Early Elementary (Ages 5-7)

Form: Begins understanding and using basic adult grammar

Content: Average expressive vocabulary of 3000-5000 words, 

counts sounds in words, learns basic spelling

Use: Tells stories that are focused, 

Communicates easily with adults and children, reads picture books

Mid-Late Elementary (Ages 7-9)

Form: Begins spelling correctly using sounds, sound manipulation activities, begins to play with word order 

Content: Understand some words have multiple meanings, able to identify synonyms, reading increases new vocabulary, learns spelling patterns

Use: Correct use of pronouns, can tell and understand jokes, can tell stories with multiple episodes, reading chapter books, 

Late Elementary - Middle School (Ages 9-12 years old)

Form: More complex sentence structure, varied word order, begin using word endings that give meaning, understanding of punctuation increases

Content: More abstract vocabulary gained from reading, more words recognized by sight

Use: Reads chapter book, can use metaphors and slang,  conversations are two-way and more reciprocal

Middle School - Early High School (ages 12-14)

Form:  Perfect tense used more frequently (have/has), use of stress and intonation for meaning, more clauses used in speech

Content:  Abstract dictionary definitions are used, more use of comparatives, can explain meaning of proverbs in context

Use: Reads various types of literature (fiction/nonfiction, newspapers), may overuse certain phrases, 

High School Age (15-18 yrs)

Form: Masters basic rules for punctuation and capitalization, full adult range of syntax reached, morphological rules reach adult levels

Content: Average vocabulary is 10,000 words 

Use: Critical reading and thinking used, persuasive writing used, ability to speak formally in public, can distinguish fact from opinion

Red Flags: When to Contact a Speech-Language Pathologist Near You

Elementary Aged

-Doesn't talk about daily activities

-Doesn't use pronouns correctly

-Frequently uses speech that is unintelligible

-Doesn't add -ed to past tense

-Doesn't appear to communicate with other children

Middle School and High School Aged

-Doesn't seem to follow directions

- Trouble making friends

- Reading and writing lags behind other students the same age

- Limited vocabulary or difficulty in word-finding

-Continued grammatical errors

- Sound errors in speech

-Sentence structure seems overly simple

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). What is speech? What is   Language?. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/speech-and-language/

  Boys Town National Research Hospital. (n.d.). Identifying red flags for hearing, speech, and language development. boystownhospital.org. https://www.boystownhospital.org/knowledge-center/red-flags-hearing-speech-language

Paul, R., Norbury, C., Gosse, C., & Paul, R. (2018). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: Listening, speaking, reading, writing, and Communicating (Fifth). Elsevier.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022, October 13). Speech and language developmental milestones. National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language

Developmental norms. Shrewsbury Public Schools. (n.d.). https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/slp/developmental-norms