Carries a plot in a story
• Uses future, present, and past tense
• Stays with one activity for 12 -13 minutes
• Asks for information
• Distinguishes left and right hand in him/herself, but not in others

It's time for a development update

It seems that every time Duck gets sick, about a week later, he has an all-out verbal explosion. so, here goes. The following was taken from the Arnold Palmer Hospital Howard Phillips Center for Children Development Center website (click here) to see the full outline.

I've changed all the things he CAN do to blue.

18 - 24 months of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Recognizes body parts and clothing articles in large pictures
• Understands simple yes/no questions
• Understands differences in personal pronouns (me, you)
• Follows a series of two - three simple relations commands with the same object
• Appears to listen to meaning of languarge, not merely words
• Recognizes many common objects and pictures as they are named

Expressive Language

• Replaces jargon with meaningful words
• Imitates animal sounds and other environmental sounds in play
• Refers to self by name
• Uses "no" frequently
• Uses "my" to declare ownership
• Begins combining words to form two-word phrases
• Asks questions by raising pitch of voice at end of word or phrase

2 - 3 years of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Understands actions in pictures
• Recognizes names of smaller body parts (chin, knee, elbow)
• Understands functions of objects
• Understands size concepts big and little
• Understands quantity concepts one, more, all
• Understands spatial concepts in, on, under
• Becomes aware of a sequence and organization for daily routines
• Understands question forms who, where, what doing
• Understands genders (boy/girl)
• Likes to listen to short stories

Expressive Language

• Combines words to express: - Possession: "my coat"
  - Recurrence: "more juice"
  - Action: "go outside"
  - Location: "want up"
  - Negation: "no eat"
• Usually uses two- to four-word phrases
• Asks for help with personal needs
• Uses I, me, mine, you
• Can say first and last name when asked
• Can repeat two numbers in squence
• Talks about an event that has just happened
• Uses many commands ("go get it")
• Uses here, there
• Begins using "is" verb form
• Speech is understood by others 70 - 80 percent of the time

3 - 4 years of age - Receptive Language Skills

• Understands concepts hard/soft, rough/smooth
• Understands spatial concepts front/back
• Understands question forms, "What do you do when you're hungry? Sleepy?"
• Follows two-step directions involving two different actions

Expressive Language

• Asks many who, what, where, why questions
• Uses four- to five-word sentences most of the time
• Engages in detailed conversations
• Uses language in imaginative play
• Imitates whispering
• Relates two events in correct sequential order
• Completes simple verbal opposites
• Uses verb forms is, am, are
• Uses regular plural forms consistently ("blocks")
• Uses possessives ("mommy's car")
• Begins using "because" as an explanation

Duck's Development Update

Ms. B says Duck's still struggling with the CVC and two-word phrases, but he's definitely progressing rapidly these days. It's only double consonant words where we hear two consonants, like mama, dada or na-nigh. As for two-word phrases, he has hi dada and see you down pat. Thank you is coming along.

The big news? He's starting to drop signs and pick up their verbal counterpart! Please is still difficult for him, but it's more because of the pl- beginning. Duck tries to say p(L)ease, but he knows that's not right, so he doesn't say it.

I C&P'd from my March 31 Duck's Progress and just moved things around. The words in blue is what's new in the last two months, but I'm sure there's more, though. I'll edit and update later tonight.

VERBAL
Mama
Dada
No
Yeah
Na-nigh (night night)
You (with and without pointing at you)
Joos (juice or anything in a cup really)
Yu(ck)
S(h)oes
Do-go (Go Diego Go)
Oh-dah (Dora)
Cheese
(P)izza
Oh no
Eye (sounds more like "ah")
Mou(th)
Nose
Ball (for anything round, including a tomato)
(Ba)nana ---God forbid I walk by the bananas at Publix or Walmart and not buy 2 or 3
Ah Deedee (I did it)
SSSShhhhh (rare, but it's complete with finger at mouth)
Sciss(or)s
See You
Cookie (has dropped signing it)
Toodles (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Whew (complete with hand at head, this comes from Diego's Octapus episode)
Hmmm (with pointer finger at chin as if contemplating)

SIGN and VERBAL
More
Again
All done
Eat
Hi

SIGN LANGUAGE
Bye
Thank you
Please
Down
Go-go-go

I think the other big development would be we were watching A Christmas Story (he loves that movie) and it came to the part where Flick is stuck to the flag pole. The look on Duck's face was GREAT. His breathing got shallow and quick, like he might cry. His face was really sad and he looked at me, said some jibberish and I just replied, "I don't know you'll have to watch." And he turned back to the tv and waited for the good outcome. When that came, he got a big grin on his face.

PURE EMPATHY.

Won't matter how many times Duck sees that movie, he'll do that every time now.

He'll get his shoes if told to do so (of course it's the Sponge Bob ones). I'm working on "get your shoes and take them to Daddy".

Duck's Progress

Duck is 32 months old and here are his current stats:
26 pounds
~36" tall
wearing 2T or 3T shirts and 24 month shorts
~7.5 in shoes

Duck's current word lists. The letters in parentheses are not vocalized. For example, yuck is just "yuh" TOTAL: 34

VERBAL
Mama
Dada
No
Yeah
Na-nigh (night night)
You (with and without pointing at you)
Eat (in conjunction with sign)
Joos (juice)
Yu(ck)
S(h)oes
Do-go (Go Diego Go)
Oh-dah (Dora)
Cheese
(P)izza
Oh no
Eye (sounds more like "ah")
Mou(th)
Nose
Ball (for anything round, including a tomato)
(Ba)nana ---God forbid I walk by the bananas at Publix or Walmart and not buy 2 or 3
Ah Deedee (I did it)
SSSShhhhh (rare, but it's complete with finger at mouth)

SIGN LANGUAGE
Open
Again
Cookie
Milk
All done
Hi/Bye
Thank you
Eat
More
Please
Down
Go-go-go
working on Cheese

I would say it's pretty even on what's prompted and what's done on his own and appropriately.

He can identify his eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. He touches his head for hair or head, but won't say either word. He will open his mouth and say "ah" for the doctor when asked, as long as it's Dr. C.

He can almost get his shirt off by himself and does a pretty good job of pulling up his pants. Potty training will HAVE to wait at this time. And I think we're finally over the whole constipation thing. As long as pear juice and graham crackers are part of the daily diet, we're good.

He understands go to the table, get in your chair, and it's dinner time. We've had to go back to gating him out of the kitchen due to him getting into Friday night's dessert, so while he does understand it's milk time, he can't go to the kitchen to help get it.

He likes helping in the kitchen though. A few weeks ago, I let him help stir the cake mix. Tonight I did a hand-over-hand and we shredded cheese together for tacos.

And, mostly, he's the most affectionate little boy right now. It's like the floodgates opened up. He walks right over to me, wraps his legs around me and says, "mama."