Red Flags — - Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
□□ Uses 100-150 words and combines 2 words
(e.g., More juice. Want cookie.)
□□ Follows two step instructions (e.g., go find
your teddy bear and show it to Grandma)
□□ Takes turns in a conversation
□□ Asks for something by pointing and using
sounds or words
□□ Begins to offer toys to peers and imitates
other children’s actions and words
□□ People can understand his/her words 50 to
60 per cent of the time
□□ Uses many different speech sounds at
beginning of words (p,b,m,t,d,n,h,w)
□□ Enjoys being with other children
□□ Learns and uses one or more new words a
week; may only be understood by family
By 30 months
□□ Understands the concepts of size (big/little)
and quantity (a lot, little, more)
□□ Uses some correct grammar – “two
cookies”; ‘bird flying”
□□ Uses more than 350 words
□□ Uses action words – run, fall
□□ Begins taking turns with other children
using both toys and words
□□ Shows concern when another child is hurt
or sad
□□ Combines several actions in play –feeds
dolls then puts him/her to sleep
□□ Produces words with two or more syllables
or beats: ba-na-na, com-pu-ter
By 3 years
□□ Responds to simple questions or directions
□□ Understands location words like in, on and
under
□□ Identifies some objects by their functions
(e.g., What is a spoon for?)
□□ Is understood by most people outside of
the family most of the time
□□ Uses long sentences, using 5-8 words
□□ Uses pronouns: I, you, me and mine
□□ Understands questions using who, what,
why, when and where
□□ Is learning the meaning of several new
words every week (in spoken language)
□□ Sings simple songs and familiar rhymes
□□ Talks about past events
□□ Tells simple stories
□□ Shows affection for favourite playmates
□□ Engages in multi step pretend play
– cooking a meal, repairing a car
□□ Shows ability to participate in routines
By 4 ½ years
□□ Most of the time uses complete sentences
with 4 or more words (e.g., I go home now.)
□□ Uses correct grammar such as plural
(e.g., books), past tense (e.g., walked) and
pronouns (e.g., I, he, she, me, you)
□□ Follows directions involving three or more
steps “First get some paper, then draw a
picture, last give it to mom”
□□ Tells stories with clear beginning, middle
and end
□□ Talks to try to solve problems with adults
and other children
□□ Demonstrates increasingly complex
imaginative play
□□ Is understood by adults outside the family
almost all the time
□□ Is learning the meaning of and using several
“new words” every week (in spoken
language)
□□ Recites nursery rhymes and sings familiar
songs
□□ Understands “just one”
□□ Enjoys being read to
□□ Can identify 4-6 colours by name
16 Red Flags: Early Identification in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark November 2007