Consult the Glossary for an Explanation of Terms

Cognitive Skills

• Uses simple conventional objects in an appropriate manner, e.g., hits pegs with wooden hammer.
• Imitates adult activities.
• Plays simple games.
• Points to objects in pictures.

Semantic Skills

• Says ten names for common objects, actions and familiar people, e.g., mommy, doggie, ball, cookie, etc.
• Asks for names of things.
• Shakes head yes/no to some questions.
• Points to major body parts when asked.
• Uses words more often than gestures to communicate.
• Produces animal sounds.
• Refers to self by name.
• Says "no."

Phonetic Skills

• Jargons while looking at pictures in a book.
• Tries to imitate what you say.
• Uses vowel sounds accurately.
• Uses at least /m/, /p/, /n/, /w/, /th/, /t/ and /d/ in his/her speech, duplicates the syllable, e.g. [nana] for banana, [wawa] for water, [ba] for ball.
• Increases vocalizing as activity level increases.

Syntactic Skills

• Follows directions for simple actions, e.g., "jump down."
• Uses two word cominations such as "more milk," "big boy," "daddy go."
• Tries to "tell" experiences using jargon combined with some real words.

If your child is not showing the above speech, language, and related skills, a consultation is recommended with a licensed speech and language pathologist who can provide you with suggestions which may prevent a communication problem from developing, determine if a screening test or in-depth diagnostic testing is needed at this time, and/or provide you with possible funding sources if treatment is needed.

Make an appointment for a consultation.

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