This is a continuation of the speech and language developmental milestones resource from 72 months onwards (6 years onwards). To try and make this information easier to read we have created a made-up child called Bill. Bill was lucky, he had a childhood free of any illness or accidents and he had pro-active parents who played with him and gave him lots of quality 1:1 attention. The rate at which children reach their speech and language developmental milestones can vary, depending on the child. Some children will develop certain speech and language skills quicker than others, and some children will be slow to develop certain skills and reach certain developmental stages compared to their peers, even if there are no related problems. This information sheet is just a general guideline, and many experts vary considerably on what they believe to be the normal stages of development.

Speech and Auditory Awareness

72 months +

Speech is error-free and adult-like.

Expressive Language and semantics (content)

72 months +

Bill’s vocabulary continues to grow and he is able to converse and argue his point of view.

Social use of Language (use and pragmatics)

72 months +

Bill comprehends subtle humor and giggles about silly things. He uses the telephone for social calls. Bill now regularly plays games with rules and enjoys football. He will regularly argue about the rules. There is also more focus on the social aspects of play and the acceptance of the group.

Receptive language (comprehension, perceiving and understanding) and cognition

72 months +

Bill’s understanding of the world around him increases especially as he is now attending school. He has to listen, process and learn, often without any visual input. However, his auditory memory and processing skills are such that he does not have difficulties taking on board and storing new information.

Morphology and syntax (structure)

72 months +

Bill is now able to use passive sentence forms, e.g., "The bus was hit by the car" and he will correct his own sentence errors. He now uses mature expressions, e.g., "This is serious. Dad has hurt his leg, and he is playing in the final on Saturday". Bill argues verbally and uses more complex negation often, e.g., "I can't get it," or "I can't figure it out". He uses mature vocabulary, e.g., "surprisingly," "frightening," "disappointing".

Gross and fine motor skills

72 months +

Bill continues to excel at certain motor tasks that involve art and sport.