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Communication
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with communication.
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child isn't showing vocabulary knowledge yet
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected vocabulary, keep talking, naming and reading with them daily, and arrange a developmental check rather than waiting. Notice whether understanding, gestures and social connection are still growing — that is reassuring — and seek a check if words and these other threads seem behind or if any skill is lost. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing vocalisation development
If a child in your care isn't yet cooing or babbling, respond warmly to every sound they make, fill their day with talk and song, and check their hearing. Arrange a developmental check if sounds are very few, there's no back-and-forth, they don't respond to sound, or babble has faded. This isn't a diagnosis — it means a clinician's gentle, early look is wise, because vocal play is the foundation of speech and early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing word knowledge
Word knowledge — understanding what words mean — usually grows before clear speech, so a child who comprehends but says little is often on their own path. Keep naming, talking and reading through the day, watch for response to name and following simple requests, and arrange a calm developmental check rather than wait. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen do pre-literacy skills develop in children?
Cognitive communication and pre-literacy skills build between ages 3 and 7 — from enjoying stories and naming pictures at 3, to hearing rhymes and recognising letters by 5–6. These are gentle expectations, not deadlines; seek a friendly screen if a child shows little book interest or can't hear rhymes by 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Communicate?
Communication develops from birth and blooms fastest in the toddler years: babbling and pointing by 12 months, single words by 18 months, and two-word phrases by 24 months. Understanding and gesture matter as much as words. Check in if there's no babble or gesture by 12 months, no words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months, or any loss of skills.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Be Expressively Communicating?
Expressive communication grows fastest between ages 3 and 7: simple sentences and family understanding by 3, short stories by 4, clear grammatical speech by 5–6. There's a wide normal range — steady progress matters most. A screen helps if a child isn't combining words by 3 or is hard for strangers to understand by 4.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Does a Child Develop Communication – Pragmatics?
Pragmatics — the social use of language — develops between roughly 3 and 7 years: turn-taking and greetings by 3, adjusting to listeners by 4–5, and storytelling and conversation repair by 6–7. Variation is normal; a check is worthwhile if social communication stays hard past age 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerReceptive Communication Milestones by Age
Receptive communication grows early: by age 3–4 most children follow two-step instructions and answer simple questions, and by 5–6 understand longer conversation and stories. Children develop at their own pace, so one late skill rarely alarms — but a steady pattern of not understanding warrants a gentle developmental check, starting with hearing.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Understand and Use Language?
Receptive (understanding) and expressive (using) language develop together from age 3 to 7 — moving from short phrases to clear, conversational sentences. Understanding usually runs slightly ahead of speaking, which is normal. A gentle screen helps if a child by 4 rarely follows instructions or is hard to understand.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Develop Social Language?
Social language blossoms most between ages 3 and 7 — from short sentences and turn-taking at 3 to storytelling, conversation and friendship-building by 6–7. The normal range is wide, so watch for steady progress, and seek a friendly developmental check if conversation or connection seems persistently behind.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child use language in context?
Contextual language use develops between roughly 3 and 7 years: requesting and commenting by 3, adjusting talk for listeners by 4–5, and telling connected, repairable stories by 6–7. Ranges are wide; a screen helps if your child lags well behind.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child develop conversation skills?
Conversation skills build between ages 3 and 7: short two- to three-turn exchanges around age 3, staying on topic and asking and answering questions by 4–5, and organised storytelling with conversational repair by 6–7. Check in if turn-taking and topic-sharing remain very hard past age 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Do Children Develop Conversational Skills?
Children build conversation in stages: turn-taking with babble and gesture by 12 months, simple two-way chats by 2–3 years, and topic-keeping, question-asking, multi-turn exchanges by 3–5 years. There is a normal range — steady back-and-forth growth matters more than an exact age.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Does a Child Develop Descriptive Language?
Descriptive language — using colours, sizes, shapes and feeling words to describe things — typically develops between ages 3 and 5. By 3 children use simple describing words, by 4 they describe events in short sentences, and by 5 they give richer descriptions and retell experiences. If a child rarely describes things by age 4–5, a friendly speech-therapy check is a wise next step.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Say Early Words?
Most children say their first meaningful words around 12 months (typical range 10–14 months), reach several words by 18 months, and combine two words by 24 months. Watch for no words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months, or loss of words — and seek a gentle developmental check, including a hearing review.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Describe Events?
Most children begin describing simple events between 3 and 4 years, and by 5 to 6 years can tell a short, ordered story about a recent experience. The range is wide, so a slightly later narrator who is otherwise communicating well is usually fine. A gentle check helps if event-telling is markedly behind by age 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerExpressive Language Milestones by Age
Expressive language follows a clear arc: first words around 12 months, two-word phrases by 24 months, short sentences by 3 years, and little stories by 4–5 years. A few weeks' variation is normal; persistent gaps warrant a gentle speech screen.
Read the answer AnswerAt what age should a child follow directions?
Children follow simple one-step directions around 12–18 months, two-step directions by 2–3 years, and complex multi-step instructions by 4–5 years. The range is wide; steady progress matters more than an exact age. A child who understands but won't comply is showing typical will, not delay.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Use Grammar?
Grammar develops between ages 3 and 7: short phrases and plurals around 3, longer sentences and pronouns by 4, most everyday grammar by 5, and irregular forms and complex sentences by 6–7. Errors like "runned" are a normal, healthy part of learning the rules.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should a Child Develop Language?
Language develops from birth, with most toddlers showing first words around 12 months, pointing and a small vocabulary by 18 months, and two-word phrases by 24 months. These are guideposts, not deadlines — and understanding usually grows ahead of speaking. A friendly developmental check is wise if there are no words by 18 months or no two-word phrases by 24 months.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Does a Child Develop Language Processing?
Language processing — understanding words and sentences — develops across the toddler years, roughly 12 to 36 months. Children follow simple instructions by 12–18 months, two-step requests by 2 years, and longer everyday sentences and questions by 3 years, with a wide normal range.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Develop Language Structure?
Children build language structure — joining words into grammatically richer sentences — between roughly 3 and 7 years: three-word phrases by 3, connected sentences by 4, ordered short stories by 5–6, and complex sentences by 7. Seek a friendly check if a child past 4–5 still speaks mainly in single words or muddled order.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Does a Child Develop Naming Speed?
Naming speed — how quickly a child names familiar colours, objects or pictures — typically emerges around 3–4 years and becomes faster and more automatic between 3 and 7 years. It's a quiet early indicator of later reading ease, worth gently observing rather than worrying about. Consider a check if word-finding stays effortful by 5–6.
Read the answer AnswerAt What Age Should a Child Be Non-Verbal?
Being non-verbal is a description, not a milestone. Most toddlers say first words around 12 months, two-word phrases by 24 months. Seek a developmental and hearing check if there are no words by 16 months, no gestures by 12 months, or no two-word phrases by 24 months.
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